Islamabad, << ihs LAHM uh `bahd` >> (pop. 1,009,832), is the capital of Pakistan. The city lies in northern Pakistan, at the edge of the Himalaya. Islamabad is a carefully planned city. It was built during the 1960’s to serve as Pakistan’s capital. Islamabad has wide avenues and many gardens and parks. A number of the city’s buildings have a blend of modern design and traditional Islamic architecture.
Islamabad is divided into eight zones, including administrative, diplomatic, business, and residential. The administrative zone of Islamabad, located in the north, consists largely of government buildings. It includes the National Assembly buildings, the President’s House, the Prime Minister’s House, and the Supreme Court. The diplomatic zone, in the northeast corner of Islamabad, consists entirely of foreign embassies. The business zone is located in the center of the city. The residential zone has two parts, one north and the other south of the business zone.
The residential zone is divided into sectors of 11/4 square miles (3.2 square kilometers) each. Each sector is a relatively independent community, with its own business district, health center, schools, and mosque (Muslim house of worship).
Most of Islamabad’s people work for the government, which assigns housing according to each worker’s rank. People who do not work for the government have to pay a high price for housing in Islamabad.
In 1959, the Pakistani government designated Islamabad to replace Karachi, a seaport, as the capital. Construction of the new city began in 1961. By the late 1960’s, most of Pakistan’s government offices had been moved to Islamabad.
In October 2005, a major earthquake hit north of Islamabad. More than 73,000 people were killed in northern Pakistan and Pakistani-held Kashmir, and at least 1,300 were killed in Indian-held Kashmir. Over 3 million people were left homeless throughout the region.
