Pakistan Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Pakistan?

Overview

Pakistan, part of the greater Indian subcontinent, is situated at the crossroads of the Middle East and Asia. It is bordered by Iran and Afghanistan on the west; China on the north; the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the northeast; India on the east; and the Arabian Sea on the south. Pakistan lies between latitudes 24 and 37 degrees north (e.g., from the southern tip of Florida to the southern border of Virginia).

The major political divisions of the country are the Provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Northwest Frontier, and the federally administered Northern Areas, Tribal Areas, and Azad Kashmir. The provinces roughly correspond with the country’s major geographic, ethnic, and linguistic regions.

There are five distinct geographic regions:

The Thar Desert and Lower Indus Valley, located in the southernmost province of Sindh, consists largely of arid valleys and rocky hills that extend into neighboring India. Farming is successful only in the irrigated areas nearest to the Indus River.

The Balochistan Plateau is a broad, arid tableland that lies between 1,000 and 3,000 feet above sea level in the western province of Balochistan. The plateau is encircled by rugged mountains and covers nearly one-half of the country’s territory.

The Indus Basin features the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. "Punjab," the name of the province in which much of the basin is located, means "five waters" in Persian, referring to the five major rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej) in the basin. The province of Punjab comprises the northeastern quarter of Pakistan.

The Northwest Frontier is a region of barren mountains sheltering rich irrigated valleys. The provincial capital of Peshawar is situated on an ancient trade route that leads through the Khyber Pass and into Afghanistan.

The Far North offers Pakistan’s most spectacular scenery with towering snowcapped mountains, deep narrow valleys, and glaciers. The world’s second highest mountain, K–2, is located in the Far North, as are a dozen other peaks of more than 25,000 feet elevation, including Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrun, and Rakaposhi.

Geography - note

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

Pakistan Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Asia
Total Area	307,372 Square Miles 796,095 Square Kilometers
Land Area	297,635 Square Miles 770,875 Square Kilometers
Water Area	9,737 Square Miles 25,220 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	4,209 Miles 6,774 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	77,181 Square Miles 199,900 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline	650 Miles 1,046 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	30 00 N, 70 00 E
Terrain	flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Highest Point	8,611 Meters
Highest Point Location	K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Lowest Point Location	Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural Resources	land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Time Zone	UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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