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: 796,095 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 770,875 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 25,220 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 37

Area - comparative:
slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California
Area comparison map: slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 7,257 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (4): Afghanistan 2,670 km, China 438 km, India 3,190 km, Iran 959 km

Coastline:
1,046 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
More Climate Details

Terrain:
divided into three major geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain in the center and east, and the Balochistan Plateau in the south and west

Elevation:
mean elevation: 900 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Natural resources:
arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Land use:
agricultural land: 35.2% arable land 27.6%; permanent crops 1.1%; permanent pasture 6.5%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 2.1%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 62.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
202,000 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
the Indus River and its tributaries attract most of the settlement, with Punjab province the most densely populated

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 freshwater resources; most 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

Geography - note:
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent