Pakistan was formed in 1947 when India gained independence from the British Empire. The process of drawing up the boundaries was difficult and religion was an important consideration - Pakistan is essentially a Muslim nation with India being largely Hindu and Sikh. Originally Pakistan was in two parts - East and West - on either side of northern India, separated from each other by some 1,500 km. This was not very practical and in 1971 East Pakistan became Bangladesh, a separate country.