|
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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Land use: |
arable land: 24.44%
permanent crops: 0.84%
other: 74.72% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land: |
182,300 sq km (2003) |
|
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 |
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Geography - note: |
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan
Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian
Subcontinent |
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