Pakistan

I

Introduction

Pakistan, officially Islamic Republic of Pakistan, republic in south Asia, bordered on the north and north-west by Afghanistan, on the north-east by Jammu and Kashmir, on the east and south-east by India, on the south by the Arabian Sea, and on the west by Iran. The status of Jammu and Kashmir is a matter of dispute between India and Pakistan. Pakistan became an independent state in 1947. Until December 1971 it included the province of East Pakistan (previously East Bengal), which, after its secession from Pakistan, assumed the name Bangladesh. The area of Pakistan is 796,095 sq km (307,374 sq mi), excluding the section of Jammu and Kashmir under its control. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad; Karachi is the largest city.

II

Land and Resources

Pakistan is mostly a dry country characterized by extremes of altitude and temperature. It is divided by the River Indus, which enters the country in the north-east and flows south into the Arabian Sea. The Indus forms the demarcation line between two of Pakistan’s main topographic areas—the Indus Plain, which extends principally along the eastern side of the river, and the Baluchistan Plateau, which lies to the south-west. Four other topographic areas are the coastal plain, a narrow strip of land bordering the Arabian Sea; the Khārān Basin, to the west of the Baluchistan Plateau; and the Thar Desert (or Great Indian Desert), which straddles the border with India in the south-east; and the mountains of the north and north-west, including the Hindu Kush.

The Indus Plain in Pakistan varies in width from about 80 to 320 km (50 to 200 mi) and covers an area of about 518,000 sq km (200,000 sq mi). From north to south it includes portions of two main regions, namely, the Punjab Plain and the Sind Plain. The Punjab region is drained by the Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers, which are tributaries of the Indus; and supply the irrigation system that waters the Indus Plain.

The upland Baluchistan Plateau is bordered by a series of mountain ranges; among these are the Tobakakar Range, the Siahan Range, the Sulaiman Range, and the Kirthar Range. The highest peaks in the northern mountains are Tirich Mir (7,690 m/25,230 ft) and Nowshak (7,485 m/24,557 ft) in the Hindu Kush. The Safed Koh Range is pierced by the Khyber Pass on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The Karakorum Range dominates extreme north-western Pakistan, western China, and northern India, and contains K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, after Mount Everest. The peak—also known as Mount Godwin-Austen—lies in Jammu and Kashmir and rises 8,611 m (28,250 ft) above sea level.

A

Climate

The climate of Pakistan varies widely with topography, but is generally continental in type. In the mountain regions of the north and west, temperatures fall below freezing during the winter. In the Indus Plain area, temperatures range between about 32° and 49° C (90° and 120° F) in summer; the winter average is about 13° C (55° F). Throughout most of Pakistan rainfall is scarce. The Punjab region receives the most precipitation—more than 508 mm (20 in) per year. The arid regions of the south-east and south-west receive less than 127 mm (5 in) annually. Most rain falls between July and September.

B

Natural Resources

Pakistan’s resources are primarily agricultural. Mineral resources include salt, chromite, coal, gypsum, limestone, iron ore, sulphur, clay, graphite, manganese, copper, oil, and natural gas, but many known mineral deposits, particularly iron ore and coal, are low grade. Oil was first discovered in small quantities in 1915; intensive exploration during the 1980s revealed several new fields, notably in Sind Province. Large natural gas fields were discovered in the 1950s on the border between Baluchistan and Punjab provinces.