4.3 The Natural Topography Including Drainage

2026 Syllabus Objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

  1. Identify on a map the named landforms: Balochistan Plateau, Sulaiman Range, Safed Koh, Potwar Plateau, Salt Range, Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalaya mountain ranges.
  2. Identify on a map the named rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Kabul, Hab and Dasht.
  3. Identify on a map the named deserts: Thar, Thal and Kharan.
  4. Use the correct vocabulary to describe the distinguishing features of mountains, plateaux, floodplains and deserts. (You do NOT need to know how they were formed.)
  5. Identify and name these features on a photograph or drawing.
  6. Understand how natural topography influences human activities: how steep slopes and flat land affect land use; how mountains and deserts affect road and rail networks.

Main Content

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Section 1: Pakistan's Major Landforms — An Overview

Topography means the study of the surface features of the land — everything you can see on the landscape, such as mountains, plateaus, plains, and deserts.

Pakistan's landscape can be divided into six major areas:

  1. Northern Mountains (Karakoram, Himalayas, Hindu Kush)
  2. Western Mountains (Safed Koh, Sulaiman Range, Kirthar Range, Waziristan Hills)
  3. Balochistan Plateau
  4. Potwar Plateau and Salt Range
  5. The Indus Plain
  6. Desert Areas (Thal, Thar, Kharan)

Section 2: The Northern Mountains

Pakistan's northern region contains three of the world's greatest mountain ranges. They are all fold mountains — mountains formed when the Earth's plates pushed together and forced rock upward.

2a. The Karakoram Range

  • The word "Karakoram" means "black gravel".
  • It stretches for about 400 km from Hunza to the Shyok River, running east to west.
  • Average height: approximately 6,000 metres above sea level.
  • K-2 (8,610 m) — the second highest mountain in the world — is located here.
  • The range has deep, narrow valleys and sharp, jagged peaks.
  • Precipitation (rainfall/snowfall) here is mainly snow. Upper areas have glaciers (massive rivers of ice) instead of liquid rivers.
  • The climate is very cold and harsh, making it difficult to live in.
  • Main glaciers: Siachen (78 km), Baltoro (58 km), and Batura (58 km).
  • The Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects Pakistan to China through the Khunjerab Pass.

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