Islamabad (اسلام آباد) Nickname The Green City is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), The greater Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area is the third largest conurbation in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants. Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the northeastern part of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Margalla pass acting as the gateway between the two regions.[3] The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. Islamabad is a well-organised international city divided into several different sectors and zones. It is regarded as the most developed city in Pakistan and is ranked as a Gamma- world city.[4] The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in well-organised international city[5] and the fourth largest mosque in the world.[6][7] Islamabad has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan[8] and is home to the some of the top-ranked universities in Pakistan, including Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Sciences and National University of Sciences and Technology.[9] Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad is one of the world's largest universities by enrollment Islamabad is located at 33.43°N 73.04°E at the Northern edge of the Pothohar Plateau and at the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad Capital Territory. Its elevation is 540 metres (1,770 ft).[31][32] The modern capital and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side and are commonly referred to as the Twin Cities,[33] where no exact boundary exists between the two cities.[20] To the northeast of the city lies the hill station of Murree The Margalla Hills—also called Margalla Mountain Range are also a part of lesser Himalayas located north of Islamabad. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605 hectares.The hills are a part of Murree hills.It is a range with many valleys as well as high mountains. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western end and 1,604 meters on its east with average height of 1000 meters. Its highest peak is Tilla Charouni.The range gets snowfall in winters. The Margallas are an excellent place for bird watchers. The area is home to a large number of birds, including robins, sparrows, kites, crows, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, shrikes, pheasants, spotted doves, Egyptian vultures, falcons, hawks, eagles, Himalayan Griffon vulture, Laggar falcon, Peregrine falcon, Kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, White cheeked bulbul, yellow vented bulbul, Paradise flycatcher, Cheer pheasant, Khalij pheasant, Golden oriole, Spotted dove, Collared dove, Wheatears and buntings. Margalla has a variety of mammals, they include the Leopard, Gray Goral, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Jackal, Red Fox and the Porcupine among others. Rawal Lake in Pakistan is an artificial reservoir that provides the water needs for the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Korang River along with some other small streams coming from Margalla Hills have been set to form this artificial lake which covers an area of 8.8 km². Korang River is the outlet stream of Rawal Dam. Rawal Lake is located within an isolated section of the Margalla Hills National Park

• published: 09 Aug 2012
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