Indus Pakistan
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Before we look at the history of Pakistan we have to look at the Indus Basin. The Indus Bain is synonymous with Pakistan. The Indus Basin goes to define our people, our history, our culture, our religion and our economy and even many of the challanges we face today.
Along with Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Indus has been the birthplace of human civilization. These are the places where humans first took the tentative steps on a long journey that has brought us to today. Therefore Pakistan has been one of the earliest cradles of human civilization. Pakistan might be new name but land and the peoples of this country have one of the oldest histories of any country in the world.
Indeed Indus Basin is littered with relics of the ancient world. Soanian Culture, Rehman Dheri, Mehr Garh, Mohenjo Daro, Harrapa, Taxila is just a few of them. These were some of the oldest sites of civilization when rest of the world was still in stone age. Very few countries on earth have such a rich heritage yet with sadness I have to say we the Pakistani's have neglected our glorious past.
Always keep the dictum in mind "Nile is to Egypt what Indus is to Pakistan".
Without land there can be no state and the land will go a long way in defining the country including it's history. So let us look at the 'tandoor' that made us who we are today - the Pakistani's. Whether we are native or we are a mix of outside influences our geography, the Indus Basin has played it's role in the making of Pakistan.
We begin by looking into the making of Indus Basin. Long time ago, about 55 million years the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian plate. The point where it collided pushed up the mountain rim around South Asia including the Himalalyas. That movement continues even today which explains the earthquakes we still get in Pakistan. The point where both the Indian plate and Eurasian plate scrape against each other are known as the fault line.
Map 2. The fault line running through centre of Pakistan adjacent to which most earhquakes are centred as both the Indian plate Eurasian plates grind.
It is interesting that the tectonic fault line between Eurasia and India roughly defines the split between Iranian language group of Pashto, Baloch and the Indic languages Punjabi, Sindhi inside Pakistan. A coincidence but nevertheless interesting overlap of plate tectonics, geography, languages and peoples. In a sense Pakistan sits on the the meeeting point of South and Central Asia. In fact it bridges both worlds in geography, ethnic groups, languages and as we will see history as it's central position would mean it would recieving two differant sets of influences from west and east.
Along with Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Indus has been the birthplace of human civilization. These are the places where humans first took the tentative steps on a long journey that has brought us to today. Therefore Pakistan has been one of the earliest cradles of human civilization. Pakistan might be new name but land and the peoples of this country have one of the oldest histories of any country in the world.
Indeed Indus Basin is littered with relics of the ancient world. Soanian Culture, Rehman Dheri, Mehr Garh, Mohenjo Daro, Harrapa, Taxila is just a few of them. These were some of the oldest sites of civilization when rest of the world was still in stone age. Very few countries on earth have such a rich heritage yet with sadness I have to say we the Pakistani's have neglected our glorious past.
Always keep the dictum in mind "Nile is to Egypt what Indus is to Pakistan".
Without land there can be no state and the land will go a long way in defining the country including it's history. So let us look at the 'tandoor' that made us who we are today - the Pakistani's. Whether we are native or we are a mix of outside influences our geography, the Indus Basin has played it's role in the making of Pakistan.
We begin by looking into the making of Indus Basin. Long time ago, about 55 million years the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian plate. The point where it collided pushed up the mountain rim around South Asia including the Himalalyas. That movement continues even today which explains the earthquakes we still get in Pakistan. The point where both the Indian plate and Eurasian plate scrape against each other are known as the fault line.
Map 2. The fault line running through centre of Pakistan adjacent to which most earhquakes are centred as both the Indian plate Eurasian plates grind.
Map 3 Physical Map of Pakistan. Please compare with above map.
Now let us look exactly at what Indus Basin is. To begin with we have to define the 'basin' which in geographic terms means "river drainage basin is an area drained by a river and all of its tributaries". When we say Indus Basin we mean all the area within which rainfall collects and drains into one river. The Indus Basin is therefore the area where all rainfall eventually flows into Indus River and finally drains out to the Arabian Sea.
Map 5 Indus Basin
Map 6 Indus Basin Map 7
Maps 5 and 6 show clearly the extent of the Indus Basin. Map 7 is a satelite image of Pakistan. The green of the irrigated area feeding off the Indus irrigation system is clearly visible. Indus Basin in Pakistan is clearly divided from India by the huge Thar Desert on the right of the green strip of the indus irrigated zone.
It is however important to note that small strip of Indus Basin extends into Afganistan ( Map 5 ) and in fact Kabul falls within Indus basin as that part of Afghanistan drains into Kabul River which flows into Pakistan and meets Indus River near Attock.
Furthermore part of Tibet in China also falls within the indus Basin, so does Indian Occupied Kashmir and Indian Punjab. Small portion of Rajasthan also are within the basin. However Pakistan is central to the basin. 95% of Pakistan's population lives within the Indus Basin whereas it is nominal in Afganistan, China, India.
It is interesting that the tectonic fault line between Eurasia and India roughly defines the split between Iranian language group of Pashto, Baloch and the Indic languages Punjabi, Sindhi inside Pakistan. A coincidence but nevertheless interesting overlap of plate tectonics, geography, languages and peoples. In a sense Pakistan sits on the the meeeting point of South and Central Asia. In fact it bridges both worlds in geography, ethnic groups, languages and as we will see history as it's central position would mean it would recieving two differant sets of influences from west and east.
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