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How large is the Indus River drainage basin?

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Physical map showing the Indus River basin and its drainage network across parts of Pakistan, India, China, and Afghanistan. The map details river courses, tributaries, canals, dams, irrigated and marsh areas, sand regions, and elevation changes with shaded relief. International, disputed, and control boundaries are marked, and a small locator map in the corner shows the basin's position within South Asia. — Indus River The Indus River basin and its drainage network.

The Indus River has a total drainage basin of approximately 450,000 square miles (1,165,000 square km).1

Of this total area, 175,000 square miles (453,000 square km) are located within the ranges and foothills of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram Range, while the remainder of the basin consists of the semiarid plains of Pakistan.1