Pashtunistan (Pashto: پښتونستان, lit. 'land of the Pashtuns') is a historical region inhabited by the indigenous Pashtun people of modern-day Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Wherein Pashtun culture, the Pashto language, and Pashtun national identity have been based. Alternative names historically used for the region include Pashtūnkhwā (پښتونخوا), Pakhtūnistān, or Pathānistān. Predominantly located on the Iranian Plateau, Pashtunistan borders the geographical regions of Turkestan to the north, Kashmir to the northeast, Punjab to the east, and Balochistan to the south.