Background: Afghanistan's recent history is characterized by war and civil unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 but 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 giving rise to a state of warlordism that eventually spawned the Taliban. Backed by foreign sponsors the Taliban developed as a political force and eventually seized power. The Taliban were able to capture most of the country aside from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast until US and allied military action in support of the opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's downfall. In late 2001 major leaders from the Afghan opposition groups and diaspora met in Bonn Germany and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001. The AIA held a nationwide Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) in June 2002 and KARZAI was elected President by secret ballot of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). The Transitional Authority has an 18-month mandate to hold a nationwide Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections. In December 2002 the TISA marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Taliban. In addition to occasionally violent political jockeying and ongoing military action to root out remaining terrorists and Taliban elements the country suffers from enormous poverty a crumbling infrastructure and widespread land mines.

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N 65 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 647,500 km²
Water: 0 km²
Land: 647,500 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,529 km
Border countries: (6) 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
Extremes 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: 12.13%
Permanent crops: 0.22%
Other: 87.65% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 23,860 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

Geography
Note: 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)

Population: 27,755,775 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Afghan
Adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups: Pashtun 44% Tajik 25% Hazara 10% minor ethnic groups (Aimaks Turkmen Baloch and others) 13% Uzbek 8%

Languages: Pashtu 35% Afghan Persian (Dari) 50% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11% 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4% much bilingualism

Religions: Sunni Muslim 84% Shi'a Muslim 15% other 1%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291; female 5,706,542)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101; female 7,382,101)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate
Note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 41.03 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 17.43 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 10.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Environment
Current issues: 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
International agreements party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
International agreements signed but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male/female
Total population: 1.06 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 144.76 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.6 years
Female: 45.85 years (2002 est.)
Male: 47.32 years

Total fertility rate: 5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Male: 51%
Female: 21% (1999 est.)
Total population: 36%

Country name
Conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Local short form: Afghanestan
Former: Republic of Afghanistan
Local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan

Government type: transitional

Capital: Kabul

Administrative divisions: 32 provinces (velayat singular - velayat); Badakhshan Badghis Baghlan Balkh Bamian Farah Faryab Ghazni Ghowr Helmand Herat Jowzjan Kabol Kandahar Kapisa Khowst Konar Kondoz Laghman Lowgar Nangarhar Nimruz Nurestan Oruzgan Paktia Paktika Parvan Samangan Sar-e Pol Takhar Vardak and Zabol

Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

National holiday: Independence Day 19 August (1919)

Constitution: the Bonn Agreement called for a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country; the basis for the next constitution is the 1963/64 Constitution according to the Bonn Agreement

Legal system: the Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles international standards the rule of law and Afghan legal traditions

Suffrage: NA; previously males 15-50 years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government
Head of government: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government
Cabinet: the 30-member TISA
Elections: NA

Legislative branch: nonfunctioning as of June 1993

Judicial branch: the Bonn Agreement calls for the establishment of a Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: NA; note - political parties in Afghanistan are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new parties; the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) is headed by President Hamid Karzai; the TISA is a coalition government formed of leaders from across the Afghan political spectrum; there are also several 'independent' groups

International organization participation: AsDB CP ECO ESCAP FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IOC (suspended) IOM (observer) ITU NAM OIC OPCW (signatory) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WFTU WHO WMO WToO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: ambassador Ishaq SHAHRYAR
In the us chancery: 2,341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us fax: 202-483-6,487
In the us consulates general: New York
In the us telephone: 202-483-6,410
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in Kabul reopened 16 December 2001 following closure in January 1989
From the us embassy: Great Masood Road, Kabul
From the us mailing address: 6,180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20,189-6,180
From the us telephone: [93] (2) 290,002, 290,005, 290,154
From the us fax: 932,290,153

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist) red and green with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above

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. 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 1998-2001. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food clothing housing and medical care problems exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties. Inflation remains a serious problem. Following the US-led coalition war that led to the defeat of the Taliban in November 2001 and the formulation of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) resulting from the December 2001 Bonn Agreement International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction in January 2002 when $4.5 billion was collected for a trust fund to be administered by the World Bank. Priority areas for reconstruction include the construction of education health and sanitation facilities enhancement of administrative capacity the development of the agricultural sector and the rebuilding of road energy and telecommunication links.

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Agriculture products: wheat fruits nuts wool mutton sheepskin and lambskin

Industries: small-scale production of textiles soap furniture shoes fertilizer and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas coal copper

Labor force: 10 million (2000 est.)
By occupation: agriculture 80% industry 10% services 10% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $NA
Expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Exports: $1.2 billion (2001 est.)
Commodities: opium fruits and nuts handwoven carpets wool cotton hides and pelts precious and semi-precious gems
Partners: Pakistan 32% India 8% Belgium 7% Germany 5% Russia 5% UAE 4% (1999)

Imports: $1.3 billion (2001 est.)
Commodities: capital goods food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
Partners: Pakistan 19% Japan 16% Kenya 9% South Korea 7% India 6% Turkmenistan 6% (1999)

Debt external: $5.5 billion (1996 est.)

Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 4,700 (January 2000) 4,750 (February 1999) 17,000 (December 1996) 7,000 (January 1995) 1900 (January 1994) 1019 (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 2,263 per dollar and finally became fixed again at 3,000 per dollar in April 1996

Electricity
Production: 375 million kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 36%
Production by source hydro: 64%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 453.75 million kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 105 million kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 29,000 (1998)
Mobile cellular: NA

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

Internet
Country code: .af
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: NA

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 46 (2001)
With paved runways total: 10 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2 2
With unpaved runways total: 37 35
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 11 (2002)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7 13
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 14 4

Heliports: 5 (2002)

Pipelines
Note: product pipelines from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been in disrepair and disuse for years (2002)

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 (2001)

Waterways
Note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)

Disputes international: close ties with Pashtuns in Pakistan make long border difficult to control

Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy - used to make heroin - expanded to 30,750 hectares in 2002 despite eradication; potential opium production of 1278 tons; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some government groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system