Geography
The city of Lahore is the capital of the Punjab. It occupies a central position, and is generally called ' The Heart of Pakistan'. Lahore is situated on the banks of the Ravi. Lahore is a city of gardens, and has the reputation of being the 'Green City'. The climate of Lahore is very healthy and salubrious. Except for some days in summer Lahore is a pleasant place to live.
There are two main seasons, namely the winter and the summer. The monsoons are at their peak during July and August, and during these two months there is more than half of the annual rainfall. October and November are the driest months and average rain fall during these months is about one third of an inch only. There are winter rains during December - February, the average rainfall during these months being 3 inches.
Lying between 31°15′ and 31°45′ North latitude and 74°01′ and 74°39′ East longitude, Lahore is bounded on the north and west by the Sheikhupura District, on the east by Wagah, and on the south by Kasur District. The Ravi River flows on the northern side of Lahore. Lahore city covers a total land area of 404 km² and is still growing.
The weather of Lahore is extreme during the months of May, June, and July, when the temperatures soar to 40–45 °C. In August, the monsoon seasons starts, with heavy rainfall throughout the province. December, January, and February are the coldest months, when temperatures can drop to -1 °C.
The city’s highest maximum temperature was 48 °C, recorded on June 6, 1921, and again on June 9, 2007. At the time the meteorological office recorded this official temperature in the shade, it reported a heat index in direct sunlight of 55 °C.
Demographics
According to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was nearly 6.8 million. Mid-2006 government estimates put the population at somewhere around 10 million, which makes it the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. It is considered to be one of the 30 largest cities of the world. Also according to the 1998 census, 86.2%, or 6,896,000 of the population are Punjabis and 10.2% or 816,000 are Muhajir. More than a million Pashtun live in Lahore, the vast majority of whom are settling. Finally, the Seraikis at 0.4% number about 32,000. Figures are unavailable for the many Afghan refugees and migrants from Iran who have permanently settled in Lahore but were not included in the census.
Many languages are spoken in Lahore, including Punjabi, Urdu, Pashto, Persian/Farsi and English. According to the 1998 census, 96% of Lahore's population is Muslim. Other religions include Christians and a small number of Bahais, Zorastrians, Hindus and Sikhs.
