|
Home
World
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore Cartier Isle
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Baker Island
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Rep
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo Republic
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Antarctic Lands
Gabon
Gambia
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard McDonald Isle
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jarvis Island
Jersey
Johnston Atoll
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef
Kiribati
Jan Mayen
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Midway Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
N Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
St Helena
St Kitts Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre Miquelon
St Vincent Grenadines
Samoa
Sandwich Islands
San Marino
Sao Tome Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
S Ocean
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad Tobago
Tromelin Island
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
Wake Island
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
Afghanistan was invaded and
occupied by the Soviet Union in 1979. The USSR was forced to withdraw 10
years later by anti-communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by
the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently
continued among the various mujahidin factions, but the fundamentalist
Islamic Taliban movement has been able to seize most of the country. In
addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from
enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines. |
| Location: |
Southern Asia, north and west
of Pakistan, east of Iran |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
33 00 N, 65 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 647,500
sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 5,529 km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430
km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
arid to semiarid; cold
winters and hot summers |
| Terrain: |
mostly rugged mountains;
plains in north and southwest |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m |
| Natural
resources: |
natural gas, petroleum, coal,
copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt,
precious and semiprecious stones |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 39% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
30,000 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
damaging earthquakes occur in
Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
soil degradation;
overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut
down for fuel and building materials); desertification |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked |
| Population: |
26,813,057 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
42.2% (male 5,775,921; female 5,538,836)
15-64 years: 55.01% (male 7,644,242; female 7,106,568)
65 years and over: 2.79% (male 394,444; female 353,046)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
3.48% (2001 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees
from Iran |
| Birth
rate: |
41.42 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
17.72 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
11.11 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
147.02 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
46.24 years
male: 46.97 years
female: 45.47 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
5.79 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.01% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%,
Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)
12%, Uzbek 6% |
| Religions: |
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a
Muslim 15%, other 1% |
| Languages: |
Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari)
50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 31.5%
male: 47.2%
female: 15% (1999 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Islamic State of Afghanistan; note - the self-proclaimed Taliban
government refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan |
| Government
type: |
no functioning central
government, administered by factions |
| Administrative
divisions: |
30 provinces (velayat,
singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah,
Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa,
Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia,
Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note -
there may be two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst |
| Independence: |
19 August 1919 (from UK
control over Afghan foreign affairs) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 19 August
(1919) |
| Legal
system: |
a new legal system has not
been adopted but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a
(Islamic law) |
| Suffrage: |
NA; previously males 15-50
years of age |
| Executive
branch: |
on 27 September 1996, the
ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the
Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no
functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided
among fighting factions
note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate
government of Afghanistan; however, the UN still recognizes the
government of Burhanuddin RABBANI; the Organization of the Islamic
Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of
legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring
factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the
Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of
the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern
Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the ethnically
diverse north |
| Legislative
branch: |
non-functioning as of June
1993 |
| Judicial
branch: |
upper courts were
non-functioning as of March 1995 (local Shari'a or Islamic law courts
are functioning throughout the country) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Taliban (Religious Students
Movement) [Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the
Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman; Gen.
Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military
commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - made up of 13
parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami Afghanistan
(Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party),
Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party), Jumaat-i-Islami
Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society), Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front),
Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National Islamic Front) |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Afghan refugees in Pakistan,
Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Mellat (Social
Democratic Party) [leader NA]; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as
the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in
Afghanistan or CUNUA [Ishaq GAILANI]; tribal elders represent
traditional Pashtun leadership; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan or
WUFA [A. Rasul AMIN] |
| International
organization participation: |
AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
none; note - embassy
operations suspended 21 August 1997
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
the US embassy in Kabul has
been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns |
| Flag
description: |
three equal horizontal bands
of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the
three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic
inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and
right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are
encircled by two crossed scimitars
note: the Taliban uses a plain white flag |
| Economy
- overview: |
Afghanistan is an extremely
poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock
raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second
fiddle to political and military upheavals during two decades of war,
including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15
February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population fled
the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more
than 6 million refugees. In early 2000, 2 million Afghan refugees
remained in Pakistan and about 1.4 million in Iran. Gross domestic
product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the
loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport;
severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in 1998-2000. The
majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food,
clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem
throughout the country. International aid can deal with only a fraction
of the humanitarian problem, let alone promote economic development. In
1999-2000, internal civil strife continued, hampering both domestic
economic policies and international aid efforts. Numerical data are
likely to be either unavailable or unreliable. Afghanistan was by far
the largest producer of opium poppies in 2000, and narcotics trafficking
is a major source of revenue. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $21
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$800 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 53%
industry: 28.5%
services: 18.5% (1990) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
NA% |
| Labor
force: |
10 million (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 70%, industry
15%, services 15% (1990 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
| Industries: |
small-scale production of
textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven
carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper |
| Electricity
- production: |
420 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
35.71%
hydro: 64.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
480.6 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
90 million kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
opium poppies, wheat, fruits,
nuts; wool, mutton, karakul pelts |
| Exports: |
$80 million (does not include
opium) (1996 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
opium, fruits and nuts,
handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and
semi-precious gems |
| Exports
- partners: |
FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany,
India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic |
| Imports: |
$150 million (1996 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
capital goods, food and
petroleum products; most consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan,
Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany |
| Debt
- external: |
$5.5 billion (1996 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
US provided about $70 million
in humanitarian assistance in 1997; US continues to contribute to
multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid,
immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and
displaced persons |
| Exchange
rates: |
afghanis per US dollar -
4,700 (January 2000), 4,750 (February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996),
7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850
(1991); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather
than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to
the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally
became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996 |
| Fiscal
year: |
21 March - 20 March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
29,000 (1996)
note: there were 21,000 main lines in service in Kabul in
1998 |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
very limited telephone and telegraph service
domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were
established between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and
Kabul through satellite and microwave systems
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
region); commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 7 (6 are inactive; the
active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pushtu,
Dari, Urdu, and English) (1999) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
at least 10 (one government
run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of
the 30 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule;
also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four
northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998) |
| Televisions: |
100,000 (1999) |
| Internet
country code: |
.af |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 24.6 km
broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy
(Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz
(Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya |
| Highways: |
total: 21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 est.) |
| Waterways: |
1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels with DWT up
to about 500 (2001) |
| Pipelines: |
petroleum products -
Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 35
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
NA; note - the military does
not exist on a national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and
Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police
Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized
among the various groups |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
22 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
6,645,023 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
3,561,957 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 252,869
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
support to Islamic militants
worldwide by some factions; question over which group should hold
Afghanistan's seat at the UN |
| Illicit
drugs: |
world's largest illicit opium
producer, surpassing Burma (potential production in 1999 - 1,670 metric
tons; cultivation in 1999 - 51,500 hectares, a 23% increase over 1998);
a major source of hashish; increasing number of heroin-processing
laboratories being set up in the country; major political factions in
the country profit from drug trade |
|
