me maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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@Pakistan

Introduction Pakistan

Background:
The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of
Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India
was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan have
fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir
territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which
India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in
Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate
nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing,
Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state
of Kashmir is ongoing, but recent discussions and
confidence-building measures may be a start toward lessened tensions.

Geography Pakistan

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: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912
km, Iran 909 km

Coastline:
1,046 km

Maritime claims:
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

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

Terrain:
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 27.87%
permanent crops: 0.87%
other: 71.26% (2001)

Irrigated land:
180,000 sq km (1998 est.)

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