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: 28,717,213 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact (2003 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: 41.8% (male 6,123,971; female 5,868,013)
15-64 years: 55.4% (male 8,240,743; female 7,671,242)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 427,710; female 385,534) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.9 years
Male: 19.1 years
Female: 18.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate
Note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 40.63 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 17.15 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 10.32 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 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 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 142.48 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 138.8 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 145.99 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 46.97 years
Male: 47.67 years
Female: 46.23 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.64 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

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

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 1964 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, Hamid KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government
Head of government: President of the TISA, Hamid KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government
Cabinet: the 30-member TISA
Elections: nationwide elections are to be held by June 2004, according to the Bonn Agreement

Legislative branch: nonfunctioning as of June 1993

Judicial branch: the Bonn Agreement called for the establishment of a Supreme Court; there is also a Minister of Justice

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 political factions not holding positions in the Transitional government that are forming new groups and parties in the hopes of participating in 2004 elections

International organization participation: AsDB CP ECO ESCAP FAO G-77 GUUAM IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol 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 Seyyed Tayeb JAWAD
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 foreign aid farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats) and trade with neighboring countries. Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 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 4 to 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 1998-2002. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food clothing housing and medical care and a dearth of jobs problems exacerbated by political uncertainties and the general level of lawlessness. International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction in January 2002 when $4.5 billion was pledged $1.7 billion for 2002. Of that approximately $900 million was directed to humanitarian aid - food clothing and shelter - and another $90 million for the Afghan Transitional Authority. Further World Bank and other aid came in 2003. Priority areas for reconstruction include upgrading education health and sanitation facilities; providing income generating opportunities; enhancing administrative and security arrangements especially in regional areas; developing the agricultural sector; rebuilding transportation energy and telecommunication infrastructure; and reabsorbing 2 million returning refugees. The replacement of the opium trade - which may account for one-third of GDP - and the search for oil and gas resources in the northern region are two major long-term issues.

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Agriculture products: opium wheat fruits nuts wool mutton sheepskins lambskins

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

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: $200 million
Expenditures: $550 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 plan est.)

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: NA%

Exports: $1.2 billion (not including illicit exports) (2001 est.)
Commodities: opium fruits and nuts handwoven carpets wool cotton hides and pelts precious and semi-precious gems
Partners: Pakistan 26.8% India 26.5% Finland 5.8% Germany 5.1% UAE 4.4% Belgium 4.3% Russia 4.2% US 4.2% (2002)

Imports: $1.3 billion (2001 est.)
Commodities: capital goods food textiles petroleum products
Partners: Pakistan 25.1% South Korea 14.4% Japan 9.4% US 9% Kenya 5.8% Germany 5.4% (2002)

Debt external: NA (1996 est.)

Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 3,000 (October-December 2002) 3,000 (2001) 3,000 (2000) 3,000 (1999) 3,000 (1998) note: before 2002 the market rate varied widely from the official rate; in 2002 the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized

Electricity
Production: 334.8 million kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 36.3%
Production by source hydro: 63.7%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 511.4 million kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 200 million kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 220 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 220 million m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 49.98 billion m³ (37,257)

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: $525.2 million (FY02)
Percent of gdp: 7.7% (FY02)

Airports: 47 (2002)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 37
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2002)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14

Heliports: 5 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 651 km (2003)

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: thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in Iran and Pakistan; isolating terrain and close ties among Pashtuns in Pakistan make cross-border activities difficult to control; prolonged regional drought strains water-sharing arrangements for Amu Darya and Helmand River states

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 metric 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