Islamabad City

Islamabad City



Islamabad (help·info) (Urdu: Pashto: Punjabi: اسلام آباد) Islām ābād (Meaning "Abode of Islam" or Abode of Peace) is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of 1.74 million in 2009.The Rawalpindi/Islamabad Metropolitan Area is the third largest in Pakistan, with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants.

Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the north of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, Margalla pass being a gateway to the North-West Frontier Province.The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. However, the capital was not moved directly from Karachi to Islamabad. It was first shifted to Rawalpindi and then to Islamabad after all the developmental works were finished.

Islamabad is one of the greenest and most well-planned cities of South Asia.According to a survey, Islamabad is considered the cleanest city in Pakistan.The city is well-organized and divided into different sectors and zones. Islamabad was ranked as a Gamma world city in 2008.The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the World. Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan.The top ranked university in Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam University, is located in Islamabad. The top two engineering universities in Pakistan, Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences and National University of Sciences and Technology are also located here.Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad is the world's second largest university by enrollment.




Recent history

Since its establishment it has attracted people from all over Pakistan making it the most cosmopolitan city in the country.As the capital city it has hosted a number of important meetings, such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit.In October 2005, the city suffered some damages due to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake having a magnitude of 7.6.Islamabad has also undergone a recent series of terrorist incidents including the July 2007 Siege of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), June 2008 Danish embassy bombing, and the September 2008 Marriott bombing.




Climate

Islamabad features an atypical version of a humid subtropical climate, with long and very hot summers accompanied by a monsoon season followed by short and mild winters. The hottest months are from May to July, where average highs routinely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F). The monsoon season occurs July through September, with heavy rainfalls and evening thunderstorms. Winters occur from October to March with temperatures variable by location, with mild temperatures in the city and sparse snowfall over the hills. The weather ranges from a minimum of 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) in January to a maximum of 46.1 °C (115.0 °F) in June.The average low is 2 °C (35.6 °F) in January, while the average high is 40 °C (104.0 °F) in June. The highest temperature recorded was 48 °C (118.4 °F) in June, while the lowest temperature was −4 °C (24.8 °F) in January.[25] On 23 July 2001, Islamabad received a record breaking 620 mm of rainfall in 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in 100 years.