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Afghanistan
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Afghanistan
Source: CIA World Fact book
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 live mines.
Average annual income: $800. Means of making a living: Subsistence farming and goat and sheep herding. Very arid land.
Only 31,000 phones in the whole country.
Only 14 paved runways it the whole country.
Only 29% of the citizens are literate.
Exports: $80 million (does not include opium)
Radios: 167,000 (1999)
Only 24 km of rail lines in the whole country.
Paved roads: 2,793 km (1735 miles)
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, north and west
of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00
E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 652,000 sq km
land: 652,000 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
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
People
Population: 25,838,797 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.37% (male
5,598,403; female 5,371,054)
15-64 years: 54.86% (male 7,362,961; female
6,839,914)
65 years and over: 2.77% (male 378,741;
female 337,724)
(2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.54% (2000 est.) note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran
Birth rate: 41.82 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 18.01 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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
(2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 149.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.88 years
male: 46.62 years
female: 45.1 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%,
Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%,
minor ethnic groups (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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and
write
total population: 31.5%
male: 47.2%
female: 15% (1999 est.)
Government
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
Data code: AF
Government type: no functioning central government, administered by factions
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 control over Afghan foreign affairs)
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 all factions acitly 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 overnment were displaced by members of
the Islamic
Taliban movement;
the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no
functioning governnment 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: non-functioning as of March 1995, although there are local Shari'a (Islamic law) courts throughout the country
Political parties and leaders:
Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement) [Mohammed
Asif MOHSENI];
Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary
Movement) [Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI];
Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic Party)
[Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction];
Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party) [Yunis
KHALIS faction];
Hizbi Wahdat-Akbari faction (Islamic Unity
Party) [Mohammad Akbar AKBARI];
Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan
(Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan) [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF];
Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan
National Liberation Front) [Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI];
Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic
Front) [Sayed Ahamad GAILANI];
Taliban (Religious Students Movement)
[Mohammad OMAR];
United Islamic Front for the Salvation
of Afghanistan comprised of Jumbesh-i-Melli Islami (National Islamic Movement)
[Abdul Rashid
DOSTAM];
Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society) [Burhanuddin
RABBANI and Ahmad Shah MASOOD];
and Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction (Islamic
Unity Party) [Abdul Karim KHALILI]
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:
note: embassy operations suspended 21
August 1997 chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-3770
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3516
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
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 1999, 1.2 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. 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. The
economic situation did not improve in 1998-99, as 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 1999, and narcotics trafficking is
a major source of
revenue.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1999 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: 8 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 68%,
industry 16%,
services 16% (1980 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8% (1995 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: 430 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 41.86%
hydro: 58.14%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 510 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 110 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton
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
Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls
Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1
- 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
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,200 (1983); note - there were 21,000 main lines in use in Kabul in 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system:
domestic: very limited telephone and telegraph
service; 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 Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Transportation
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; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT
Pipelines: petroleum products -
Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan
toShindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports: 46 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 11 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1999 est.)
Military
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: 6,401,980
(2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 3,432,236 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 244,958 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
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.
