This 1,000-2,000 feet upland area is a typical arid landscape with denuded and broken terrain characterized by undulations and irregularities. There are a few outlying spurs of the Salt Range in the south, and those of Khair Murad and Kala Chitta Range in the north. The ramparts of the Salt Range stretching from east to west in the south separate Potohar from the Punjab Plains. Islamabad, built in the 1960s, nestles against the Margalla Hills, the foothills of the Himalayas in northern Punjab. Traffic jams and crowds are rare, and narrow lanes and slums are few and far between.
Sidewalks are shaded and safe behind rows of flame trees, jacaranda and hibiscus.
Roses, jasmine and bougainvillea fill the many parks, and scenic viewpoints show the city to its best advantage in March and April. The Salt Range comprises two rows of low-lying rugged hills and the area is said to record 600 million years of the Earth s history. Its name comes from the vast deposits of rock salt exposed and mined at Khewra. The rocks and fossils found around the salt range provide a complete record of the history of the Earth. The Associates in Site Visit B will also visit the Upland Rehabilitation and Development Project in the Murree-Kahuta region located near the beautiful summer resort called Murree Hills.