About Afghanistan
Afghanistan, in southwestern Asia, bounded on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan; on the east by China and the part of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir controlled by Pakistan; on the south by Pakistan; and on the west by Iran. Afghanistan was a monarchy from 1747 to 1973, when the king was overthrown by military officers and the country was proclaimed a republic; the republic dissolved in 1992 as the country erupted in civil war. Afghanistan lies across ancient trade and invasion routes from central Asia into India. This position has been the greatest influence on its history because the invaders often settled there. Today the population includes many different ethnic groups. Most of the present borders of the country were drawn up in the 19th century, when Afghanistan became a buffer state, or neutral zone, between Russia and British India. Kabul is the capital and largest city.
Boundaries |
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| Pakistan: | 2,430km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tajikistan: | 1,206km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Iran: | 936km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkmenistan: | 744km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Uzbekistan: | 137km | ||||||||||||||||||||
| China: | 76km | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ethnic Divisions |
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| Pashtun | 52% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tajiks | 21% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hazara | 9% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Baloch | 7% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Uzbek | 6% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turkmen | 2% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Qizilbash | 1% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 1% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Religions | |
| Sunni Muslim | 88% |
| Shi`a Muslim | 11% |
| Other (including Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu, Baha'i and Christian) | 1% |
Location: Southern Asia, north of Pakistan
Map references: Asia
Area:
total area: 647,500 sq km
land area: 647,500 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total 5,529 km, 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
International disputes: periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; Iran supports clients in country, private Pakistani and Saudi sources also are active; power struggles among various groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries among emerging warlords, traditional tribal disputes continue; support to Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan (Durand Line); support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions
Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 46%
forest and woodland: 3%
other: 39%
Irrigated land: 26,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the
remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials);
desertification
natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding
international agreements: party to - 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
Note: landlocked
Population: 21,251,821 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (female 4,342,218; male 4,507,141)
15-64 years: 56% (female 5,406,675; male 6,443,734)
65 years and over: 2% (female 256,443; male 295,610) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 14.47% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 42.69 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.53 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 120.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 152.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.37 years
male: 45.98 years
female: 44.72 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.21 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic divisions: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)
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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 29%
male: 44%
female: 14%
Labor force: 4.98 million
by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%,
construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7% (1980 est.)
Names:
conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
Digraph: AF
Type: transitional government
Capital: Kabul
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)
National holiday: Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August
Member of: AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Flag: NA; note - the flag has changed at least twice since 1992
Overview: Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 15 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the past decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering more than 3 million refugees and Iran about 3 million. About 1.4 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 2 million in Iran. Another 1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Although reliable data are unavailable, gross domestic product is lower than 13 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport.
National product: GDP $NA
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 56.7% (1991)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $188.2 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
partners: FSU countries, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia
Imports: $616.4 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities: food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
partners: FSU countries, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South
Korea, Germany
External debt: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (FY90/91 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 480,000 kW
production: 550 million kWh
consumption per capita: 39 kWh (1993)
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Agriculture: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products - wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Economic aid:
recipient: $450 million US assistance provided 1985-1993; the UN provides
assistance in the form of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide
range of aid to refugees and displaced persons
Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls
Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991), 700 (1989-90), 220 (1988-89); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rates
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Railroads:
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: 2,800 km
unpaved: gravel 1,650 km; earth 16,550 km (1984)
Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 metric tons
Pipelines: petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports: Keleft, Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports:
total: 48
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 15
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 14
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 6
Telephone system: 31,200 telephones; limited telephone, telegraph, and
radiobroadcast services; 1 public telephone in Kabul
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: one link between western Afghanistan and Iran (via
satellite)
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 0, shortwave 2
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: several television stations run by factions and local
councils which provide intermittent service
televisions: NA
Branches: the military still does not exist on a national scale; 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 mujahedin and former regime leaders
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 5,646,789; males fit for military service 3,011,777; males reach military age (22) annually 200,264 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $450 million, 15% of GDP (1990 est.); the new government has not yet adopted a defense budget
