Pakistan is located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It is bordered by Iran and Afghanistan to the west, and India and China to the east. Pakistan is roughly 1.5 times larger than France and has the 6
th
largest population in the world.
Pakistan can be divided into eight regions and each one is extremely diverse. Gilgit-Baltistan is the most northern region and home to some of the world’s tallest mountains. This is where you find most of the Karakorum highway that crosses into China.
Also in the north you will find the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally-administrated tribal areas. This whole area is now known as the North West Frontier Province or NWFP. People here are primarily Pashtun as it runs along the border region with Afghanistan. This region is stunningly beautiful but is also considered one of the more dangerous parts of the country.
Islamabad, the capital, has its own region which includes the surrounding Margala hills and the ruins of Tuxla. Bordering this region you also have Azad Kashmir, the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir, and further south you will find Punjab.
Punjab is the most populous region of the country and is also where you will find most of Pakistan’s agriculture industry. This is where you will find Lahore and Multan and is the most stable part of the country.
In the south you will find the Sindh province which has the huge coastal city of Karachi and the ruins of Mohenjo Daro. Also in the south is Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan. This is the least developed region of the country and travel through some parts of this area (usually between Quetta and the Iranian border) require an armed guard.
