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Afghanistan
Background :
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., a U.S., Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. Karzai was re-elected in November 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
Location :
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic Coordinates Center :
33 00 N, 65 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 60.48 |
| North | 38.48 |
| East | 74.88 |
| South | 29.38 |
Map references :
Asia
Area :
| total | 652 230 | square km |
| land | 652 230 | square km |
| water | 0 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 5 529 | km |
| China (cn) | 76 | km |
| Iran (ir) | 936 | km |
| Pakistan (pk) | 2 430 | km |
| Tajikistan (tj) | 1 206 | km |
| Turkmenistan (tm) | 744 | km |
| Uzbekistan (uz) | 137 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
Climate :
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain :
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 258 | metres |
| highest point | 7 485 | metres |
Natural resources :
| barite | chromite |
| coal | copper |
| iron ore | lead |
| natural gas | petroleum |
| precious and semiprecious stones | salt |
| sulfur | talc |
| zinc |
Land use :
| arable land | 12.13 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.21 | % |
| other | 87.66 | % |
Irrigated land :
27 200 square km
Total renewable water resources :
65 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| damaging earthquakes | droughts |
| flooding |
current issues :
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Desertification | Endangered Species |
| Environmental Modification | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Marine Dumping |
| Marine Life Conservation | Ozone Layer Protection |
Population :
28 395 716
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.58 | % |
| Birth rate | 38.37 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.60 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 17.83 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | 5.22 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 43.60 | % |
| 15-64 years | 54.00 | % |
| 65 years and over | 2.40 | % |
Median age :
| total | 17.60 | years |
| male | 17.60 | years |
| female | 17.60 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.93 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 153.14 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 44.40 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 44.19 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 44.61 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.01 | % |
Religions :
| Sunni Muslim | 80.00 | % |
| Shia Muslim | 19.00 | % |
| other | 1.00 | % |
Languages :
| Afghan Persian or Dari | 50.00 | % |
| Pashtu | 35.00 | % |
| Turkic | 11.00 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 28.10 | % |
| male | 43.10 | % |
| female | 12.60 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| conventional short form | Afghanistan |
| local long form | Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan |
| local short form | Afghanestan |
| former | Republic of Afghanistan |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | AF |
| ISO Numeric | 4 |
| ISO3 | AFG |
| FIPS | AF |
| ccTLD | af |
| English | Afghanistan |
Administrative divisions :
34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul
Capital :
| name | Kabul |
| geographic coordinates | 34 31 N, 69 11 E |
| time difference | 4.50 |
International organization participation :
| ADB | CICA |
| CP | ECO |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| IDA | IDB |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IOC |
| IOM | ISO (correspondent) |
| ITSO | ITU |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NAM | OIC |
| OPCW | OSCE (partner) |
| SAARC | SACEP |
| SCO (guest) | UN |
| UNCTAD | UNESCO |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO (observer) |
Independence :
1919-08-19
National holiday :
Independence Day
1919-08-19
Executive branch :
| President Hamid KARZAI |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 23 350 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 13 320 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 3.40 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 800 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 31.00 | % |
| industry | 26.00 | % |
| services | 43.00 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 78.60 | % |
| industry | 5.70 | % |
| services | 15.70 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 15 000 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 35.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 36.00 | % |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 30.50 | % |
| Current account balance | - 2 475 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 2 700 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.90 | % of GDP |
Budget :
| expenditures | 3 300 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| fruits | lambskins |
| mutton | nuts |
| opium | sheepskins |
| wheat | wool |
Industries :
| apparel | cement |
| coal | copper |
| fertilizer | food products |
| furniture | handwoven carpets |
| mineral water | natural gas |
| non alcoholic beverages | production of textiles |
| shoes | soap |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 285 500 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 231 100 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 230 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 5 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 4 404 | bbl/day |
| Natural gas Production | 30 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 30 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 49 550 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
547 000 000 $
Partners :
| India (in) | 23.50 | % |
| Pakistan (pk) | 17.70 | % |
| United States (us) | 16.50 | % |
| Tajikistan (tj) | 12.80 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 6.90 | % |
Commodities :
| cotton | fruits and nuts |
| handwoven carpets | hides and pelts |
| opium | precious and semi-precious gems |
| wool |
Value :
5 300 000 000 $
Partners :
| Pakistan (pk) | 36.00 | % |
| United States (us) | 9.30 | % |
| Germany (de) | 7.50 | % |
| India (in) | 6.90 | % |
Commodities :
| machinery food | petroleum products |
| textiles |
Currency-code :
AFA
Currency-name :
afghani
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 460 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 8 450 000 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 16 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | af | |
| Internet Hosts | 47 | |
| Internet Users | 500 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 16 | |
| Heliports | 11 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 466 | km |
| Roadways - total | 42 150 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 12 350 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 29 800 | km |
| Waterways | 1 200 | km |
Flag
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