The natural topography of pakistan

The Natural
Topography of
Pakistan

Location of Pakistan
Location: Pakistan is located from 24 degree N to
37 degree N Latitude and 61 degree E to 76 degree
E longitude approximately.

Neighbouring Countries of Pakistan
India lies to its east with 2912km border which is known as
Radcliff Line.
China lies to its North with 523km border.
Afghanistan lies to its north-west with 2430km border
which is known as Durand Line.
Iran lies to its west with 909km border, known as Pakistan-
Iran barrier.
The Arabian sea lies towards Pakistan’s south.

Location of Provinces and Cities
Provinces:
1.Baluchistan is the largest province in terms of area (47%) and
smallest in Population (7%).It is located to the South-west of
Pakistan.
2.Punjab is largest province in population (56%) and second in
area (26%).It is located to the west of Pakistan.
3.Sindh is the third largest in area (18%) and second in
population (23%).It is located to the south-east of Pakistan.
4.Khyber Pakhtun Khwa (KPK) is about 6% of total area of
Pakistan and 14% of population. It is located to the west of
Punjab.

Pakistan’s important cities include:
Islamabad/Rawalpindi,Karachi,Hyder
abad,Lahore,Faisalabad,Multan,Gujr
anwala, Peshawar, Quetta, Sialkot,
Chitral, Gilgit, Sukkur and Gwadar.

Latitude and Longitude of
Different Cities
Karachi
Hyderabad
Quetta
Multan
Lahore
Peshawar
Islamabad
Chitral
Latitude:24N Longitude:67E

Topography of Pakistan: It means the study of surface
features of land, both natural and artificial features.
Pakistan is primarily divided into six topographical areas.
1. The Northern and North-Western Mountains
2. The Western Mountains
3. The Baluchistan Plateau
4. Potwar Plateau and Salt Range
5. The Indus Plain
6. Desert Areas

1. The Northern and
North-Western
Mountains:
These Mountains include three Ranges that are
Karakoram, Himalayas and Hindukush.

a. The Karakoram Mountains;
This range runs from Tibet in east to the Hindukush in west
with Average height of 6100 meters. Highest peak of Pakistan
K-2(8611m) is also on this range. It has long glaciers like
Siachen(72km) and the Biafo (62.5km).The Karakoram
mountains lie north to River Indus. Khunjerab pass is also
located on these mountains which connects Pakistan with
China.

b. The Himlayas:
This range runs from India in east to Pakistan in west with
Average height of 6000m.Highest peak of World Mount Everest
(8848m) is also on this range. The Himalayas lie south to River
Indus. They consist of three parts; The Great Himalayas, The
Lesser Himalayas or Pir Panjal and the Sub-Himalayas or Siwaliks.

c. The Hindukush Mountains:
This range runs north south and lies where the borders of
Pakistan, China and Afghanistan meet with an average
height of 5000m.It’s highest peak is Tirich Mir(7690m).It
have various passes like Shandur pass, Shangla pass and
Lawari pass.
Relief features of Northern Mountains:
1. Snow capped peaks
2. Steep slopes
3. Scree, bare rocks, v shaped valleys and high altitude
4. Height increases from south to north
5. High passes like Khunjerab, Lawari and Shandur passes
6. Snowfields and Glaciers.

Economy in Northern Mountains:
1. Farming is practiced on terraced fields where Wheat,
Maize, Barley, Rice and Vegetables are grown
2. Tourism is an important industry there.
3. Small scale cottage Industry produces Carpets, embroided
material, rugs and other handicrafts. Food processing is
also an important Industry.

2. The Western Mountains
These mountains consist of the Mountainous North; The
Potwar Plateau and Salt Ranges; Safed Koh, the Waziristan
Hills and intermountain valleys; the Sulaiman and Kirthar
Mountains; and the Baluchistan Plateau.

a. Safed Koh Ranges:
This range runs from east to west with an average height of
3600 metres. It merges into Kohat Hills in the east where the
valley of Kohat is situated. Peshawar valley is also in this region
which connects Pakistan with Afghanistan through Khyber
Pass.
b. Waziristan Hills:
These hills are located between the Kurram and Gomal Rivers.
It consist of the Bannu valley, Tochi Pass, Dera Ismael Khan
Gomal Pass, Kohat valley and the Valley of Peshawar.

c. Suleman-Kirthar Mountains:
These Mountains extends from Gomal River to Arabian Sea.
They lie between Baluchistan Plateau and Indus Plains. Highest
Peak is Takht-e-Suleman(3383m).
Major pass in these mountains is Bolan Pass.
Economic Activities and Lifestyle:
1. Sheep and Goat rearing is main occupation.
2. Abundant in Mineral resources.
3. Climate and relief don’t support vegetation.
4. Infrastructure is not too good.

