Pakistan Geography:
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 N, 70 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
803,940 sq km
land:
778,720 sq km
water:
25,220 sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2430 km, China 523 km, India 2912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
Flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: K2 8,611 m (Mt. Godwin-Austen)
Natural resources:
Land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 27.87%
permanent crops: 0.87%
other: 71.26%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
180,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Environment - current issues:
Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent |
