| 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 : |
Asia |
| 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 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km |
| Coastline : |
1,046 km |
| Maritime Claims : |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| 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 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m |
| 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, 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 |
| Geography - Note : |
Controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. |
