Islamabad is located in the northwest of the country on Pothohar Plateau. This area has been significant in history for being a part of the crossroads of the Rawalpindi and the North West Frontier Province. The city was built in 1960 to replace Karachi as the Pakistani capital, which it has been since 1963. Due to Islamabad’s proximity to Rawalpindi, they are considered sister cities.
Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and is administered by the Pakistani federal government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. It is the ninth-largest city in Pakistan, while the larger Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the country’s third-largest with a population of about 4.1 million people. The city combines a rich history, the confluence of many a civilization and temperate climate. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Margalla pass being a gateway to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Islamabad is known for the presence of several parks and forests, including the Margalla Hills National Park and the Shakarparian. It is home to several landmarks, with the most notable one being the Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the fifth-largest in the world. Other landmarks include the Pakistan National Monument and the Democracy Square. Islamabad is a Gamma+ city as rated by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. The city is rated as one of the safest in Pakistan, and has an expansive RFID-enabled surveillance system with almost 2000 active CCTV cameras.
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