The natural region refers to a region in which weather, vegetation, population and living conditions of the people are the same or the natural region means the area of the land in which the elevation of the surface, depth, temperature, rainfall, vegetation, livestock and human activities are almost the same. Pakistan can be divided into five regions by natural topography:
The details of these regions are as under:
1. Plain Region
(i) Areas
The plain region of Pakistan mostly falls in Punjab province and Sindh province, which is called the upper and lower plains of the Indus river. The plain region extends from Pothwar and Salt Range to Mithankot in Punjab province. This region contains areas of canal irrigation in Sindh province.
(ii) Climate
The climate of plain region is very dry. The summer season is very hot and the winter season is cold. The average summer temperature is 40 degree Celsius while the average winter temperature is 10 degree Celsius. Rainfall in this area is mainly due to monsoon winds during the rainy season. The average annual rainfall in the region is 15 to 20 inches.
(iii) Vegetation
Some forests are found along rivers while some are man- made forests.
(iv) Economic Conditions
Plain region is composed of highly fertile soil brought by the rivers. In addition, the canal irrigation system is also excellent. So, this region is famous for its agricultural production all over the world. The major crops of this region include rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton. This region is playing an important role in the industrial development of the country. Most of the industries of the country are located in this region. Important industries include textile, electronics, electrical equipment, sports equipment, sugar industry, leather industry and cutlery industry. Industrial cities include Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Gujrat, Multan, Kasur, Sialkot, Nawab Shah, Mardan, Nowshera and Sukkur.
(v) Population
Plain region is one of the most densely populated regions of the country. About 50% of population of the country lives in this region.
2. Desert Region
(i) Areas
Desert Region of Pakistan consists of Thal Desert (Khushab, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Layyah districts) and Cholistan Desert (Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yarkhan districts), in the province of Punjab, Thar Desert (Khairpur, Tharparkar, UmerKot districts) in Sindh province and Sihan region in the Balochistan province.
(ii) Climate
Climate of the desert region is extremely dry and severe. The average temperature in summer is more than 40°C . Hot winds blow in day time. Daily range of temperature is very different in desert areas. In summer, temperature remains very high while winter is also extremely cold in the desert areas. Annual rainfall in these areas is less than 5 inches.
(iii) Vegetation
Vegetation is almost non existent due to lack of rainfall and high temperature in desert region. Herbs and Kiker (Acacia) trees are found in some areas.
(iv) Economic Conditions
Desert region mostly consists of rural areas. Most of the people earn their living from agriculture and livestock. However Agriculture related activities are limited due to low rainfall in the region.
(v) Population
The population is not dense in this region. The rural population is mostly scattered. The proportion of urban population is less in this region. The major cities include Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan, UmerKot and Khushab.
3. Coastal Region
(i) Areas
Coastal region covers the coastal belt of Balochistan province and Sindh province. In this region the main areas of Sindh province are Thatta, Badin and Karachi and that of Balochistan province are Lasbela, Gwadar, Pasni, Turbat and Panjgur.
(ii) Climate
In coastal region, the climate is mild. Due to the adjacent sea, there is not much difference between summer and winter temperature. The average temperature in the summer is 30 degree Celsius, while in winter the average temperature is 15 degree Celsius. This region remains humid throughout the year. The average annual rainfall is 12 inches.
(iii) Vegetation
Coastal region has fewer forests. Due to less rainfall, coconut trees are not as common here as in the coastal areas of the rest of the world. The mangroves are abundant in the coastal areas.
(iv) Economic Conditions
Being coastal region, fishing is the main occupation of this area. Small ports on the coastal belt of Balochistan are Pasni, Jiwani and Gadani which are famous for fishing. The development of the Gwadar port in Balochistan has begun a new era of prosperity. Karachi has the status of an international port, so it is the centre of trade activities in the world. Besides this, Karachi is a big industrial city.
(v) Population
The coastal region is densely populated. Most of the population here is urban. Karachi is the most populous city and port of this region. Its population is more than 20 million.