Geography 1
Geography 1
Geography 1
Area of Pakistan:
• Its total area is 796,096 sq kilometers.
• It is 1600 kilometers from north to south.
• 885 km from east to west.
Location of Pakistan:
South-West Iran
East India
Figure (i) Boundary of Pakistan's four provinces
• The Gwadar and Karachi seaports provide crucial travel as well as trade facilities to north and
north-west.
• Its coastline at the Arabian Sea facilitates trade with West, Middle East, Far East, and
Southeast Asia.
• Pakistan has a central location that provides air routes from west to east and the Jinnah
International Airport facilitates it.
• It offers easy access to Central Asia (CAS) and its 6 republics through Afghanistan.
• Feasibility of Natural Gas Pipeline Projects from CAS, India, Iran and South East Asia.
Provinces of Pakistan:
• It has Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and NWFP provinces.
• It also includes FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir.
• In 2009, the Federal Cabinet approved an ordinance that gave political autonomy to northern
areas.
• A new name was also given to the Northern areas as Gilgit, Baltistan.
FATA:
• It stands for Federal Administrated Tribal Areas.
Topography:
• It is the study of surface features of the land.
- Karakorams
- Himalayas
- Hindu Kush
2. Western Mountains:
- Waziristan Hills
- Sulaiman Range
- Kirthar Range
- Safed Koh Ranges
3. Balochistan Plateau
5. Indus Plain
6. Desert Areas
- Kharan Desert
- Thal Desert
- Thar Desert
• Its height changes from 6000 m to 8475 m; south to the north respectively.
• It also has snow caped, sharp and steep-sided peaks like Nanga Parbat, Tirich Mir, and K-2.
• It has Siachen, Baltoro, and Batura that are huge glaciers (snowfields).
Drainage:
• Eastern tributaries include Jhelum, Chenab, River Indus, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
• In summers when the snow peaks melt, the water drain into River Indus and its tributaries.
• There are historic passes that connect Pakistan to Afghanistan and China.
• The mountains protect against the cold winds from CAS making the climate bearable.
• The beautiful scenery attracts tourists and promoting the resort business in Gilgit, Hunza,
Murree, Naran, etc.
• These mountains also provide the raw material for chemicals, furniture, paper, etc.
Western Mountains:
Relief:
• Kirthar, Safed Koh, Waziristan, and Sulaiman are the parallel ranges that run from south to
north.
• The height expands from 2000 m to 4712 m; south to the north respectively.
• There are several valleys and low-lying basins including Bannu valley, Kohat valley, and the
valley of Peshawar.
• There are many historic passes including Bolan, Gomal, Khyber, Tochi, and Khurram.
Drainage:
• The drainages include Khurram, Hab, Lyari, Tochi, Zhob, and Gomal.
• The water drains in the western rivers and helps in the cultivation of sugarcane, rice, and
wheat.
• These mountains are rich in boulders, clay, limestone ridges and sandstones.
• It has residual hills namely Khairi Murat and Kala Chitta ranging up to 1000 m.
Drainage:
• It is rich in soapstones, marble, non-metallic minerals, limestone, gypsum, dolomite, and clay.
• On Potwar Plateau, through rainwater gram, wheat, barley, and maize are cultivated.
Balochistan Plateau:
Relief:
• It has barren mountain ranges including Toba Kakar, Hala, RasKoh and Makran Coast from
600 m to 3010 m.
Drainage:
• The drainages include Hingol, Dasht, Hab, and Paroli.
• There are also temporary salt lakes namely Hamun-i-Lora and Hamun-i- Mashkal.
• The economy is through livestock and its products and fishing at Ormara, Gwadar, and Pasni.
• By using the untapped resources of Balochistan, Pakistan’s economy can see an uplift.
• Using the crude oil, coal and natural gas present in Balochistan electricity can be generated.
• Many fruits grow in Balochistan including melons, peaches, grapes, apples, dates,
pomegranates, peaches and plums.
• Since Balochistan’s climate is favorable more vegetable seeds should be grown there.
• By increasing the livestock and its products using scientific means because wool and goat
skins have high demand in the global market.
