Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
Geography
| Pakistan | Afghanistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north | Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran |
| Geographic coordinates | 30 00 N, 70 00 E | 33 00 N, 65 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 796,095 sq km land: 770,875 sq km water: 25,220 sq km | total: 652,230 sq km land: 652,230 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly more than five times the size of Georgia; slightly less than twice the size of California | almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 7,257 km border countries (4): Afghanistan 2670 km, China 438 km, India 3190 km, Iran 959 km | total: 5,987 km border countries (6): China 91 km, Iran 921 km, Pakistan 2670 km, Tajikistan 1357 km, Turkmenistan 804 km, Uzbekistan 144 km |
| Coastline | 1,046 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers |
| Terrain | divided into three major geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain in the center and east, and the Balochistan Plateau in the south and west | mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m mean elevation: 900 m | highest point: Noshak 7,492 m lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m mean elevation: 1,884 m |
| Natural resources | arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone | natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 35.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 27.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 6.5% (2018 est.) forest: 2.1% (2018 est.) other: 62.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018) permanent pasture: 46% (2018) forest: 1.85% (2018 est.) other: 40.1% (2018) |
| Irrigated land | 202,000 sq km (2012) | 32,080 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) | damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
| Environment - current issues | water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural freshwater resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution and noise pollution in urban areas | limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution in overcrowded urban areas |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent | landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor) |
| Total renewable water resources | 246.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 65.33 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the Indus River and its tributaries attract most of the settlement, with Punjab province the most densely populated | populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated |
Source: CIA Factbook
