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 Pakistan
covers 803,940
square kilometers
(310,403 square
miles),
approximately the
combined land areas
of France and the
United Kingdom, with
its eastern regions
located on the
Indian tectonic
plate and the
western and northern
regions on the
Iranian plateau and
Eurasian landplate.
Apart from the 1,046
kilometer (650 mi)
Arabian Sea
coastline,
Pakistan's land
borders total 6,774
kilometers—2,430
kilometers (1,509
mi) with Afghanistan
to the northwest,
523 kilometers (325
mi) with China to
the northeast, 2,912
kilometers (1,809
mi) with India to
the east and 909
kilometers (565 mi)
with Iran to the
southwest.
The different types
of natural features
range from the sandy
beaches, lagoons,
and mangrove swamps
of the southern
coast to preserved
beautiful moist
temperate forests
and the icy peaks of
the Himalaya,
Karakoram and Hindu
Kush mountains in
the north. There are
an estimated 108
peaks above 7,000
meters (23,000 ft)
high that are
covered in snow and
glaciers. Five of
the mountains in
Pakistan (including
K2 and Nanga Parbat)
are over 8,000
meters (26,000 ft).
Indian-controlled
Kashmir to the
Northern Areas of
Pakistan and running
the length of the
country is the Indus
River with its many
tributaries. Every
year the northern
parts of Pakistan
attract a large
number of foreign
tourists . Climbers
from all around the
world have had
Pakistan as their
prime destination
for over many
decades now . To the
west of the Indus
are the dry, hilly
deserts of
Balochistan; to the
east are the rolling
sand dunes of the
Thar Desert. The
Tharparkar desert in
the southern
province of Sindh,
is seventh largest
desert in the world,
and the only fertile
desert in the world.
Most areas of Punjab
and parts of Sindh
are fertile plains
where agriculture is
of great importance.
The climate varies
as much as the
scenery, with cold
winters and hot
summers in the north
and a mild climate
in the south,
moderated by the
influence of the
ocean. The central
parts have extremely
hot summers with
temperatures rising
to 45 °C (113 °F),
followed by very
cold winters, often
falling below
freezing. There is
very little rainfall
ranging from less
than 250 millimeters
to more than 1,250
millimeters
(9.8–49.2 in),
mostly brought by
the unreliable
south-westerly
monsoon winds during
the late summer.
Water shortages have
been eased by the
construction of dams
on the rivers and
the drilling of
water wells in many
drier areas. |
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