Physical Features of Pakistan

Pakistan covers an area of 796,095 Sq. Km out of which 468,000 Sq. Km is in the North and West form mountainous land and plateau. The remaining 3,28,000 Sq. Km comprises a level plain.

The physical frame has been built by two major geomorphic processes which have produced two distinct physiographic provinces:

1) The Northern and Western highlands produced by mountain building movement (Himalayan orogeny) occurring in the Tertiary Era.
2) The Indus plains resulting from the deposition of sediments by the Indus River and its tributaries into shallow bays in the Quaternary Era.

Major Physical Divisions

Pakistan is divided into 5 major physical divisions:

A) The Himalayas;
B) The Hindu Kush and the Western Bording Mountains
C) The Balochistan Plateau
D) The Potwar Plateau and the Salt Range
E) The Indus Plain (within each of these there are a number of Sub-divisions)

A. The Himalayas: The Himalayas comprise a series of ranges.

(1) Sub Himalayas
(2) The Lesser Himalayas
(3) The Great Himalayas
(4) The Inner Himalayas or Ladakh range
(5) The Trans - Himalayas or Karakoram ranges

1. The Sub Himalayas or Siawaliks
Height - 600 to 900M
Areas - Hazara, Murree, Rawalpindi and Pabbi Hills

2. The Lesser Himalayas
Height - 3600 - 4500M
Areas - Northern Hazara and Murree, Dunga Galli, Murree Hill Station (2269 meters) a spectacular one hour drive from the Capital, Islamabad

3. The Great Himalayas
Height - Average Altitude, 6000 meters
Areas - The great Himalayas are located north of the lesser Himalayas. They attain snowy heights. They dominate Kohistan district. Some of them are Capped by Glaciers. Nanga Parbat, the highest Peak (26600Ft) is in this range

4. The Inner Himalayas or Ladakh Range
Most part of this range lies in India (Ladakh region)

5. The Karakoram or Trans Himalayas
Height - Average height 6100 Meters
Areas - The Karakoram and associated ranges are in the extreme north. Godwin Austin (K2) the second highest Peak in the world (8610M/28000Ft) is located in this area. A number of glaciers cover these ranges. Siachen, Hispur, Biafo, Baltoro and Batura are some of the important glaciers. These mountains are difficult to cross. Even the passes are 5500 meters (18000Ft) high e.g., the Karakoram Pass.

B. The Hindu Kush and Western Mountains: The Hindu Kush branch off from the Himalayas at the Pimar Knot, where the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and China meet. Its direction is North - South and guard the borders of Pakistan. The Hindu Kush and westerns ranges are named as following:

(1) The Hindu Kush Mountains
(2) The Koh-I-Sofed Range
(3) Waziristan Hills
(4) The Sulaiman Mountains
(5) The Kirthar Hills

1. The Hindu Kush Mountains
Average Height: 10000Ft - 16000Ft
Peaks: Tirich Mir (7690M/25230Ft), Sad Istragh (7369M/24376Ft)
Areas: Chitral, Swat, Dir. The Kabul, Swat, PanjKora, and Kunar rivers flow through these ranges and join the Indus River. The famous Khyber Pass lies in this mountainous area.

2. The Koh-I-Sofed Range
Average Height: 12000Ft (3600M)
Areas: South of Kabul River upto Kurram Pass.
Peaks: Highest peak is Sakaram, 4761 Meters

3. Waziristan Hills
Average Height: 1500 - 3000 Meters/5000 - 10000Ft
Area: South of Koh-I-Sofed, with east west direction, on the South bounded by the Gomal river.

4. Sulaiman Mountains
Average Height: 600 meters/2100Ft.
Areas: South of Gomal river upto the Bugti and Marri Hills, with Takht-I-Sulaiman. Bolan Pass, which connects Quetta - Sibi is most important break in this mountain range.
Peaks: Takht-I-Sulaiman, 3487M/11440Ft.

5. The Kirthar Hills
Average Height: 300 meters
Areas: West of Lower Indus Plain, runs North-South. The Hab and Lyari rivers drain into the Arabian Sea.

C. The Balochistan Plateau
Average Height: 600 Meters
Areas: The Plateau occupies an extensive area, located west of the Sulaiman-Kirthar mountains, is covered with hills and mountains. Several basins are lying between these hills and mountains. The small Quetta Basin is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Toba Kakar, Ras Koh, Chagai, Central Brahui, Central Makran Coast ranges are important ranges of Balochistan Plateau. The Highest Peak, Ras Koh, attains a height of 3010M (9872Ft).

This region is tru desert, an area of Inland drainage and dry lakes (hamuns), the Largest of which is Hamun-I-Mashkel, 87Km long and 35Km wide.

Along the coast are large areas of level mud flats forming the coastal plain.

D. The Potwar Plateau and the Salt Range
Average Height: 300-600 Meters
Area: Potwar Plateau has an area of 18000 Sq. Km. It is bounded on the east by the River Jehlum, on the west by the Indus on the north by Kala Chitta Range and Margala Hills and on the south by the Salt Range. A few large and small hills rise above the surface. Khairi Murat is the largest. The Soan River and its tributaries have developed gullies and it is a typical bad land.

The Salt Range is a feature of great geological interest and it presents a complete geological sequence from early times, and an example of a "dislocation mountain". The Salt Range rises to an average height of 750-900M. Sakesar Peak 1527M (5010Ft) is the highest peak. The Khabeki Sakesar and Kallar Kahar are some of the important Lakes.

This area is rich in minerals like Rock Salt, Gypsum, Limestone, Coal & Oil.

E. The Indus Plain
The Indus Plain forms the western part of the Indo-Gangetic plain of the northern part of the Subcontinent. The Indus Plain has been formed by the alluviam laid down by the Indus and its tributries. The Indus is a mighty stream about 2900 Km (1800 Miles) long. The Indus Plain is divided into Sub-Plains.

(i) The Upper Indus Plain
(ii) The Lower Indus Plain
(iii) South Eastern Desert, The Indus Plain covers an area about 70000 Sq. miles.

(i) The Upper Indus Plain: The Upper Indus Plain is the land of Jehlum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Indus rivers, with average height from 400Ft to 1200Ft. This is almost plain area with micro-relief. River areas form meander flood plain, cover flood Plain, and scalloped interfluves or bars.

The upper Indus Plain is sub-divided into four large doabs, plus the Bahawalpur Plain, and the derajats or Sulaiman Piedmont.

- The Sindh Sagar Doab or Thal Desert (3.2 Million Hectares)
- The Chaj Doab (1.3 Million Hectares)
- Rechna Doab (2.8 Million Hectares)
- Bari Doab (2.9 Million Hectares)

(ii) The Lower Indus Plain: The Lower Indus Plain or Sindh Plain is almost flat with average gradiant of one meter in ten kilometers. This plain is divided into the Kachhi-Sibi Plain, the Sindh Plain and the Indus Delta. Two thirds of the Lower Sindh Plain is covered flood plain, while upper and central area is divided into cover flood and meander flood plains.

(iii) South - Eastern Desert: The South-Eastern Desert spreads over an extensive area in Eastern Bahawalpur division, Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Sanghar and Mirpur Khas and Thar Parkar districts. In the Punjab this is known as Cholistan or Rohi, and Pat and Thar in Northern and Southern Sindh. This desert is covered with sand dunes rising up to 150 meters. This is dry hot desert with less rain fall. Water is the crying need of this region.