Main article: Geography of Pakistan

Pakistan has a total area of 803,940 square kilometers, slightly greater than France and the United Kingdom put together.

Pakistan is located in South Asia. To the south is the Arabian Sea, with 1,046 km of Pakistani coastline. To Pakistan's east is India, which has a 2,912 km border with Pakistan. To its west is Iran, which has a 909 km border with Pakistan. To Pakistan's northwest lies Afghanistan, with a shared border of 2,430 km. China is towards the northeast and has a 523 km border with Pakistan.

The main waterway of Pakistan is the Indus River that begins in China, and runs nearly the entire length of Pakistan, flowing through all of Pakistan's provinces except Balochistan. is fed by the combined waters of three of the five rivers of Punjab the Chenab, Jhelum, and Ravi. The waters of the other two rivers, the Beas and the Sutlej, are largely withdrawn for irrigation in India. Along the Indus and its tributaries are found most of Pakistan's population, its chief agricultural areas, and its major hydroelectric power stations, interconnected by the world's largest system of agricultural canals, join the Indus before it discharges into the Arabian Sea.

The northern and western areas of Pakistan are mountainous. Pakistani administered areas of Kashmir contain some of the highest mountains in the world, including the second tallest, K-2. Northern Pakistan tends to receive more rainfall than the southern parts of the country, and has some areas of preserved moist temperate forest. In the southeast, Pakistan's border with India passes through a flat desert, called the Cholistan or Thal Desert. West-central Balochistan has a high desert plateau, bordered by low mountain ranges. Most of the Punjab, and parts of Sindh, are fertile plains where agriculture is of great importance.

Pakistan may be divided into four geographic regions the plateau of W Pakistan, the plains of the Indus and Punjab rivers, the hills of NW Pakistan, and the mountains of N-Pakistan. The plateau region of W Pakistan, which is roughly coextensive with Baluchistan is a arid region with relatively wetter conditions in its northern sections. Numerous low mountain ranges rise from the plateau, and the Hingol and Dasht rivers are among the largest streams. Large portions of the region are unfit for agriculture, and although some cotton is raised, nomadic sheep grazing is the principal activity. Coal, chromite, and natural gas are found in this area, and fishing and salt trading are carried on along the rugged Makran coast. Quetta , the chief city, is an important railroad center on the line between Afghanistan and the Indus valley.

East of the plateau region are extensive alluvial plains, through which flow the Indus and its tributaries. The region, closely coinciding with Sind and Punjab provinces, is hot and dry and is occupied in its eastern borders by the Thar Desert. Extensive irrigation facilities, fed by the waters of the Indus system, make the Indus basin the agricultural heartland of Pakistan. A variety of crops (especially wheat, rice, and cotton) are raised there. Advances in agricultural engineering have countered the salinity problems involved in farming the Indus delta. The irrigated portions of the plain are densely populated, being the site of many of Pakistan's principal cities, including Lahore , Faisalabad (formerly Lyallpur), Hyderabad , and Multan . Karachi , the nation's chief port, is located west of the irrigated land at a site accessible to ocean going vessels. The higher parts of the plain, in the north, as in the vicinity of Lahore, have a more humid subtropical climate.



In North West Pakistan, occupying about two thirds of North-West Frontier Province, is a region of low hills and plateaus interspersed with fertile valleys. The elevation of the region tempers the arid climate. It is a predominantly agricultural area, with wheat the chief crop; fruit trees and livestock are also raised. Peshawar and Rawalpindi , the largest cities of this area, are the only major manufacturing centers. In the northern section of the North-West Frontier Province and in the Pakistani-occupied sector of Kashmir are the rugged ranges and the high, snowcapped peaks of the Hindu Kush, Himalaya, and Karakorum mountains; Tirich Mir (25,236 ft/7,692 m) is the highest point in the country outside Kashmir.

STATUS OF GEOLOGICAL MAPPING IN PAKISTAN (upto year 2003)

Province / Region	Total Area Km2	Outcrop Area  Km2	% tage of outcrop Area	Mapped till June 2003  Km2
Punjab	205,345	50,000	24.35%	55,680
Sindh	140,914	34,560	24.53%	32,600
Balochistan	347,190	335,590	96.66%	142,220
N.W.F.P	74,521	70,788	94.99%	35,980
FATA	27,220	25,000	91.84%	6,000
Islamabad Federal Territory	906	360	39.74%	906
	796,096	516,298	64.85%	273,386
Northern Areas	72,496	72,496	100%	14,720
Azad Jammu & Kashmir	13,297	11,000	82.73%	10,757
	881,889	599,794	68,01%	298,863
Continue...

Province / Region	Total unmapped Area  Km2	Mapped % tage of outcrop Area	Mapped % tage of total Area	Unmapped % tage of Total Area
Punjab	149,665	100%	27.12%	72.88%
Sindh	108,314	94.33%	23.13%	76.87%
Balochistan	204,970	42.38%	40.96%	51.72%
N.W.F.P	38,541	50.83%	48.28%	51.72%
FATA	21,220	24.00%	22.04%	77.96%
Islamabad Federal Territory	__	100%	100%	__
	522,710	52.95%	34.34%	65.66%
Northern Areas	57,776	20.30%	20.30%	79.70%
Azad Jammu & Kashmir	2,540	97.79%	80.90%	19.10%
	583,026	49.83%	33.89%	66.11%

Major Vegetative Zone Permanent snow fields & glaciers Dry alpine & cold desert zone Alpine scrub & moist alpine Himalayan dry coniferous with ilex oak Himalayan moist temperate forest Sub-tropical pine forest Sub-tropical dry mixed deciduous scrub forest Balochistan Juniper & pistachio scrub forest Dry sub-tropical and temperate semi-evergreen scrub forest Tropical thorn forest & sand dune desert Mangrove and littoral Sand dune desert Agro Ecological zones include: Indus Delta Southern irrigated plain Sandy deserts Northern irrigated plains Rain-fed lands Wet mountains Northern dry mountains Western dry mountains Dry western plateau Sulaiman piedmont