Punjab (Pakistan)

Punjab پنجاب
Province
Left to right: Badshahi Mosque, Noor Mahal, Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, and Clock Tower, Faisalabad
Flag Seal
Location of Punjab in Pakistan
Coordinates: 31°N 72°E / 31°N 72°E / 31; 72Coordinates: 31°N 72°E / 31°N 72°E / 31; 72
Country	Pakistan
Established	1 July 1970
Capital	Lahore
Largest city	Lahore
Government
• Type	Self-governing Province subject to the Federal Government
• Governor	Rafique Rajwana
• Chief Minister	Shahbaz Sharif
• Legislature	Provincial Assembly
• High Court	Lahore High Court
Area
• Total	205,344 km2 (79,284 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	101,391,000
• Density	490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	PKT (UTC+5)
ISO 3166 code	PK-PB
Main Language(s)	Urdu (national) English (official) Punjabi (provincial) Other languages: Pashto, Balochi, Sindhi; Saraiki
Notable sports teams	Lahore Qalandars Lahore Lions Rawalpindi Rams Sialkot Stallions Bahawalpur Stags Multan Tigers
Seats in National Assembly	183
Seats in Provincial Assembly	371
Districts	36
Tehsils	127
Union Councils	7602
Website	www.punjab.gov.pk

Punjab (Urdu, Punjabi: پنجاب, pənj-āb, "five waters":  listen ), is Pakistan's second largest province by area after Balochistan, and its most populous province with an estimated population of 101,391,000 as of 2015. It is bordered by Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the regions of Islamabad Capital Territory and the Azad Kashmir. It also shares borders with the Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The provincial capital of Punjab is the city Lahore, a cultural centre of Pakistan where the country's cinema industry, and much of its fashion industry, are based.

Punjab has been inhabited since ancient times. The Indus Valley Civilization, dating to 2600 BCE, was first discovered at Harappa. Punjab features heavily in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and is home to Taxila, site of what is considered by many to be the oldest university in the world. In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great defeated King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes near Mong, Punjab. The Umayyad empire conquered Punjab in the 8th century CE. Punjab was later invaded by Tamerlane, Babur, and Nader Shah. Punjab reached the height of its splendour during the reign of the Mughal Empire, which for a time ruled from Lahore. Following a successful rebellion, Sikh-led armies claimed Lahore in 1759. The administration of the Sikh Empire was based out of Lahore, until its defeat by the British. Punjab was central to the independence movements of both India and Pakistan, with Lahore being site of both the Declaration of Indian Independence, and the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan. The province was formed when the Punjab province of British India was divided along religious boundaries in 1947 by the Radcliffe Line after Partition.