The topography of Pakistan is divided into seven geographic areas: the northern highlands, the Indus River plain, the desert areas, the Pothohar Plateau, Balochistan Plateau, Salt Range, and the Sistan Basin. All the rivers of Pakistan, i.e. Sindh, Ravi River, Chenab River, Jhelum River, and Sutlej River, originate from the Himalayas mountain range. Some geographers designate Plateau as to the west of the imaginary southwest line; and the Indus Plain lies to the east of that line.
Elevation extremes
Lowest point: Sea level
Highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
Mountains
In the north, northeast and north-west of Pakistan there are three ranges of mountains. Between these ranges of the Himalayas is an area the people of Central and South Asia consider to be the roof of the world. The Himalayas stretch continuously for about 2500 km from east to west. They are bounded to the north-west by the Hindu Kush mountain range and to the north by the Karakoram. Thus there are three mountain ranges in northern Pakistan: Karakoram, Himalayas and Hindu Kush. The contrast between these ranges is geologically interesting.
The Indus Plain
Land between two rivers is called DOAB in the local language. The name Indus comes from the Sanskrit word "sindhu", meaning "ocean", from which also come the words Sindh, Hindu, and India. The Indus River, one of the great rivers of the world, rises in southwestern Tibet, only about 160 kilometers west of the source of the Sutlej River, which joins the Indus in Punjab, and the Brahmaputra, which runs eastward before turning southwest and flowing through Bangladesh. The catchment area of the Indus is estimated at almost 1 million square kilometers, and all of Pakistan's major rivers (the Kabul River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej) flow into it. The Indus River basin is a large, fertile alluvial plain formed by silt from the Indus. This area has been inhabited by agricultural civilizations for at least 5,000 years.
The upper Indus Basin includes Punjab; the lower Indus Basin begins at the Panjnad River (the confluence of the eastern tributaries of the Indus) and extends south to the coast. Punjab means the "land of five waters": the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers. The Sutlej river, however, is mostly on the Indian side of the border.
In the southern part of the province of Punjab, the British attempted to harness the irrigation power of the water over 100 years ago when they established what came to be known as the Canal Colonies. The irrigation project, which facilitated the emergence of intensive cultivation despite semi-arid conditions, resulted in important social and political transformations.
Pakistan has two major river dams: the Tarbela Dam on the Indus River, near the early Buddhist site at Taxila, and the Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River, where Punjab borders Azad Kashmir, built as part of the Indus Basin Project. The Warsak Dam on the Kabul River near Peshawar is smaller. These dams, along with a series of headworks and barrages built by the British and expanded since the independence of Pakistan in 1947, are of vital importance to the national economy and played an important role in calming the raging floodwaters of 1992, which devastated large areas in the northern highlands and the Punjab plains.
The Desert areas
Cholistan Desert
The Cholistan desert spans an area of 16,000 square kilometers. The name "Cholistan" is derived from the Turkish word "chol," meaning "desert," though the desert is locally known as Rohi. The desert hosts an annual jeep rally, which draws many tourists.
Indus Valley Desert
The Indus Valley Desert is located in the northern area of Pakistan. The desert spans an area of 19500 square kilometers and is surrounded by northwestern scrub forests. The Indus Valley Desert lies between two major rivers in the region, the Chenab and the Indus.
Kharan Desert
The Kharan Desert is located in Northeast Balochistan (a Pakistani state). The desert was used for nuclear testing by the Pakistan military, making it the most famous of the five deserts. The desert is in the center of a large empty basin.
Thal Desert
The Thal Desert is located in northeastern Pakistan between the Indus and Jhelum rivers. A large canal-building project is currently underway to irrigate the land. Irrigation will make most of the desert suitable for farming.
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert spans a stammering 446 square kilometers and covers large areas of both Pakistan and India. It is the seventeenth largest desert on the planet and the third largest in Asia.