3.The Balochistan
Plateau:
Baluchistan can be divided into five natural regions.

a. Upper Highlands:
They reach the elevation of 3700 metres. It includes Sulaiman
Range, Toba Kakar Range, Central Brahui Range and many
other small ranges. This Plateau also includes Parts of Zhob
and Sibbi divisions and the districts of Quetta, Kalat and many
other districts.
b. Lower Highlands:
It varies in altitude ranging from 600 to 1200 metres. It
includes eastern slopes of Sulaiman mountains. It also includes
Kirthar and Pab range and many other ranges. It also falls in
districts of Khuzdar, Lasbela, Gwadar and many others.

c. Plains:
Baluchistan Plateau includes 2 plains. Sibbi-Kachhi plain is located
in Nasirabad district and Lasbela Plain is located in Lasbela
District.
d. Desert:
The districts of Chagai, Kharan and Washuk are considered the
drylands of Baluchistan. The districts of Kharan and Washuk are
home to Kharan desert. The Kharan desert extends westward and
merges with Iranian desert on the East.

e. Coastal area: These can be divided into eastern and
western parts. The eastern part comprises the Lasbela Plain
while the western part is known as the Makran coast range.
Relief features of Baluchistan Plateau:
It is plateau circled by dry mountains.
Rugged land, gravel plains and inhospitable terrain for farming
Highly mineralized plateau; limestone, copper, gold, coal,
Sulphur and chromites.
In north there are steeps but in south mostly gentle peaks.
Major rivers are Zhob, Bolan, Hub, Dasht, Porali, Mulla and
Hingol.

Economical Importance:
1. Provides a route to Afghanistan and central Asia.
2. Major gas field is in Sui.
3. Agriculture is limited, Wheat and Barley grown.
4. Water resources are Scarce.
5. Fish is caught but mostly is sent to Karachi.

4.Potwar Plateau and
Salt Range

They are located to the south of Islamabad between River Indus
and River Jehlum. Potwar Plateau has residual hills such as Kala
Chitta and Khairi Murat rise over 1000m.It is landscape of ridges,
ravines and troughs. A large part has been dissected and eroded
because of running water. The Plateau is rich in Minerals like
rocksalt, gypsum, limestone, coal and Oil. Agriculturing is done on
large alluvial plains.
The Salt Range covers most of the Jhelum, Chakwal, Kalabagh and
Mianwali districts. This name is because of salt mines at Khewra.
It’s highest peak is Sakesar peak. Kallar Kahar is a beautiful lake of
the area. This range is rich in minerals like rocksalt, gypsum and
limestone.

The river Indus and its tributaries drain the Indus
Plain located throughout most of Punjab and the
Central part of Sindh. Its northern part is known as
Upper Indus Plain while the southern parts(Sindh and
Baluchistan areas) is Lower Indus Plain.
Upper Indus Plain is the region from Attock to
Mithankot that is most of the Punjab with height of
180m to 300m. Five big rivers drain this plain and
cover it with alluvial soils. Some dry hills known as
‘Kirana hills’ appear near Sargodha, Chiniot and
Shangla.

Lower Indus Plain is from Mithankot to Thatta. It is very fertile
area but agriculture is limited because of less rainfall. It’s
north-western areas suffer from waterlogging and salinity.
Rohri ridge of limestone is an important feature of this area.
This area is drained by River Indus.
Topographical Features of the Indus Plain
a. Active Flood Plain:
The narrow strip of land on both sides of the River is called
Active flood plain. It is found along all the rivers except for the
southern half of River Ravi and gets flooded every year. It is 2-
3m above river level and 10-18km wide. Alluvium is deposited
every year there which makes the land fertile.

b. Old Flood Plain:
These flood plains are 10-15km wide and 3-5m above river level.
They get flooded after around 7-8 years when there is heavy
Monsoon Rainfall. They are covered with alluvium deposited in the
past.
c. Scarp:
These are steep slopes which can be found around 40km away from
river. They are 5-11m high and 5-8 wide.
d. Alluvial Terraces/Bars:
These are the areas of higher ground between rivers. They are
found only in Upper Indus plain. They are 10-12m above river level
and 25-30km wide. They are ideal for agriculture.

e. Doab:
It is a land located between two rivers. These areas are important
for farming, industrial developments etc. These areas are usually
highly populated in Pakistan. There are four main doabs in
Pakistan.
f. Piedmont Plains:
These are located at the foothills of Sulaiman, Kirthar and
Himalayan mountains. In these plains alluvial fans or cones
develop eastward from Sulaiman and Kirthar mountains. They
develop from the rivers coming from mountains which have low
waterflow and they split into narrow channels after reaching
foothills.They are mainly agricultural.

g. Tidal Delta:
It is often triangular or fan shaped with the main distributaries
breaching out from the main river like the ribs of a fan. The Indus
Delta is located south of Thatta. This delta also has tidal flats with
Mangrove Swamps. The coastal area is generally low and flat.
h. Rolling Sand Plain:
It is an area where soil is sand deposited from elsewhere by wind or
ocean erosion. For example Lasbela sand plains.
Cuestas in the Lower Indus Plain:
These are ridges that are made up of limestone. It has steep slope on
one side and has a gentle slope on the other side. The Rohri Cuesta
attains a height of 80m and is 48km long.

Economic Activities of Indus Plain:
1. Crops are grown whole year: in summer.
Rice, Sugarcane and Cotton; in winter
Wheat.
2. Cotton textile, sugar mills and chemical
industries consume local raw material.
3. Infrastructure facilities are easy to provide
with good transportation network.

There are three desert areas in Pakistan
1. Thal Desert which is located between the River Indus and
River Jhelum.
2. Thar Desert which is located towards south-eastern
Pakistan .It can further be divided into Cholistan, Nara and
Tharparkar deserts.
3. Kharan Desert which is located in Baluchistan.
Winds change the landscape of Deserts constantly. Rolling
sand dunes, weathering of rocks, lack of vegetation and Bare
rocks are the main features in the desert area of Pakistan.
Rainfall is scanty and the water-table is extremely low there.

The natural topography of pakistan

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The natural topography of pakistan