Balouchistan has a population of 6,511,358 and an area of 134,000 sq mi (347,000 sq km). It is bounded by Iran on the west, by Afghanistan on the north, and by the Makran coast of the Arabian Sea on the south. Quetta is the capital; it is connected by railway to the main Indus plains corridor of Pakistan. Lying outside the monsoon zone and with few rivers usable for irrigation, Baluchistan is largely desert basins with inarable hills and mountains. Pastoral nomads who speak languages related to Persian constitute most of the sparse ... (more)