Pakistan - The land of adventure and natureFrom the mighty reaches of the Karakoram in the north to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the south, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Trekking, mountaineering, rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep safaris, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching are some activities that attract adventure and nature lovers to Pakistan. Pakistan is endowed with rich and varied flora and fauna. The high Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush ranges with their alpine meadows and permanent snow line, the coniferous forests along the submontane scrub, the vast Indus plain merging with the great desert, the line coastal and wetlands, all offer an extraordinarily rich variety of vegetation. and associated wildlife, including avifauna, both endemic and migratory. Ten of the 18 mammal orders are represented in Pakistan with species ranging from the world's smallest surviving mammals, the Mediterranean pygmy shrew, to the largest mammal ever known; the blue whale. Located in the heart of the South Asian subcontinent, it is a country with its own fascinating history and cultural heritage. Pakistan was the site of one of the world's first human settlements, the great prehistoric civilization of the Indus Valley, a melting pot of ancient empires, religions and cultures. Pakistan traces its history back to 2,500 BC, when a highly developed civilization flourished in the Indus Valley. Excavations at Harappa, Moenjodaro, Kot Diji and Mehr Garh have uncovered evidence of an advanced civilization existing even in more ancient times. Pakistan's landscape ranges from the high mountains of the north, to the Karakoram and Himalayas, across dissected plateaus to the rich alluvial plains of Punjab. Then comes the desolate barrenness of Balochistan and the hot, dry deserts of Sindh which merge with miles and miles of golden beaches on the Mekran coast. Pakistan is located between 24 and 37 degrees north latitude and 62 and 75 degrees east longitude. The country borders Iran to the west, India to the east, Afghanistan to the northwest, China to the north and the Arabian Sea to the south. The great mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush form Pakistan's northern highlands of the North-West Frontier Province and Northern Area; The province of Punjab is a flat alluvial plain with five major rivers that dominate the upper region and eventually join the Indus River which flows south to the Arabian Sea; Sindh is bounded on the east by the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch and on the west by the Kirthar range; the Balochistan plateau is an arid plateau, surrounded by barren mountains.