onlinefx destination guide to pakistan

BASIC INFORMATION

Full Country Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Motto: Iman, Ittehad, Tanzim
(English: Faith, Unity, Discipline)

Capital Islamabad

Largest city Karachi

Official language(s) Urdu, English

Currency Rupee (Rs.) (PKR)

Time zone PST (UTC+5:00)

Calling code +92

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 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)

GEOGRAPHY

Pakistan covers 880,254 square kilometres (339,867 sq mi.), approximately the combined land areas of France and the United Kingdom, with its eastern regions located on the Indian tectonic plate and the western and northern regions on the Iranian plateau and Eurasian landplate. Apart from the 1,046 kilometre (650 mi) Arabian Sea coastline, Pakistan's land borders total 6,774 kilometres—2,430 kilometres (1,509 mi) with Afghanistan to the northwest, 523 kilometres (325 mi) with China to the northeast, 2,912 kilometres (1,809 mi) with India to the east and 909 kilometres (565 mi) with Iran to the southwest.[25]

The different types of natural features range from the sandy beaches, lagoons, and mangrove swamps of the southern coast to preserved moist temperate forests and the icy peaks of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains in the north. There are an estimated 108 peaks above 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) high that are covered in snow and glaciers. Five of the mountains in Pakistan (including K2 and Nanga Parbat) are over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft). Linking Indian-controlled Kashmir to the Northern Areas of Pakistan and running the length of the country is the Indus River with its many tributaries. To the west of the Indus are the dry, hilly deserts of Balochistan; to the east are the rolling sand dunes of the Thar Desert. Most areas of Punjab and parts of Sindh are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance.

The climate varies as much as the scenery, with cold winters and hot summers in the north and a mild climate in the south, moderated by the influence of the ocean. The central parts have extremely hot summers with temperatures rising to 45 °C (113 °F), followed by very cold winters, often falling below freezing. There is very little rainfall ranging from less than 250 millimetres to more than 1,250 millimetres (9.8–49.2 in), mostly brought by the unreliable south-westerly monsoon winds during the late summer. Water shortages have been eased by the construction of dams on the rivers and the drilling of water wells in many drier areas.

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