Length of Pakistan’s Coastline: The Complete Coastal Guide
How long is Pakistan’s coast, where does it run, and why does it matter? The full guide — from Sir Creek to Gwadar Bay.
Last updated: 11 October 2026
The length of Pakistan’s coastline is 1,046 kilometres (about 650 miles) — the figure used in textbooks and competitive exams. A newer survey puts it at 1,058 km; both figures are accepted. The coast runs along the Arabian Sea from Sir Creek (the Indian border, east) to Gwadar Bay (the Iranian border, west), crossing two provinces: Sindh (~270 km of coast) and Balochistan (~720 km, the Makran coast). It hosts Pakistan’s three major ports — Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar — and an exclusive economic zone of about 240,000 sq km.
Classic coastline figure
New survey figure
Makran coast (Balochistan)
Major seaports
Complete guide
In this guide
The number
How long is Pakistan’s coastline?
One number for the exam hall, one for the surveyor — and the reason both are right.
The standard figure taught across Pakistan is 1,046 kilometres (roughly 650 miles). It appears in the CIA World Factbook lineage of data, in CSS and PMS preparation books, and in virtually every Pakistani geography text. A more recent coastal survey measured 1,058 km; test-preparation authorities now note that both figures are accepted in MCQs.
Why the difference? Coastlines are fractal: the measured length grows as you measure with a finer ruler, counting every creek, inlet and tidal channel. The Indus Delta alone — a maze of mangrove creeks between Karachi and Sir Creek — can add or subtract kilometres depending on method. For practical purposes, about 1,050 km is the honest answer.
| Figure | Source / use |
|---|---|
| 1,046 km | Classic figure — textbooks, CSS/PMS exams, encyclopaedias |
| 1,058 km | Newer survey measurement — also accepted in exams |
| ~1,050 km | Rounded working figure used in most reporting |
Sindh & Makran
The two coasts: Sindh and Makran
Pakistan’s shoreline is really two different worlds — the muddy delta coast of Sindh and the rocky Makran coast of Balochistan.
Sindh coast
Flat, muddy and braided with creeks — dominated by the Indus Delta, one of the world’s largest arid-zone mangrove forests. Karachi, the country’s biggest city and busiest port, sits on this coast, with Port Qasim to its east and the disputed Sir Creek marshes at its far end.
Makran coast (Balochistan)
Rocky, rugged and dramatic — cliffs, bays and some of South Asia’s most striking beaches, linked by the Makran Coastal Highway. Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara and Jiwani are its towns; Gwadar Port, the flagship of CPEC, sits near its western end.
Most of the coastline — roughly two-thirds — lies in Balochistan, which is why the province dominates every conversation about ports, fisheries and coastal development.
Orientation
Where the coast meets the borders
The shoreline is only the southern edge of a country with four land neighbours.
| Direction | Neighbour / sea | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| East | India | ~2,910 km; coast begins at Sir Creek |
| North-east | China | ~510–596 km (Karakoram / Khunjerab) |
| North-west | Afghanistan | ~2,643 km (Durand Line) |
| West | Iran | ~912 km; coast ends at Gwadar Bay |
| South | Arabian Sea | 1,046 km of coastline |
So: Iran lies to the west of Pakistan, Afghanistan to the north-west, China to the north-east, India to the east — and the Arabian Sea to the south. Pakistan has exactly one neighbouring sea, and no other ocean touches its shores.
Economy
Ports and the sea economy
Three major ports — and one of them is the centrepiece of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Karachi Port
The country’s busiest port, handling the bulk of Pakistan’s cargo; the deep-water Keamari channel serves the industrial heartland.
Port Qasim
Pakistan’s second major port, east of Karachi on the Indus Delta creeks — the hub for bulk cargo, LNG terminals and industry.
Gwadar Port
Deep-sea port on the Makran coast and the flagship of CPEC, giving western China and Central Asia their shortest route to warm water.
Smaller harbours — Pasni, Ormara, Jiwani, Keti Bandar — serve the fishing fleet that sustains hundreds of thousands of coastal livelihoods. The Makran Coastal Highway (N-10) ties the whole western seaboard to Karachi and the national road network.
Maritime zones
Pakistan’s sea area: the EEZ
The coastline is only the beginning — Pakistan’s rights at sea extend 200 nautical miles out.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Pakistan claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of about 240,000 square kilometres — an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom — stretching 200 nautical miles from the coast. Inside it, Pakistan has sole rights to fish, drill and exploit seabed resources.
Closer in, the zones step down: territorial waters (12 nautical miles, full sovereignty), the contiguous zone (24 nm, customs and policing powers), and the continental shelf, where Pakistan secured an extension of its seabed rights beyond 200 nm after a successful UN submission. The Sir Creek boundary dispute with India remains the one unresolved maritime frontier, affecting EEZ delimitation in the east.
Tourism
Beaches and coastal tourism
From Karachi’s city beaches to the Martian landscapes of the Makran — the coast is Pakistan’s most underrated destination.
Kund Malir
Often ranked among the world’s most beautiful beaches — golden sand backed by the Hingol mountains, on the Makran Coastal Highway.
Ormara & Gwadar
Hammerhead-shaped Ormara beach and Gwadar’s Marine Drive sunsets, with the port glowing across the bay.
Sandspit & Hawkes Bay
Karachi’s classic turtle-nesting beaches, closest to the city’s 17 million people.
Pressures are real: sea pollution near Karachi, overfishing, mangrove cutting and sea-level rise all threaten the coast. The mangroves of the Indus Delta — a natural storm barrier — are the front line of its defence.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to the questions readers ask most.
What is the total length of Pakistan’s coastline?
1,046 kilometres is the classic figure; a newer survey measures 1,058 km. Both are accepted — about 1,050 km is the working answer.
Which sea is on the coast of Pakistan?
The Arabian Sea — Pakistan’s only neighbouring sea, along the country’s entire southern edge.
Which provinces share Pakistan’s coastline?
Sindh (~270 km, including Karachi and the Indus Delta) and Balochistan (~720 km, the Makran coast including Gwadar).
Which country is to the west of Pakistan?
Iran — the 912 km border runs from the Arabian Sea at Gwadar Bay north to the Afghan tripoint.
What is Pakistan’s sea area (EEZ)?
About 240,000 square kilometres — the exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.
Which are the major ports of Pakistan?
Karachi Port (busiest), Port Qasim (bulk cargo and LNG) and Gwadar Port (deep-sea, CPEC flagship).
Explore Pakistan’s geography
Coastlines, mountains, deserts and rivers — the land that shapes the country, in our geography section.
Coastal figures compiled from national survey data, the CIA World Factbook lineage and Pakistani geography texts. Verified October 2026.