Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southern Asia, between Iran and Pakistan

Area

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
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

26,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Landlocked

PEOPLE

Population

22,664,136 (July 1996 est.)
16,903,400 (July 1994 est.)

0-14 years:

43% (male 4,972,469; female 4,784,900)

15-64 years:

54% (male 6,377,231; female 5,916,954)

65 years and over:

3% (male 325,808; female 286,774) (July 1996 est.)

Population Growth Rate

4.78% (1996 est.)
2.45% (1994 est.)

Birth Rate

43.03 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
43.46 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death Rate

18.16 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
18.94 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Net Migration Rate

22.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 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: 1.14 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

149.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
155.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

6.14 children born/woman (1996 est.)
6.27 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

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 that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

4.98 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

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 U.K.)

National Holiday

Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August

Constitution

None

Legal System

A new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional government has declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari'a)

Suffrage

Undetermined; previously universal, male ages 15-50

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

A unicameral parliament consisting of 205 members was chosen by the shura in January 1993; non-functioning as of June 1993

Judicial Branch

An interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been appointed, but a new court system has not yet been organized

Political Parties and Leaders

Current political organizations include Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI, Ahmad Shah MASOOD; Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic Party), Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction; Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party), Yunis KHALIS faction; Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF; Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement), Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan National Liberation Front), Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic Front), Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction (Islamic Unity Party), Abdul Karim KHALILI; Hizbi Wahdat-Akbari faction (Islamic Unity Party), Mohammad Akbar AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI; Jumbesh-i-Milli Islami (National Islamic Movement), Abdul Rashid DOSTAM; Taliban (Religious Students Movement), Mohammad OMAR

Note: The former ruling Watan Party has been disbanded

Other Political or Pressure Groups

The former resistance commanders are the major power brokers in the countryside and their shuras (councils) are now administering most cities outside Kabul; tribal elders and religious students are trying to wrest control from them; ulema (religious scholars); tribal elders; religious students (talib)

Member of

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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

National Anthem

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black, with the national coat of arms superimposed in the middle of the white band and large Islamic lettering superimposed over the green and white bands

ECONOMY

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 16 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 and Iran sheltering more than 6 million refugees. Now, only 1.0 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 1.3 million in Iran. Another 1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 15 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. Millions of people continue to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and lack of medical care. Numerical data are extremely shaky.

National Product

Purchasing power parity - $12.8 billion (1995 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

NA

National Product Per Capita

$600 (1995 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

NA

Unemployment Rate

NA

Budget

Exports

$188.2 million (f.o.b., 1991)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$616.4 million (c.i.f., 1991)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 2.3% (FY91 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products - wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton

Illicit Drugs

An illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer after Burma (680 metric tons in 1993) and a major source of hashish

Economic Aid

Currency

1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

Exchange Rates

Afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 7,000 (January 1995), 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

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

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

Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)

Airports

Heliports

3 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

Radio