World Facts Index
 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, a US, 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. 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.
Geography of Afghanistan
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Location:
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Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan,
east of Iran |
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Coordinates:
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33 00 N, 65 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km |
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Area comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot
summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged mountains; plains in north
and southwest |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper,
chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious
stones |
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Natural hazards:
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damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush
mountains; flooding; droughts |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that
run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the
highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
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Population of Afghanistan
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Population:
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32,738,376 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,474,394/female
7,121,145)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,901,880/female 8,447,983)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 383,830/female 409,144) |
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Median age:
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17.6 years |
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Growth rate:
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2.63% |
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Birth rate:
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46.21 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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19.96 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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23.06 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality:
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165.96 deaths/1,000 live
births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 44.21 years
male: 44.04 years
female: 44.39 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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6.58 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%,
Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other
1% |
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Languages:
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Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu
(official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 28.1%
male: 43.1%
female: 12.6% |
Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Transitional
Islamic State of Afghanistan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan |
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Government type:
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transitional |
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Capital:
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Kabul |
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Administrative divisions:
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32 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat) |
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Independence:
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19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan
foreign affairs) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 19 August (1919) |
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Constitution:
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new constitution drafted 14 December 2003 -
4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004 |
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Legal system:
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according to the new constitution, no law
is contrary to Islam; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive society
based on social justice, protection of human dignity, protection of human rights,
realization of democracy, and to ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic
groups and tribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties,
international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic
of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI; Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and
Abdul Karim KHALILI; note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of
the Country," and presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any
governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary
cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed
by the president and approved by the National Assembly
elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the
vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate
in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms |
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Legislative branch:
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the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi
Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms,
and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial
councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for
three-year terms - provincial councils elected temporary members to fill these seats until
district councils are formed, and one-third presidential appointees for five-year terms;
the presidential appointees will include 2 representatives of Kuchis and 2 representatives
of the disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women) |
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Judicial branch:
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the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama
or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with
approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts (note - nine
supreme court justices were appointed in the interim in January 2005 pending National
Assembly selection of the constitutionally mandated justices); there is also a minister of
justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn
Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes |
Economy
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Economy - overview:
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Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly
since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over $8 billion in
international assistance, recovery of the agricultural sector and growth of the service
sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Real GDP growth is estimated to
have slowed in the last fiscal year primarily because adverse weather conditions cut
agricultural production, but is expected to rebound over 2005-06 because of foreign donor
reconstruction and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years,
Afghanistan remains extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid,
farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take the remainder of the
decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living
standards from its current status, among the lowest in the world. Much of the population
continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and
jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors remain committed to improving
access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure development, education,
housing development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year. Growing
political stability and continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction create
an optimistic outlook for continuing improvements in the Afghan economy in 2006. Expanding
poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as
one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges. Other long-term challenges include:
boosting the supply of skilled labor, reducing vulnerability to severe natural disasters,
expanding health services, and rebuilding a war torn infrastructure. |
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GDP:
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$35 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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8% (2005 est.), 11.5% (2007 est.) |
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GDP per capita:
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$800 (2004 est.), $1,000 (2007 est.) |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 38%
industry: 24%
services: 38%
note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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23% (2002), 53% (2003) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate:
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5.2% (2003 est.), 16.3% (2005 est.), 13% (2007
est.) |
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Labor force:
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11.8 million (2001 est.), 15 million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.) |
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Unemployment:
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40% (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7 million
note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund
and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (FY04-05 budget est.) |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 36.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0%
hydro: 63.7% |
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Industries:
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small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,
shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper |
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Agriculture:
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opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton,
sheepskins, lambskins |
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Exports:
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opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets,
wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems |
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Export partners:
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Pakistan 28.6%, India 27.6%, Finland 6.1%,
Belgium 5.1%, Germany 5.1%, Russia 4.1%, US 4.1% |
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Imports:
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capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum
products |
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Import partners:
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Pakistan 24.3%, South Korea 14%, Japan
9.1%, US 8.7%, Germany 5.7%, Kenya 5.6% |
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Currency:
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afghani (AFA) |
SOURCES: The World Factbook, U.S. Department of State
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us
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