Gujranwala

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Gujranwala (32.160°N 74.185°E) is a city and district in Punjab state, Pakistan situated about about 70 Kms (45 miles) north of Lahore by road and rail. It is located at 32.160° North, 74.185° East and is 700 feet above sea-level. This is the birth place of the famous Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh who ruled the Punjab from 1801 to 1839.

The manor in which he was born still stands today in the center of the city. The city contains a number of important sites of Sikh history including the birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the "Samadhi" (place of cremation) of Ranjit Singh's father Mahan Singh, the haveli (courtyard residence) of Hari Singh Nalwa and a dilapidated baradari] (open house) of Mahan Singh in Sheranwala Bagh.

The division of Gujranwala, with a population of about 11 million has an area of 3198 km². Gujranwala is the now the 5th largest city in Pakistan with a population of 4 million. It borders with Ghakhar Mandi and some small towns and villages. Punjabi is the local language, however English and Urdu are also common, particularly in schools and offices, as is the case in almost all over Pakistan.

It's home to the international cricket stadium called Jinnah Stadium (named after the man who was the driving force behind the partition of India and the Punjab, Mohamet Ali Jinnah the Quaid-I-Azam. It has many fine hospitals and several colleges affiliated with the University of the Punjab. Recently, the University of the Punjab's Gujranwala campus has also been opened. Rachna Engineering University Gujranwala now now ranked as the fourth best public engineering university in the country.