Pakistan Studies
Pakistan at a Glance — Key Facts
Quick revision sheet of the most-asked Pakistan Studies facts — area, provinces, rivers, mountains, dams, ports and national symbols.
Area & Location
- Total area of Pakistan: 796,096 sq km.
- Latitude: 23.3° to 36.45° N. Longitude: 61° to 75.5° E.
- Border with Afghanistan: the Durand Line (2,252 km).
- Border between India and Pakistan (in Kashmir): the Line of Control.
Provinces by area
| Province / Region | Area (sq km) | % of Pakistan |
|---|
| Balochistan | 347,190 | 43.6% |
| Punjab | 205,344 | 25.8% |
| Sindh | 140,914 | 17.7% |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 74,521 | 9.4% |
| FATA | 27,220 | 3.4% |
| Islamabad (ICT) | 906 | 0.1% |
Rivers
- Total rivers in Pakistan: 24 (Punjab 5, KPK 8, Balochistan 7, Sindh 4).
- Longest river: Indus (also called Abaseen; origin in Tibet, ends in the Arabian Sea).
- Smallest / most polluted river: Ravi.
- The Indus is called the 'Nile of Pakistan'.
Mountains, passes & deserts
- Highest peak: K-2 / Godwin Austen — 8,611 m — the 2nd highest in the world (Karakoram Range).
- Highest peak of the Hindu Kush: Tirich Mir.
- Highest mountain pass: Khunjerab. Khyber Pass links Pakistan with Afghanistan.
- Largest desert: Thar (Sindh). Kharan desert is in Balochistan.
- Khewra is the world's 2nd largest salt mine.
Dams, barrages & ports
- Tarbela Dam (on the Indus) is the largest earth-filled dam of the world; Mangla Dam is on the Jhelum.
- Largest barrage: Sukkur. The oldest barrage on the Indus is Sukkur.
- Biggest seaport: Karachi; 2nd: Bin Qasim (Port Qasim); 3rd: Gwadar.
- Gwadar is in Balochistan; it was purchased from Oman.
National facts & symbols
- National language: Urdu. Pakistan became an Islamic Republic on 23 March 1956.
- Pakistan became a declared nuclear state on 28 May 1998 (Yaum-e-Takbir) at Ras Koh, Chagai.
- Highest civil award: Nishan-e-Pakistan. Highest military award: Nishan-e-Haider.
- The National Anthem was written by Hafeez Jalandhri; music composed by Ahmed G. Chagla.
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