From the Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum Rivers come irrigation systems which help supply water to various parts of the Indus Plain. The main crops are wheat, rice, maize, cotton, sugar cane, and pulses. Pakistan"s natural resources also consist of salt, ch!.

             romite, coal, gypsum, limestone, manganese, sulfur, clay, graphite, copper, petroleum, and natural gas. .

             "The Indus Valley, along with some adjoining areas in what is now Pakistan, is one of the oldest cradles of civilization, comparable to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. In 1700 B.C., many Aryans migrated from the north bringing Sanskrit, the ancestor language of the modern Pakistan language, along with customs and religious traditions (Lands and People)." That was the start of present-day Pakistan. Alexander the Great invaded Pakistan in 327 B.C. and took rule during the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. .

             In 711 Arab Muslims crossed the Arabian Sea and invaded Sind, introducing Islam to Pakistan. From then on Islam has been the primary culture in Pakistan. Then in 1526 Pakistan became part of the Mughal Empire. The Mughals introduced Sikhism and the Urdu language to Pakistan. The British government assumed direct control of India and much of Pakistan in 1858. By 1900 the territory had been expanded to include all of modern Pakistan. Finally in 1947, Pakistan gained its independence and in 1956 became a republic.

             Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1973. In 1991 legislation made Islamic Law the supreme law of the land. The Pakistan government is divided into four major sections or branches. The Executive branch which consists of the President and Prime Minister; the Legislative branch which is composed of a 217 member National Assembly and a 87 member Senate; the Judiciary branch which is the final authority; and the Local Government branch which is divided into four provinces (Sind, Baluchistan, Punjab, and the Northwest Frontier).