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Part I – Content KnowledgeSocial StudiesGeneral knowledge

General Knowledge: Pakistan and the World

Rivers, dams and barrages, Pakistan's records and national symbols, old and new city names, continents, oceans, international organisations, boundary lines, capitals and currencies.

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Rivers, dams and barrages of Pakistan

  • Indus – longest river of Pakistan (about 3,180 km); rises in Tibet and falls into the Arabian Sea near Keti Bandar, Thatta.
  • Eastern tributaries: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej (and Beas in India) – they join at Panjnad and meet the Indus near Mithankot.
  • Western tributaries: Kabul (joins at Attock), Swat, Kurram, Gomal.
  • Tarbela Dam – on the Indus (KP); largest earth-filled dam in the world; completed 1976.
  • Mangla Dam – on the Jhelum (Mirpur, AJK); completed 1967.
  • Warsak Dam – on the Kabul River near Peshawar.
  • Diamer-Bhasha Dam – on the Indus in Gilgit-Baltistan (under construction).
  • Indus Waters Treaty (1960) between Pakistan and India, brokered by the World Bank – Pakistan got the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), India the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej).

Barrages of Sindh on the Indus (north to south): Guddu (1962) → Sukkur (1932, earlier called Lloyd Barrage) → Kotri (1955, Ghulam Muhammad Barrage).

Records of Pakistan

  • Highest peak: K2 (8,611 m) – second highest in the world. Second highest: Nanga Parbat (8,126 m).
  • Highest peak of the Hindu Kush: Tirich Mir.
  • Largest province by area: Balochistan; by population: Punjab.
  • Largest city and seaport: Karachi; deep-sea port: Gwadar.
  • Largest freshwater lake: Manchar Lake (Jamshoro/Dadu, Sindh).
  • Largest desert: Thar (Tharparkar, Sindh, extending into Cholistan).
  • Largest dam: Tarbela. Largest mosque: Faisal Mosque, Islamabad.
  • Highest paved border crossing: Khunjerab Pass (Pakistan–China, on the Karakoram Highway).
  • Highest plateau: Deosai ("land of giants"), Gilgit-Baltistan.
  • Largest salt mine: Khewra (Jhelum district).
  • Hill station of Sindh: Gorakh Hill (Dadu, Kirthar Range).

National symbols and key facts

  • National flower Jasmine; national animal Markhor; national bird Chukar; national tree Deodar.
  • National anthem written by Hafeez Jalandhari, music by Ahmed G. Chagla; officially approved in 1954.
  • Pakistan joined the United Nations on 30 September 1947.
  • Borders: Durand Line with Afghanistan; Radcliffe Line (and the Line of Control in Kashmir) with India. The narrow Wakhan Corridor (Afghanistan) separates Pakistan from Tajikistan.
  • Capital shifted from Karachi to Islamabad in the 1960s (Rawalpindi served as interim capital).

Old and new names of cities

  • Lyallpur → Faisalabad
  • Montgomery → Sahiwal
  • Campbellpur → Attock
  • Khangarh → Jacobabad
  • Nawabshah → Shaheed Benazirabad
  • Kolachi → Karachi
  • Neroon Kot → Hyderabad

Continents and oceans

  • 7 continents (largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia/Oceania.
  • Asia – largest and most populous. Australia – smallest. Antarctica – coldest, no permanent population.
  • 5 oceans: Pacific (largest and deepest), Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic (smallest).
  • Deepest point: Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench (Pacific), about 11 km deep.
  • Highest mountain: Mount Everest (8,849 m), Nepal–China border.
  • Longest river: Nile; largest river by volume: Amazon.
  • Largest hot desert: Sahara. Largest country by area: Russia; smallest: Vatican City. Most populous: India (since 2023).

International organisations and headquarters

  • United Nations – founded 24 October 1945; HQ New York; 193 member states.
  • UN bodies: UNESCO – Paris; WHO – Geneva; UNICEF – New York; FAO – Rome; ILO – Geneva; IAEA – Vienna; International Court of Justice – The Hague.
  • IMF and World Bank – Washington, D.C.; WTO – Geneva.
  • OIC – Jeddah; SAARC – Kathmandu; ECO – Tehran; ASEAN – Jakarta; SCO – Beijing.
  • NATO and European Union – Brussels; Arab League – Cairo; African Union – Addis Ababa; Commonwealth – London; Red Cross (ICRC) – Geneva.

Boundary lines

  • Durand Line – Pakistan and Afghanistan (1893)
  • Radcliffe Line – Pakistan and India (1947)
  • McMahon Line – India and China
  • 38th Parallel – North and South Korea
  • 49th Parallel – USA and Canada
  • Oder–Neisse Line – Germany and Poland
  • Maginot Line – French line of fortifications on the border with Germany

Capitals and currencies

  • China – Beijing – Yuan (Renminbi)
  • Japan – Tokyo – Yen
  • Saudi Arabia – Riyadh – Riyal
  • Iran – Tehran – Rial
  • Afghanistan – Kabul – Afghani
  • Turkey – Ankara – Lira
  • Bangladesh – Dhaka – Taka
  • Nepal – Kathmandu – Rupee
  • UAE – Abu Dhabi – Dirham
  • Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur – Ringgit
  • Russia – Moscow – Ruble
  • South Korea – Seoul – Won
  • Australia – Canberra – Australian Dollar
  • Canada – Ottawa – Canadian Dollar
  • Brazil – Brasília – Real
  • Nigeria – Abuja – Naira