Map of Afghanistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 live mines.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 647,500 km²
Land: 647,500 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries: 5,529 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Coastline: none - landlocked

Maritime claims: none - landlocked
Disputes:

Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation

Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Land use: arable land: 12%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: US Bureau of the Census - 16,095,664 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note - another report indicates a July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including 3,271,580 refugees in Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in Iran

Nationality: noun - Afghan(s; adjective - Afghan

Ethnic groups: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others

Languages:

Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi`a Muslim 15%, other 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 44 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 20 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992; note - there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are fragmentary and unreliable

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution
Current issues note: landlocked

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 162 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 43 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: transitional

Capital: Kabul

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)

National holiday:

Constitution: the old Communist-era constitution probably will be replaced with an Islamic constitution

Legal system: a new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional government has declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari`a)

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: undetermined; previously universal, male ages 15-50

Executive branch:

Legislative branch: previous bicameral legislature has been abolished

Judicial branch: an interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been appointed, but a new court system has not yet been organized

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation:
US:

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: a new flag of unknown description reportedly has been adopted; previous flag consisted of 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 symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy 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 during more than 13 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the past decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering more than 3 million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another 1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Although reliable data are unavailable, gross domestic product is lower than 12 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $3 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture 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: growth rate 2.3% (FY91 est.; accounts for about 25% of GDP

Labor force: 4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7%, (1980 est.)
Organized labor: some small government-controlled unions existed under the former regime but probably now have disbanded
Longform name: Islamic State of Afghanistan

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget:

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $236 million (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
Commodoties: natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts
Partners: mostly former USSR

Imports: $874 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
Commodoties: food and petroleum products
Partners: mostly former USSR

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 550 (May 1992, free market exchange rate), 900 (free market exchange rate as of November 1991), 850 (1991), 700 (1989-90), 220 (1988-89; note - these rates reflect the bazaar rates rather than the official exchange rates


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Electricity
Production: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,450 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: the new government has not yet adopted a defense budget

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Heliports

Pipelines:

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: