GEOGRAPHY
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea,
between India and Iran
Map references: Asia
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 to the edge of the 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: 23%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 4%
other: 67% (1993)
Irrigated land: 170,000 sq km (1992)
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
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 - Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification,
Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional
invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
