Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of Islamabad

Rawal lake in Islamabad

Astronaut View of Islamabad

Islamabad is located at

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33°26′N 73°02′E / 33.43°N 73.04°E / 33.43; 73.04 at the edge of the Pothohar Plateau at the foot of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad Capital Territory. Its elevation is 507 metres (1,663 ft).The modern capital and the ancient Gakhar city of Rawalpindi stand side by side and are commonly referred to as the Twin Cities. To the east of the city lies Murree and Kotli Sattian. To the north lies the Haripur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Kahuta lies on the northeast, Taxila, Wah Cantt, and Attock District to the northwest, Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedian, Rawat, and Mandrah on the northeast, and Rawalpindi to the southwest. Islamabad is located 120 kilometres (75 mi) SSW of Muzaffarabad, 185 kilometres (115 mi) east of Peshawar, 295 kilometres (183 mi) NNE of Lahore, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) WSW of Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir.
The area of Islamabad is 906 square kilometres (350 sq mi).A further 2,717 square kilometres (1,049 sq mi) area is known as the Specified Area, with the Margala Hills in the north and northeast. The southern portion of the city is an undulating plain. It is drained by the Kurang River, on which the Rawal Dam is located.
Islamabad's micro-climate is regulated by three artificial reservoirs; Rawal, Simli, and Khanpur Dam. Khanpur Dam is located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Islamabad. Simli Dam is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Islamabad. 220 acres (89 ha) of the city consists of Margalla Hills National Park. Loi Bher Forest is situated along the Islamabad Highway, covering an area of 1,087 acres (440 ha).

Climate

Main article: Climate of Islamabad

Islamabad features an atypical version of a humid subtropical climate, with warm to hot humid summers accompanied by a monsoon season followed by cold winters. The hottest months are from May to July, where average highs routinely exceed 38 °C (100.4 °F). The monsoon season is from July through September, with heavy rainfalls and evening thunderstorms. Highest monthly rainfall of 743.3 millimetres (29.26 in) was recorded during July 1995. Winters are from October to March with temperatures variable by location, generally with dense fog in the mornings and sunny afternoons. In the city, temperatures stay mild to cold with sparse snowfall over the highest elevations points on the Margalla Hills. The weather ranges from −3.6 °C (25.5 °F) in January to 40 °C (104 °F) in June. The highest temperature recorded was 46.6 °C (115.9 °F) on 23 June 2005 while the lowest temperature was −6 °C (21.2 °F) on 17 January 1967. On 23 July 2001, Islamabad received a record breaking 620 millimetres (24 in) of rainfall in just 10 hours. It was the heaviest rainfall in Islamabad in the past 100 years and the highest rainfall in 24 hours as well.

Climate data for Islamabad (1961–1990)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	17.1 (62.8)	19.1 (66.4)	23.9 (75.0)	30.1 (86.2)	35.3 (95.5)	38.7 (101.7)	35.0 (95.0)	33.4 (92.1)	33.5 (92.3)	30.9 (87.6)	25.4 (77.7)	19.7 (67.5)	28.5 (83.3)
Average low °C (°F)	2.6 (36.7)	5.1 (41.2)	9.9 (49.8)	15.0 (59.0)	19.7 (67.5)	23.7 (74.7)	24.3 (75.7)	23.5 (74.3)	20.6 (69.1)	13.9 (57.0)	7.5 (45.5)	3.4 (38.1)	14.1 (57.4)
Precipitation mm (inches)	56.1 (2.209)	73.5 (2.894)	89.8 (3.535)	61.8 (2.433)	39.2 (1.543)	62.2 (2.449)	267.0 (10.512)	309.9 (12.201)	98.2 (3.866)	29.3 (1.154)	17.8 (0.701)	37.3 (1.469)	1,142.1 (44.965)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	195.3	189.3	201.5	252.0	313.1	300.0	263.5	251.1	261.0	275.9	249.0	195.3	2,947.0