Animals and Plants

Which animals live in Pakistan?

The mountains of Pakistan are an ideal home for leopards and snow leopards. However, these animals have been almost completely exterminated by hunting in the past centuries. Few of their kind now live in the very remote and lonely areas of Pakistan. The habitat of the king tiger, the Indian elephant, the cheetah and the Asiatic lion was also destroyed.

In the mountains of the Himalayas and Karakoram there are even bears, such as the collar bear and the brown bear. But you hardly ever see them or only very rarely. Ibex, steppe sheep, wild sheep and occasionally lynxes can also be found in the mountains.

Various animals are protected in the national parks. In the Chitral Gol National Park, for example, there are still screw goats whose horns protrude into the sky like screws. The giant wild sheep are protected together with snow leopards in the Khunjerab National Park.

Wildcats in Pakistan

The wild boars, which live in large numbers in Pakistan, are not threatened with extinction. In the Pakistani semi-desert you can also find Indian gazelles and stag goat antelopes.

The bird species in Pakistan are colorful and diverse. Even if the numbers of large birds of prey such as eagles, buzzards and vultures are declining, remnants still live on them. A certain species of peacock – the blue peacock, which was typical of Pakistan for a long time, continues to decline in its population. Sparrows, swallows, parrots, pigeons, ravens and woodpeckers are more common, as are ducks and herons. You can also spot flamingos and pelicans in Pakistan.

Also reptiles live in Pakistan: lizards, snakes and turtles. Marsh crocodiles find shelter in the wetlands of Pakistan. Some of these only survive in the national parks.

What is growing in Pakistan?

If there were forests in Pakistan in the past, many of them have been destroyed. There are only very few forests left, especially near the rivers. Since the land is used for agriculture and many people live from it, the forests have been cleared and converted into agricultural use. However, you can still find forests in the mountainous landscapes. No agriculture can be practiced here, so forest stands were preserved. Here you can still find pine and spruce forests or cedars. Deciduous trees such as oaks can still be found.

Economy

Natural resources and agriculture

Pakistan has natural resources such as oil, natural gas, coal and ore, but uses them little. Most of the people work in agriculture. A third of the area of ​​the entire state is used for agriculture. 50 out of 100 people in Pakistan work in agriculture. Wheat and cotton, sugar cane and rice are grown, but also bananas and peanuts. Since it is often very dry in many regions of Pakistan, the areas have to be artificially irrigated. Agricultural use is only better in rainy areas such as the Indus Valley.

Pakistani industry

Within the industry, the cotton industry in particular has grown in recent years. Textiles are produced in the same way as fertilizers, paper, paints and insecticides. 20 out of 100 people work in these industrial sectors.

Services

As in many other countries, services are becoming increasingly important in Pakistan and are contributing to growth.

Export

According to allcountrylist, Pakistan trades with countries like the USA, the United Arab Emirates and also with China. Mainly clothing and cotton, but also food, are exported to these countries.

Problems

Street children

Many children in Pakistan live on the streets. They often have no families, they have been mistreated and abused and no one takes care of them. That’s how they have to live on the street. And their number continues to grow. The development aid organizations estimate that between 1.5 and 2.5 million children in Pakistan live on the streets. Here they are exposed to great dangers.

Since many people can no longer find their livelihood in the country, they flee to the country’s big cities. This is called rural exodus. They exist in a great many poor countries. In the city, people often live in slums, cannot find work and remain just as poor as before.

What is debt bondage?

Sometimes when parents don’t make enough money to support their families, they run into debt. Since the banks don’t give them credit, they have to go to people who charge very high interest rates. And since the situation of many families does not improve and at some point they are forced to repay these debts, they then let the children “work off” the debts.

Children work for their parents’ debts

So the children have to work for debts caused by their parents or sometimes grandparents. Especially in the south of Pakistan there are many big landowners who treat people – men, women and children – like slaves. They have to work day and night and are not paid or have to give what they get. There are said to be two million such modern slaves in Pakistan.

No electricity, no water, no toilets

100,000 people live in the slums of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Often there is no electricity, no water and no toilets. Often people live in mud-plastered simple huts that are located directly on the city’s sewage system. Floods threaten here during the rainy season.