|
Punjabi is the native language of the province and is the most widely-spoken language
in Lahore and rural areas. Urdu and English, however, are becoming more popular
with younger generations since they are officially supported, whereas Punjabi has
no official patronage. Many people of Lahore who speak Punjabi are known as Lahori
Punjabi due to their use of a mixture of Punjabi and colloquial Urdu. According
to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was nearly 7 million. Mid-2006 government
estimates now put the population at approximately 10 million. This makes Lahore
the fifth largest city in South Asia and the 23rd largest city in the world.
Economy
Lahore is the second largest financial hub of Pakistan and has indusdstrial
areas including Kot Lakhpat and the new Sundar Industrial Estate (near Raiwand).
Lahore is famous as the hub of hand-made carpet manufacturing in Pakistan. At present,
hand-knitted carpets produced in and around Lahore are among Pakistan's leading
export products, and their manufacturing is the second-largest cottage and small
industry. Lahore-based carpet exports make up nearly 85 percent of all carpet exports
from Pakistan. Craftsmen in Lahore can produce any type of carpet using popular
motifs such as medallions, paisleys, traceries, and geometric designs. The Lahore
Design Centre at the Punjab Small Industries Corporation maintains a separate section
of carpet designing to experiment with new designs. Lahore is famous for single-wefted
designs in Turkoman and Caucasian style and double-wefted Mughal types.
Education
Lahore is known as the education capital of Pakistan, with more colleges
and universities than any other city in the country. Most of the reputable universities
are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of
private universities. LUMS, the Lahore University of Management Sciences, is the
most renowned business school in Pakistan. Lahore School of Economics is another
famous business school in the city. Cathedral School Lahore is one of the oldest
and most famous schools in Lahore it is present there since 1850's and has a great
ranked faculity and administration staff. The University of the Punjab is the oldest
institute of higher learning in the country. NCA, the National College of Arts,
is the oldest and most renowned arts college of Pakistan.
Sports
Gaddafi Stadium is a Test cricket ground in Lahore. Designed by Pakistani architect
Nayyar Ali Dada, it was completed in 1959 and is one of the biggest cricket stadiums
in Asia. After its renovation for the 1996 Cricket World Cup, the stadium had a
capacity of over 60,000 spectators for high-profile matches or events. Nearby is
an athletics stadium, a basketball pitch, the Al Hamra, open-air hall similar in
design to the coliseum, and the world's largest field hockey stadium, Another Cricket
Ground and Headquarters of Pakistan Cricket Board, all based in the city's Sports
complex. In the same vicinity lie headquarters of the Pakistan Football Federation,
as well as the multi-sport Punjab Stadium.
Transport
Lahore is one of the most accessible cities of Pakistan. In addition to
the historic Grand Trunk Road (G.T. road), a motorway was completed in 1997 from
Lahore to Islamabad. The government has built underpasses to ease congestion and
prevent traffic jams, and according to official figures, Lahore has the highest
number of underpasses in Pakistan. The Pakistan Railways headquarters is located
in Lahore. Pakistan Railways provides an important mode of transportation for commuters
and connects distant parts of the country with Lahore for business, sight-seeing,
pilgrimage, and education. The Lahore Central Railway Station, built during the
British colonial era, is located in the heart of the city.
Food
Lahore’s are known for their love of food and eating. While Lahore has
a great many traditional and modern restaurants, in recent years Western fast food
chains, such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin Donuts, Nando's
and Kentucky Fried Chicken have appeared all over the city. Recently the food streets
in the historic locales of Lahore (Gawalmandi, Anarkali, and Badshahi) have attracted
tourists. Food streets have undergone restorations and are cordoned off in the evenings
for pedestrian traffic only; numerous cafés serve local delicacies under the lights
and balconies of restored havelis (traditional residential dwellings).Some of the
trendiest restaurants in Lahore are concentrated on the M M Alam Road in Gulberg.
Here, dozens of high-class culinary outlets, ranging from Western franchises to
traditional, ethnic, or theme restaurants, attract all classes of Lahore's citizens.
New restaurants are constantly opening, and the business is extremely competitive.
Many boisterous restaurants of Lahore are open late into the night
|