Pakistan is a country in Asia, with about 255.2 million people (2025) and an area of 796,100 square kilometres. Its capital is Islamabad, and it shares land borders with 4 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of PakistanPakistan in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Pakistan's 6, in full.
STORYLens 1 of 6
Pakistan was created as an idea before it became a country
Pakistan was founded in 1947 on the principle that South Asia's Muslims needed a separate state. That ideological origin, a nation built on religion rather than ethnicity or geography, has made national identity a permanent negotiation between Islam, regional languages, military culture, and the unfinished argument about what kind of state Pakistan was meant to be.
More on founded in 1947 on the principle
Muhammad Ali Jinnah's "two-nation theory" argued that Hindus and Muslims constituted separate nations. Pakistan's creation tested whether religion alone could sustain a state spanning ethnically diverse regions over a thousand miles apart.
5 more lenses on Pakistan in the app
PLACE Pakistan's geography runs from glaciers to deserts
STORY The military is Pakistan's most powerful institution
NOW Pakistan lurches between IMF bailouts and political chaos
THREAD Pakistan's relationship with China is its most stable alliance
THREAD Pakistan and India share a border and a permanent argument
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
Compare Pakistan with another country
Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Pakistan?
The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. Islamabad lies at about 33.7 degrees north and 73.2 degrees east. Pakistan is in Asia. It is home to about 255.2 million people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Pakistan?
About 255.2 million people live in Pakistan, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 5th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 796,100 square kilometres, that is about 321 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Pakistan?
Pakistan shares land borders with 4 countries: Afghanistan, China, India and Iran. The map on this page outlines each of them around Pakistan. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Pakistan?
Pakistan covers 796,100 square kilometres, or about 307,376 square miles. That makes it the 35th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 255.2 million gives a density of 321 people per square kilometre.
Pakistan is a country in Asia, with about 255.2 million people (2025) and an area of 796,100 square kilometres. Its capital is Islamabad, and it shares land borders with 4 countries.
Capital
Islamabad
Continent
Asia
Population
255,219,554 2025, World Bank. 5th of 195.
Area
796,100 km² (307,376 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 35th largest of 195.
Population density
321 people per km²
Land neighbours
4: Afghanistan, China, India, Iran
Official name
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
UN status
Member state
STORY · from the Geography app
Pakistan was created as an idea before it became a country
Pakistan was founded in 1947 on the principle that South Asia's Muslims needed a separate state. That ideological origin, a nation built on religion rather than ethnicity or geography, has made national identity a permanent negotiation between Islam, regional languages, military culture, and the unfinished argument about what kind of state Pakistan was meant to be.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/pakistan/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Pakistan
NameDate
Draw the flag
Colour Pakistan on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
Population
Area
Languages
Currency
Neighbours
Landmarks
Rivers or mountains
Three things I learned
1
2
3
One question I still have
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/pakistan/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
