Editing Geography of Pakistan (section)

==Geographical regions==
[[File:Pakistan relief location map.jpg|thumb|Topography of Pakistan]]
Pakistan is divided into three major geographic areas: the northern highlands; the [[Indus River]] plain, with two major subdivisions corresponding roughly to the provinces of [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] and [[Sindh]]; and the Balochistan [[Plateau]]. Some geographers designate additional major regions. For example, the mountain ranges along the western border with [[Afghanistan]] are sometimes described separately from the Balochistan Plateau, and on the eastern border with India, south of the [[Sutlej River]], the [[Thar Desert]] may be considered separately from the Indus Plain. Nevertheless, the country may conveniently be visualized in general terms as divided in three by an imaginary line drawn eastward from the [[Khyber Pass]] and another drawn southwest from [[Islamabad]] down the middle of the country. Roughly, then, the northern highlands are north of the imaginary east–west line; the Balochistan Plateau is to the west of the imaginary southwest line; and the Indus Plain lies to the east of that line.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - Environment |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/enviro.htm |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref> 

===The Northern Highlands===
{{see also|Northern Pakistan}}
The northern highlands include parts of the [[Hindu Kush]], the [[Karakoram]] Range, and the [[Himalayas]]. This area includes such famous peaks as [[K2]]<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic-art/312055/69374/K2-in-the-Karakoram-Range-northern-Baltistan-Northern-Areas-Pak K2] – Britannica.com</ref> (Mount Godwin Austen, at 8,611 meters the second highest peak in the world). More than one-half of the summits are over 4,500 meters, and more than fifty peaks reach above 6,500 meters. Travel through the area is difficult and dangerous, although the government is attempting to develop certain areas into tourist and trekking sites. Because of their rugged topography and the rigors of the climate, the northern highlands and the [[Himalayas]] to the east have been formidable barriers to movement into Pakistan throughout history.
[[File:K2 8611.jpg|thumb|[[K2]], at {{convert|8,611|m|ft|abbr=off}}, is the world's second highest peak]]

South of the northern highlands and west of the [[Indus River]] plain are the Safed Koh Range along the Afghanistan border and the Suleiman Range and Kirthar Range, which define the western extent of the province of Sindh and reach almost to the southern coast. The lower reaches are far more arid than those in the north, and they branch into ranges that run generally to the southwest across the province Balochistan. North-south valleys in Balochistan and Sindh have restricted the migration of peoples along the Makran Coast on the Indian Ocean east toward the plains.

Several large passes cut the ranges along the border with [[Afghanistan]]. Among them are the [[Khojak Pass]], about eighty kilometres northwest of Quetta in Balochistan; the Khyber Pass, forty kilometres west of [[Peshawar]] and leading to [[Kabul]]; and the [[Broghol]] Pass in the far north, providing access to the [[Wakhan Corridor]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Less than one-fifth of Pakistan's land area has the potential for intensive [[agriculture|agricultural]] use. Nearly all of the arable land is actively cultivated, but outputs are low by world standards. Cultivation is sparse in the northern mountains, the southern deserts, and the western [[plateau]]s, but the [[Indus River]] basin in Punjab and northern Sindh has [[fertility|fertile]] soil that enables Pakistan to feed its population under usual climatic conditions.

===The Indus plain===
{{Main|Indus River Valley}}
{{See also|India (Herodotus)}}
The name Indus comes from the Sanskrit word सिंधु (''Sindhu''), as mentioned, one of the [[Rigvedic rivers]], from which also come the words Sindh, Hindu, and India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/download/195.1996-sapta-sindhvas-the-landof-seven-rivers/195.1996_SaptaSindhvas-TheLandofSevenRivers.pdf|title=Sapta Sinhavas- The land of seven rivers|work=M. Aslamkhan}}</ref> The Indus, one of the great rivers of the world, rises in southwestern [[Tibet]] only about 160 kilometres west of the source of the [[Sutlej River]], which then itself flows through [[Punjab, India]] and joins the [[Indus]] in [[Pakistani Punjab]]. The catchment area of the Indus is estimated at almost 1 million square kilometres, and all of Pakistan's major rivers—the Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab—flow into it. The Indus River basin is a large, fertile alluvial plain formed by silt from the Indus. This area has been inhabited by agricultural civilizations for at least 5,000 years.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

===Balochistan===
[[File:NEO sulaiman big.jpg|thumb|Satellite image of the Sulaiman Range]]
{{Main|Balochistan, Pakistan}}
Balochistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the border region between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four provinces at {{convert|347,190|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of Pakistani territory; and composes 48% of the total land area of Pakistan. The population density is very low due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. The southern region is known as [[Makran]]. The central region is known as [[Kalat (princely state)|Kalat]].

The [[Sulaiman Mountains]] dominate the northeast corner and the Bolan Pass is a natural route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar. Much of the province south of the [[Quetta]] region is sparse desert terrain with pockets of inhabitable towns mostly near rivers and streams. The largest desert is the [[Kharan Desert]] which occupies the most of [[Kharan District]].

This area is subject to frequent [[seismology|seismic]] disturbances because the [[plate tectonics|tectonic plate]] under the Indian plate hits the plate under Eurasia as it continues to move northward and to push the Himalayas ever higher. The region surrounding Quetta is highly prone to [[earthquake]]s. A severe quake in 1931 was followed by one of more destructive force in 1935. The small city of [[Quetta]] was almost completely destroyed, and the adjacent military cantonment was heavily damaged. At least 20,000 people were killed. Tremors continue in the vicinity of [[Quetta]]. The most recent major earthquakes include the October [[2005 Kashmir earthquake]] in which nearly 10,000 people died<ref>Center for the Observation and Modeling of Earthquakes and Tectonics (COMET), 2005. Locating the Kashmir Fault, http://comet.nerc.ac{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. uk/news_kashmir.html</ref> and the [[2008 Balochistan earthquake]] occurred in October 2008 in which 215 people were killed. In January 1991 a severe earthquake destroyed entire villages in the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa]], but far fewer people were killed in the quake than died in 1935. A major earthquake centered in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kohistan District in 1965 also caused heavy damage.