Country name:
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form: Pakistan
local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan
local short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan

Capital:
Islamabad

Independence:
14 August 1947 (from UK)
People

Population:
164,741,924 (July 2007 est.)

Location:
Geography
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

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
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 24.44%
permanent crops: 0.84%
other: 74.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:
182,300 sq km (2003)