• Moreover, the export of fish can also be increased by using modern technology at Gwadar,
Ormara, and Pasni for fishing.
• The Gawadar Sea Port development can also help in the development of the economy.
Shortcoming:
• The weather in Balochistan is extreme and dry making the working condition unfavorable.
• The landscape is eroded with rugged terrain and ridges making it impossible to complete
projects on time.
Doabs
• A doab can be found at the confluence of the two rivers i.e. a land.
- Between the river Jhelum and river Sindh, there is Sindh Sagar Doab.
Importance of Doabs:
• The terrain is flat there.
• Moreover, businesses, markets, and storage of raw materials of agriculture are provided.
Topographical Features
of The Indus Plain
• Ox-bows abandoned channels and meander scars can be found on these plains.
Alluvial Terraces:
• These are areas of high grounds.
• They can be found in Bari, Rachna and Chaj Doab in the Upper Indus Plain.
Piedmont Plains:
• They are formed in the rainy season when streams and rivers deposit alluvium at the foot of
the mountain.
Tidal Delta:
• It is located in the south of Thatta.
• The frequent tropical cyclones damages shanty homes, agriculture, and fishing.
• In deserts, the wind blows and changes landscape frequently which results in sand dunes.
Cuestas:
• These can be found in the Lower Indus Plains.
Deserts of Pakistan
- Between river Jhelum and River Indus, there is the Thal Desert which is also known as Sindh
Sagar Doab.
- In the south-eastern part of Pakistan, there is the Thar Desert. This desert can further
categorize into Tharparkar, Nara, and the Cholistan.
• There are fast blowing winds that frequently change the desert.
• Rolling stone dunes, lack of vegetation and rocks are other main features.
Climate
Temperature:
• In the Northern Mountains, the summers are mild and short while in the Western Mountains, it
is warm and dry.
Rainfall:
• The rainfall is associated with altitude in mountains.
• The Northern Mountains (2000 m – 8000 m) experience heavy rainfalls while there is less
rainfall in the Western Mountains (1000 m – 4000m).
Temperature:
• It has hot summers with high temperatures.
Rainfall:
• In the lowland, thunderstorms are very common.
• In comparison to the Indus Plain, the foothills of the Northern Mountains and Potwar plateau
are wet.
Temperature:
• The sea breezes keep the temperature-controlled and low in these areas.
• Humidity is very high (above 50%).
Rainfall:
• Rainfall is low.
• The Makran Coast experiences rain in winter whereas Karachi and Rann of Kutch experience
it during monsoon.
Temperature:
• These areas experience extremely hot temperatures with dry weather.
• There are dusty winds from the mid of May to mid of September.
Rainfall:
• There is low rain in winter in south-western Balochistan.
• The areas near the coastal areas have maritime influence that moderates the temperature.
This effect is called the continental effect.
• With an average increase of 1000 meters in altitude, the temperature experiences a drop of
6.5⁰C. That is why the air is denser at sea level and less dense at areas with high altitudes.
• The cloud cover effect is an interesting factor that affects temperature. During day time if the
sky is covered in the cloud it will make the temperature drop by reflecting the solar radiation in
outer space but in night time it will make the night hot by not letting the heat left to the outer
space.
• The latitudinal position of the earth to the sun (angle of the sun) also affects temperature. The
northern hemisphere during summer is tilted towards the sun and absorbs more heat.
Sources of Rainfall in Pakistan:
• Following are the sources of rainfall in Pakistan:
Monsoon Winds:
• Northern areas and the Indus Plain experience the Monsoon Rains brought by monsoon
winds.
• The monsoon winds start to blow in June and bring with them heavy rainfall in July and August
to Punjab.
• The monsoon rains are experienced in Pakistan when high summer temperature heats the
tropical continents and a zone with low pressure is formed.
• The Mediterranean Sea is responsible for creating western depressions that bring rainfalls
during the winter season to western areas of Pakistan.
Convectional Currents:
• In May and June, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab receive rainfall because of
conventional currents.
• Since there is a temperature inversion layer in southern Pakistan during summer, therefore, it
does not receive the conventional rains.
• These rains are experiences in the north-western and northern areas in Summers from April to
the start of June.
