Location: Southern Asia, along the Arabian Sea, between India and Afghanistan

Map references: Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 803,940 sq km
land area: 778,720 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries: total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km

Coastline: 1,046 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: status of Kashmir with India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand Line); water-sharing problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with upstream riparian India

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

Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 26%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 4%
other: 64%

Irrigated land: 162,200 sq km (1989)

Environment:
current issues: water pollution from untreated sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; water scarcity; a majority of the population does not have access to safe drinking water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

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

NOTE: The information regarding Pakistan on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Pakistan Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Pakistan Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.