Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Rawalpindi راولپنڈی
Metropolis
Clockwise from left: Rawalpindi Railway Station, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Rawalpindi, replicas of Statue of Liberty and Effiel Tower in Bahria Town, and Pharwala
Emblem
Rawalpindi Location in Pakistan
Coordinates: 33°36′N 73°02′E / 33.600°N 73.033°E / 33.600; 73.033Coordinates: 33°36′N 73°02′E / 33.600°N 73.033°E / 33.600; 73.033
Country	Pakistan
Region	Punjab
Division	Rawalpindi Division
Autonomous towns	8
Union councils	38
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Mayor of Rawalpindi	Sardar Naseem
• Deputy Mayor of Rawalpindi	Chaudhry Tariq Mahmood
Area
• Total	259 km2 (100 sq mi)
Elevation	508 m (1,667 ft)
Population (2014)
• Total	3,198,911
• Density	12,000/km2 (32,000/sq mi)
Time zone	PKT (UTC+5)
• Summer (DST)	PKT (UTC+6)
Area code(s)	051
Website	www.rawalpindi.gov.pk

Rawalpindi (Punjabi, Urdu: راولپنڈى‎, Rāwalpiṇḍī), commonly known as Pindi (Punjabi: پنڈی), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the fourth-largest city in Pakistan by population, while the larger Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area is the country's third-largest area. The economy of Rawalpindi is interlinked with Islamabad, and the two are jointly known as the "twin cities". The city is the administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District.

Rawalpindi is located on the Pothohar Plateau, which is known for the existence of a Buddhist community, particularly in neighbouring town of Taxila, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was destroyed during the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni before being taken over by Gakhars who went on to name the city as "Rawalpind" in 1493. In 1765, the Gakhars were defeated as Rawalpindi became part of the Sikh Empire. The city became part of the British Raj in 1849 and in 1851 became the largest garrison town for the British Indian Army. After the partition of India in 1947, the city became home to the headquarters of Pakistan Army hence retaining its status as a major military city.