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Location:
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Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
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Geographic coordinates:
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30 00 N, 70 00 E
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Map references:
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asia
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Area:
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total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than twice the size of California
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Land boundaries:
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total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
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Coastline:
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1,046 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
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Terrain:
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flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
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Natural resources:
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land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
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Land use:
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arable land: 27.87%
permanent crops: 0.87%
other: 71.26% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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180,000 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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
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Geography - note:
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controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
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