ABSTRACT
Pakistan’s total land area is 796,100 km2. As shown in Figure 2.1, administratively it is divided into four provinces: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPk) with 15.9% of the population, Punjab (55.1%), Sindh (22.9%) and Balochistan (4.9%), and several areas with special status, including the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), the Northern Area (FANA), State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Capital Area of Islamabad. About half the land area comprises mountainous terrain, narrow valleys and foothills and other areas of limited productivity. Most of the remaining area lies in the Indus Plain, covering some 20 Mha of generally fertile alluvial land. The Indus Basin Irrigation System commands about 15 Mha and is the agricultural and economic centre of the country. All the major hydropower stations are also located in the Indus Basin.
