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
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 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 (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
Source: CIA World Factbook
|
