Rawalpindi (help·info)  (Urdu: راولپنڈی Hindi: रावलपिंडी  Rāwalpindī) is a city in the Majha region of
 Pakistan in Punjab province near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab.
 Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore  and Faisalabad.
According to the national census, it is the most educated city in Pakistan. Locally known as Pindi,
 the area was home to the pre-historic Soanian culture indigenous to this region. Numerous shopping bazaars,
 parks and a cosmopolitan population attract shoppers from all over Pakistan and abroad. In the 1950s,
 Rawalpindi was smaller than Hyderabad and Multan, but the building of Islamabad in the 1960s boosted
 the city's economy, resulting in a tenfold increase in population, from 180,000 to over 2.1 million.

Rawalpindi is also the military headquarters of the Pakistan Armed Forces and also served as the
nation's capital whilst Islamabad was being constructed in the 1960s. The city is home to several
 industries and factories. Islamabad International Airport, formerly known as "Chaklala" airport,
 now known as "Benazir Bhutto International Airport" is actually in Rawalpindi; it serves the
 city along with the capital. Rawalpindi is located in the Punjab province, 275 km (171 miles) to
the north-west of Lahore. It is the administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District. The total area
of the city is approximately 154 square kilometres (59 sq mi). It is a bustling town strategically
located between the Punjab and Azad Kashmir. Many tourists use the city as a stop before traveling
 towards the northern areas.