Friday, 25 December 2020

Islamabad

Islamabad
Language
Download PDF
Watch
Edit


This article is about the capital city of Pakistan. For other uses, see Islamabad (disambiguation).
Islamabad (/ɪsˈlɑːməˌbɑːd/; Urdu: اسلام آباد‎, romanized: Islāmābād) is the capital city of Pakistan, and is federally administered as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Islamabad is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, while the larger Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the country's fourth largest with a population of about 3.1 million.[7] Built as a planned city in the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital, Islamabad is noted for its high standards of living,[9] safety,[10] and abundant greenery.[11]


Islamabad
اسلام آباد
Capital city
Faisal Masjid From Damn e koh.jpg
Long Exposure of Blue Area Islamabad.JPG Parliament House, Islamabad by Usman Ghani.jpg
Trail 3 Margalla Hills Islamabad.jpg Islamabad, Pakistan Monument.jpg
Faisal Mosque, Islamabad III.jpg
Clockwise from left:
Faisal Mosque, National Assembly of Pakistan, Pakistan Monument, Srinagar Highway, Margalla Hills National Park, Blue Area
Emblem of Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad.png
Nickname(s): Isloo, The Green City[1]
Islamabad is located in PakistanIslamabadIslamabad
Show map of Pakistan
Show map of Asia
Show map of Earth
Show all
Coordinates: 33°41′35″N 73°03′50″E
Country
Pakistan
Adm. Unit
Islamabad Capital Territory
Constructed
1960
Established
14 August 1967; 53 years ago[2]
Constituencies
NA-52, NA 53, NA-54[3]
Government
• Governing body
ICT Administration and Capital Development Authority (CDA)
• Mayor
Sheikh Ansar Aziz[4]
• Chief Commissioner
Amer Ali Ahmed
• Deputy Commissioner
Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat
• Chairman CDA
Amer Ali Ahmed[5]
Area[6]
• City
220 km2 (80 sq mi)
• Urban
220.15 km2 (85.00 sq mi)
• Metro
906.5 km2 (350.0 sq mi)
Highest elevation
620 m (2,000 ft)
Lowest elevation
490 m (1,610 ft)
Population (2017)[8]
 • City
1,014,825
 • Rank
9th, Pakistan
 • Density
2,089/km2 (5,410/sq mi)
 • Metro
3,113,056[7] (includes Rawalpindi)
 • Rank, Metro
4th (Pakistan)
Demonym(s)
IslamabadiIslamabadian
[citation needed]
Time zone
UTC+05:00 (PKT)
Postcode
44000
Area code(s)
051


Notable sports teams
Islamabad United, Islamabad Jinns
Website
www.islamabad.gov.pk
The city's master plan, designed by Greek architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis, divides the city into eight zones, including administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational sectors, industrial sectors, commercial areas, and rural and green areas which are administered by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation, supported by the Capital Development Authority. The city is known for the presence of several parks and forests, including the Margalla Hills National Park and the Shakarparian.[12] The city is home to several landmarks, with the most notable one being the Faisal Mosque − the largest mosque in South Asia[13] and the fourth largest in the world. Other landmarks include the Pakistan National Monument and Democracy Square.[14][15][16]

Islamabad is a Gamma + city as rated by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[17] The city has the highest cost of living in Pakistan, and its population is dominated by middle and upper middle class citizens.[9][18]

The city is home to twenty universities, including Bahria University, Quaid-e-Azam University, PIEAS, COMSATS University and NUST.[19] The city is one of the safest in Pakistan, and has an expansive RFID-enabled surveillance system with almost 2000 CCTV cameras.[10][20]

Toponymy
History
Geography and climate
Cityscape
Demographics
Economy
Culture
Tourism
Education
Health care
Transport
Sports
Recreation Places in Islamabad
Notable people
Twin towns and sister cities
See also
References
External links
Last edited 23 hours ago by Ytpks896
RELATED ARTICLES
Islamabad Capital Territory
Federal territory of Pakistan

Tourism in Islamabad Capital Territory
Developments in Islamabad



The name "Islamabad" means "City of Islam". It is derived from two words: Islam and abad. Islam refers to the religion of Islam, Pakistan's state religion, and -abad is a Persian suffix meaning "cultivated place", indicating an inhabited place or city.[21] According to a history book by Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh, Abdur Rehman Amritsari − a school teacher from Arifwala − proposed the name of the city.[22]

Occasionally in writing, Islamabad is colloquially contracted to "ISB". Such usage originated in SMS language, in part due to the IATA location identifier for Islamabad International Airport.


ArticleMediaAdditional Info
HomeGeography & TravelCities & TownsCities & Towns H-L
Islamabad
national capital, Pakistan
  
WRITTEN BY
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
See Article History
Islamabad, city, capital of Pakistan, on the Potwar Plateau, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Rawalpindi, the former interim capital.

The Secretariat buildings, Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Secretariat buildings, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Frederic Ohringer—Nancy Palmer Agency/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
00:03
02:17

Skyscrapers in the business district of central Jakarta, Indonesia, around the Jalan Jenderal Sudirman thoroughfare.
BRITANNICA QUIZ
Asian Capitals Quiz
How well do you know the capitals of Asia? This quiz will show you the name of a country on the continent of Asia, and you’ll need to identify its capital city.
The city’s site was chosen by a commission in 1959 after Karachi was found unsuitable as the capital. Construction began in 1961 with an effort to blend traditional Islamic architecture with modern patterns and requirements. Such world-renowned names in town planning and architecture as Konstantínos Doxiádes, Edward Durell Stone, and Gio Ponti have been associated with the city’s development. It is a compact city (area 25 square miles [65 square km]), lying at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 feet (450 to 600 metres). The second phase of construction ended with completion of the Secretariat, Pakistan House, President’s House, National Assembly Building, Grand National Mosque, and housing for government staff. The University of Islamabad was established in 1965 and the People’s Open University (later renamed the Allama Iqbal Open University) in 1974. The war with India in 1971 slowed construction temporarily.

The urban area is divided into eight zones: administrative, diplomatic, residential, institutional, industrial, and commercial areas, a greenbelt, and a national park. It includes an Olympic village and gardens and dairy, poultry, and vegetable farms, as well as such institutions as the Atomic Research Institute and the National Health Centre. The name Islamabad (“City of Islam,” or “City of Peace”) was chosen to reflect the country’s ideology.


The planned capital area of 350 square miles (906 square km) is an expanse of natural terraces and meadows surrounding the city. A further 1,049 square miles (2,717 square km) of hinterland, known as the Specified Areas and subject to planning control, is roughly a trapezoid, with the Margala Hills, 3,000 to 5,000 feet (900 to 1,500 metres) high, in the north and northeast. The southern portion is an undulating plain. It is drained by the Kurang River, on which the Rawal Dam forms a lake holding about 50,000 acre-feet (61,650,000 cubic metres) of water. Pop. (1998) city, 524,500; capital area, 799,000.

Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.
Subscribe today
LEARN MORE in these related Britannica articles:
Pakistan
Pakistan
Its capital is Islamabad, in the foothills of the Himalayas in the northern part of the country, and...…
Mohammad Ayub Khan
Mohammad Ayub Khan
Mohammad Ayub Khan, president of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969, whose rule marked a critical period in the...…
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan, populous and multiethnic country of South Asia. Having a predominately Indo-Iranian speaking...…
newsletter icon
HISTORY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Sign up here to see what happened On This Day, every day in your inbox!