Google celebrates Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day with Indus River dolphin doodle

Google has celebrated Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day with a special doodle featuring the Indus River dolphin, which is endemic to the country.

Pakistan gained independence from British colonial rule on August 14, 1947. The day is a national holiday in Pakistan and is celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country.

Indus river dolphin

According to the Google Doodle description, the Indus River dolphin is a toothed whale species that is endemic to Pakistan. It is an endangered species which is also known as bhulan in Urdu and Sindhi language.

The marine creature is believed to have originated in the ancient Tethys Sea. When the sea dried up around 50 million years ago, the dolphins were forced to make rivers their new habitat. Today, it is found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan, and in River Beas, which is a tributary of the Indus River in India’s northwestern state of Punjab, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

These dolphins have learned to live in muddy river and are functionally blind. They use echolocation to communicate, navigate, and hunt prey like catfish, prawns, and carp. Indus River dolphins can weigh between 155 and 245 pounds and can be up to 8.2 ft in length.

Independence Day

Besides the doodle of the Indus River dolphin, Google also offered a brief history of Pakistan’s freedom movement.

“Today’s annual Doodle celebrates Pakistan Independence Day 2023! On this day in 1947, Pakistan gained its independence and became a sovereign nation after almost 200 years of British occupancy,” the official statement read.

It added, “Following the Indian Independence Act in 1947, Muslim Indians wanted their own independent nation-state and started the Pakistan Movement. The movement was spearheaded by the All-India Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah."

The celebrations of Independence Day in Pakistan involve hoisting the national flag, singing the national anthem and midnight fireworks. In a video released by the news agency Associated Press, we get a glimpse of the midnight fireworks lit up the Karachi sky.

The President and Prime Minister of the country also deliver speeches from the capital city of Islamabad.

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