Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total:
3,287,590 sq km
land:
2,973,190 sq km
water:
314,400 sq km
Area?comparative:
slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total:
14,103 km
border countries:
Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal
1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:
7,000 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate:
varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain:
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the
Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources:
coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica,
bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum,
limestone
Land use:
arable land:
56%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
4%
forests and woodland:
23%
other:
16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
480,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes
Environment?current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution
from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw
sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable
throughout the country; huge and rapidly growing population is
overstraining natural resources
Environment?international agreements:
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography?note:
dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade
routes
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and
Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 N, 70 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total:
803,940 sq km
land:
778,720 sq km
water:
25,220 sq km
Area?comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total:
6,774 km
border countries:
Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline:
1,046 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
Climate:
mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan
plateau in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Natural resources:
land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal,
iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
27%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
6%
forests and woodland:
5%
other:
61% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:
171,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west;
flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
Environment?current issues:
water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural
runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population
does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification
Environment?international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation
Geography?note:
controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between
Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
Source: CIA World Fact Book