A bit about Lahore....

Lahore is on the far eastern border of Pakistan - along the Indian border. In other words, as far from Afghanastan as one can get without being in India. Lahore is the capital of the Punjab Province (there are 5 provinced in Pakistan) and the second largest city after Karachi (which is a huge port city in the South).

Lahore is known as the cultural center of the country nad has survived the empires of the Shahi kingdoms (11th century), Ghaznavids, Ghurid State, Mughal Empire (16th century), Sikh Empire and was the capital of Punjab under the British Raj (19th and 20th centuries). This city has been the "traditional capital" of Punjab for 1,000 years (which puts American history into perspective. An interesting tidbit is that the Lahore Zoo is the world's third oldest zoo.

I am fortunate to be in Lahore, as it has the largest number of educational institutions in the country. Lahore's population officially is 6.3 million, but government estimates now indicate the city has 10.0 million. It is one of the 40 most populated urban areas in the world.

There are three main languages spoken - English, Urdu and Punjabi. Interestingly, although Punjabi is the native language and the most widely spoken language in Lahore, it has no "official status" as English holds the official status in government and is the preferred language for business. About 86% of Lahorites speak Punjabi and 10% speak Urdu (the remainder are Seraikis).