Pakistan, officially theIslamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country inSouth Asia. Itis unique among Muslim countries as it is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam.It is anethnicallyandlinguisticallydiverse country, with a similar variation in itsgeographyandwildlife. Aregionalandmiddle power,Pakistan has theseventh largest standing armed forcesin the world and is also anuclear poweras well as a declarednuclear-weaponsstate, being the only nation in the Muslim world, and the second inSouth Asia, to have that status.
The history of Pakistan traces back to the beginnings of human life in South Asia. Pakistan is home to the Indus Valley civilization, which is amongst the oldest in the world. The earliest archaeological traces of ancient Pakistanis are from 7000 BC inMehrgarh, which grew to be the "Indus Valley Civilization". By 3300 BC, this civilization had well-planned towns and well-laid roads, but gave no evidence of weapons or fortifications