Relief Rainfalls:
• The Western and Northern Mountains receive the Relief Rainfalls because of high altitude.
Tropical Cyclones:
• The coastal areas occasionally experience destructive and heavy rains that are brought by the
tropical cyclones from the Arabian Sea.
• Since the high temperature has low density, it rises and creates a low-pressure zone.
• In the sea area, the temperature is relatively low in summers as heat discharges at a slow
pace.
• The monsoon winds travel from sea to land as a result heavy rainfall is experienced in the
lower and upper Indus Plain.
Winter:
• In winter, a high-pressure area is created as the pressure increases gradually on the land of
north-west Pakistan.
• Monsoon starts to retreat in fall and land winds start blowing that is dry and light.
• These winds are responsible for heavy rainfall in the lower and upper Indus Plain.
Highland Zone:
• The temperature falls below the freezing point in the northern areas.
• The trees' growth is slow, grass in snow and there are frozen rivers.
• People who live there raise money by making pottery, embroidery, carpets, etc.
• Peshawar is the greenest area with high irrigated fields, orchards, and woodlands.
• The western highland includes the Balochistan’s mountains that have harsh and dry weather.
• There is water scarcity which led to less population and crop cultivation.
Arid Zone:
• There is low rainfall, very high temperatures in summers and mild winters.
• These areas are not suitable for human settlement and cultivation.
• Karez is practiced there which is a unique irrigation system that allows groundwater to be
tapped by a tunnel.
• The highland areas of Balochistan grow fruits like melons, peaches, apples, and grapes.
• Sindh and Punjab's southern part encounter very low rainfall resulting in high temperatures
and less crop cultivation.
• Nevertheless, farming has been reclaimed in some areas of southern and eastern Punjab by
constructing perennial canals.
• Thar desert is still barren, water is scarce, and people travel one place to another in search of
water.
• The people of Thar also wear turbans and thick clothes to protect themselves from the
scorching heat.
• Rain is irregular but an effective canal system is in place to offer proper irrigation.
• Punjab also has the most population of Pakistan because the weather there is tolerable.
River Floods:
• The rivers attract human settlement as it is a necessity.
• The banks of Indus and its tributaries overflow almost every year,
• 1955, 1973, 1978, the 80s and 90s have experienced serious floods that resulted in
devastation.
• The human reasons include cutting of trees, failure to heighten embankments alongside rivers,
and dam’s less capacity to store water.
• Natural reasons include heavy monsoon rains and snow melting in summer.
• Constant updates and announcements of flood warning over television, radio, and newspaper.
Benefits of Floods:
• Floods bring with them nutrients that contribute to the expansion of wetlands.
• The Arabian Sea has high nutrients because of the high production of fish and these benefits
are also attributed to the Indus river system.
Storms:
Thunderstorms:
• The thunderstorms are experienced mostly in the north-western and northern areas.
• From April to June (summer) and September to October (after monsoon) strong winds start to
blow that is 60 km/hr to 80 hm/hr.
• As a result of these winds, hail and stormy rains start that destroy the crops.
Dust Storms:
• Dust storms are experienced due to low pressure in summer in Balochistan’s north-western
and southern plains.
Tropical Cyclones:
• The destruction caused by these storms is also increasing when relief teams are delayed.
• To counter these damages, flood monitoring systems, warning systems, and trained relief
teams must be formed.
Drought:
• The poor countries experience mass death, illness, and famine because of it.
Types of Drought:
• Permanent Drought is when cultivation becomes impossible without irrigation. E.g. west
Balochistan’s Chagai, Thal and Cholistan.
• Seasonal Drought is when there are well-defined dry and rainy seasons. E.g. southern Punjab,
and Potwar Plateau.
• Invisible Drought is when there is water scarcity that can reduce crop production, but it is not
severe enough to destroy these crops.
• Unpredictable Drought is when there is very low rainfall. It is experienced in humid climate
areas only.
• It can harm fisheries, increases the growth of algae and can make drinking water unsafe.
• It can make livestock die that can also result in a shortage of raw materials, loss of
export/import and whole economy devastation.
Drought Management: