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| 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 |
| 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. |
| Exports
- commodities: |
opium,
fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems |
Agricultural
products |
opium
poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, karakul pelts |
| Exports
- partners: |
FSU,
Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech
Republic |
| Imports
- commodities: |
capital
goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
FSU,
Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany |
| 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 |
|
Afghanistan
|
Communication |
Top
of Page
|
| 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) |
| Radios: |
167,000
(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) |
|
Afghanistan
|
Transportation |
| Railways: |
total:
24.6 km
board gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan)
to Towraghondi; 15 km 1,524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan)
to Kheryrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
(2001) |
| 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: |
Kheyrabab,
Shir Khan |
| Airports: |
46
(2001) |
| Airports
with paved runways: |
total:
10
over 3.047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2001 est.) |
| Airports
with unpaved runways: |
total:
36
over 3.047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 11 (2001 est.) |
| Heleports: |
2
(2001 est.) |
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| 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 |
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