Iqra' Monument

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million; and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory — with a metropolitan population of over 2.3 million. Built as a planned city in the 1960s and established in 1967 along the Margalla Hills, Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan's national capital. It is located north of the city of Rawalpindi, the largest in northern Punjab, with which it forms a metropolitan area of over 5.7 million inhabitants. The Greek architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis developed Islamabad's master plan, in which he divided it into eight zones; the city comprises administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational and industrial sectors, commercial areas, as well as rural and green areas administered by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation with support from the Capital Development Authority. Islamabad is known for its parks and forests, including the Margalla Hills National Park and the Shakarparian. It is home to several landmarks, including the country's flagship Faisal Mosque. Other prominent landmarks include the Pakistan Monument and Democracy Square. Rated as Gamma+ by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Islamabad has one of the highest costs of living in Pakistan. The city's populace is dominated by both middle- and upper-middle-class citizens.