Statistical information Afghanistan 1989

Afghanistan in the World
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries: 5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
ElevationNatural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use: 12% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 46% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: landlocked
top of pagePopulation: 15,862,293 (July 1989), growth rate 7.7% (1989)
Nationality: noun--Afghan(s; adjective--Afghan
Ethnic groups: 50% Pashtun, 25% Tajik, 9% Uzbek, 12-15% Hazara; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others
Languages: 50% Pashtu, 35% Afghan Persian (Dari), 11% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 4% thirty minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai; much bilingualism
Religions: 74% Sunni Muslim, 15% Shia Muslim, 11% other
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 44 births/1000 population (1989)
Death rate: 18 deaths/1000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: 51 migrants/1000 population (1989; note--there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are fragmentary and unreliable
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 154 deaths/1000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 47 years male, 46 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1989)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 12%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form:Republic of Afghanistan
Government type: authoritarian
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 a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)
Dependent areasIndependence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April (1978)
Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal, male ages 15-50
Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President (Mohammad) NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987; Chairman of the Council of Ministers Executive Committee Soltan Ali KESHTMAND (since 21 February 1989; Prime Minister Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1989)
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of an upper house or Senate (Sena) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Wolasi Jirgah)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG; suspended from OIC in January 1980
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires MIAGOL; Chancery at 2,341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 234-3,770 or 3,771; US--Charge d'Affaires (vacant; Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62,230 through 62,235 or 62,436; note--US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989
Flag description
: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however, have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals, including the nine-year Soviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the continuing bloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the population has fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering some 3 million refugees and Iran perhaps 2 million. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large numbers of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or damaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims to the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is lower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. Official claims indicate that agriculture grew by 0.7% and industry by 3.5% in 1988.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products--wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (FY89 plan)
Labor force: 4,980,000; 67.8% agriculture and animal husbandry, 10.2% industry, 6.3% construction, 5.0% commerce, 10.7% services and other (1980 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues NA; expenditures $646.7 million, including capital expenditures of $370.2 million (FY87 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 21 March-20 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $512 million (f.o.b., FY88)
Commodities: natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts
Partners: mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
Imports: $996 million (c.i.f., FY88)
Commodities: food and petroleum products
Partners: mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $1.8 billion (December 1989 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1--50.6 (fixed rate since 1982)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp: 9.1% of GDP (1984)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 38 total, 34 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: petroleum, oil, and lubricants pipelines--USSR to Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons
Merchant marinePorts and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: Pashtun question with Pakistan; Baloch question with Iran and Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; insurgency with Iranian and Pakistani involvement; traditional tribal rivalries
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second largest opium producer (after Myanmar) and a major source of hashish