Increase Your Knowledge

The National Flag of Pakistan

Name Parcham-e Sitarah o-Hilal (Flag of the Crescent and Star)

Use National flag

Proportion 2:3

Adopted August 11, 1947

Design A white star and crescent on a dark green field, with a vertical white stripe at the hoist.

The National Poet of Pakistan

Sir Dr, Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Sir Dr ALLAMA MUHAMMAD IQBAL. علامہ محمد اقبال(November 9, 1877 – April 21, 1938) .National Poet of Pakistan . Muslim poet and philosopher .shair e mashriq.

MAKHOR, The National Animal of Pakistan

The Markhor is a large species of wild goat that is found in woodland in the Western Himalayas of Pakistan. It’s the national animal of Pakistan also known as Capra falconeri.  Markhor are 65 to 115 centimeters tall at the shoulder and they usually weigh from 40 to 110 kilograms. Females are a tan color with a white underbelly and a pattern of black and white on the legs. Males are a lighter tan color with the same white underbelly and pattern on the legs. Males also have a black face and lots of long white fur on their neck and chest which can grow down to their knees. Both males and females have corkscrew-shaped horns which can grow up to 160 cm long in males, and up to 25 cm in females.

Markhor live in places 500 to 3500 meters above sea level where they eat grass, leaves and often stand on their back legs to reach the top leaves of trees. Markhor are active in the early morning and late afternoon. Females gather in herds of up to nine animals. Males usually live alone. The word "Markhor" is Persian for "Snake Eater". They mostly live in the Northern Areas of Pakistan especially in the Chitral, Ghizar and Hunza regions. There are about 2000 - 4000 Markhor in the wild. This animal is also found in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

The CHUKAR is the National Bird of Pakistan.

Chakor belongs to the pheasant family Phasianidae and is native of Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Turkey and Kashmir range. It is also connected to its western tantamount, the Red-legged Partridge, Alectoris Rufa. Normally their territories are rocky open hillsides and mainly they are found at an altitude of 2000 to 4000 m. But in Pakistan they are also observed at 600m. They do not live in humid and rainy areas. Usually Chakor travels in groups of 5 to 30 and the groups are called coveys. They like wide variety of seeds and insects as food and sometimes they also swallow the dust particles. The seeds of Eragrostis in Kashmir are their favorite diet.

In the breeding season the female lays 8 to 20 eggs in total and 1 egg per day throughout the captivity period. Their nest is a scantily lined ground scrape protected by shrubs and small brambles. Normally their nests exist on hilly slopes with rocky offshoots, above streams. Nesting Chakor may be seen within 3 km of water. It is specially known for its surgical upward flights and quick vanishing in the hills and trees. Due to their remote existence they are not threatened due to hunting but inappropriate weather patterns can be harmful for their population.

     

The National Flower of Pakistan, JASMINE

For thousands of years, the jasmine plant has been cultivated not only for the beauty of its small, white, star-like flowers, but it has also been prized for its intoxicating scent. Originating in the foot hills of the Himalayas and Ganges plains, the plant was cultivated and brought to India, China, the Middle East and other regions. From there, it spread into France, Italy and the Mediterranean, and eventually it was introduced to the rest of Western Europe and Britain. Today, jasmine is grown and cultivated all over the world in its many varieties.

Since jasmine has been cultivated all over the world for its flowers and scent, there are different varieties, and each type of jasmine is associated with different meanings. In Pakistan, Jasmine is a very common plant and one can find it in any garden. Because of its attractive scent, the white jasmine symbolizes attachment and represents amiability and modesty; therefore, Jasmine was named the national flower of Pakistan.

Hockey, The National Game of Pakistan

Field Hockey is the national game of Pakistan and wearing green shirts represent the Pakistan Hockey Federation in international field hockey competitions.  Even though field hockey is the national sport of Pakistan but it is less famous than cricket. Pakistan was at the top of their game when they played Australia in Rome in 1960. Pakistan won their last Olympic gold at Los Angeles in 1984, and their last Olympic medal - a bronze - at Barcelona in 1992. They won their last hockey World Cup in 1994. They also won gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games, but their performances before and after that event have been dismal.

Pakistan's hockey players too have seen times of greatness, winning three Olympic gold and four World Cup titles, which is still a record. Experts say the decline of Asian hockey coincides with the advent of artificial turf that gained currency in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It changed the dynamics of Asian hockey, rendering the dribble-and-dodge game of short passes that Indians and Pakistanis were so good at completely obsolete.

Pakistan has been one of the most successful teams in international competitions, having won a world record four Hockey World Cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994. They have also come in second place twice. Pakistan has won the Men's Hockey Gold Medal in the Olympics a total of three times in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Pakistan has also won 3 silver and 2 bronze medals as listed below:

Silver  1956 – Melbourne, Australia

Gold  1960 – Rome, Italy

Silver  1964 – Tokyo, Japan

Gold  1968 – Mexico City, Mexico

Silver  1972 – Munich, Germany

Bronze  1976 – Montreal, Canada

Gold  1984 – Los Angeles, USA

Bronze  1992 – Barcelona, Spain

In Pakistan, the younger generation is more inclined towards playing cricket without realising that hockey is their national game. An increasingly fractious population has in the past found itself unified and elevated by victories on the hockey and cricket pitch. This sport demands greater physical fitness than before and experts say, sports facilities in Pakistan do not provide opportunity to match the fitness levels of West. Also, the International Hockey Federation has over the decades changed some basic rules of the game that the Asians had mastered in their heyday. In Pakistan, there have also been noises in some quarters to the effect that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has become politicised and corrupt. Pakistanis hope that one day our national team will win back the lost glory of the national sport.