Background: Despite gains toward building a stable central government the Taliban remains a serious challenge for the Afghan Government in almost every province. The Taliban still considers itself the rightful government of Afghanistan and it remains a capable and confident insurgent force despite its last two spiritual leaders being killed; it continues to declare that it will pursue a peace deal with Kabul only after foreign military forces depart.

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N 65 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 652,230 km²
Land: 652,230 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 42
Comparative: almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
Total: 5,987 km
Border countries: (6) China 91 km; Iran 921 km; Pakistan 2,670 km; Tajikistan 1357 km; Turkmenistan 804 km; Uzbekistan 144 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
Mean elevation: 1884 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m: highest point: Noshak 7,492 m

Natural resources: natural gas petroleum coal copper chromite talc barites sulfur lead zinc iron ore salt precious and semiprecious stones arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 58.07%: arable land: 20.5%; permanent crops: 0.37%; permanent pasture: 79%
Forest: 2.07%
Other: 39.86%

Irrigated land: 32,080 km² (2012)

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
Distribution: populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general the east is more densely settled while the south is sparsely populated: 34,124,811 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 39
Growth rate: 2.36% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 27
Below poverty line: 35.8% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Afghan
Adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups: Pashtun Tajik Hazara Uzbek other (includes smaller numbers of Baloch Turkmen Nuristani Pamiri Arab Gujar Brahui Qizilbash Aimaq Pashai and Kyrghyz)
Note: current statistical data on the sensitive subject of ethnicity in Afghanistan are not available and ethnicity data from small samples of respondents to opinion polls are not a reliable alternative; Afghanistan's 2004 constitution recognizes 14 ethnic groups: Pashtun Tajik Hazara Uzbek Baloch Turkmen Nuristani Pamiri Arab Gujar Brahui Qizilbash Aimaq and Pashai

Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50% Pashto (official) 35% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11% 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4% much bilingualism but Dari functions as the lingua franca
Note: the Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen as well as Balochi Pashai Nuristani and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them

Religions: Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7% Shia 10 - 15%) other 0.3% (2009 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 40.92%
15-24 years: 22.22%
25-54 years: 30.35%
55-64 years: 3.92%
65 years and over: 2.59% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 88.8
Youth dependency ratio: 84.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.7
Potential support ratio: 21.2

Median age
Total: 18.8 years
Male: 18.8 years
Female: 18.9 years
Rank: 208

Population growth rate: 2.36% (2017 est.)
Rank: 27

Birth rate: 37.9 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 12

Death rate: 13.4 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 10

Net migration rate: -0.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 137

Population distribution: populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general the east is more densely settled while the south is sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 27.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.77% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: KABUL (capital) 4.635 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater 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: Biodiversity Climate Change Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1.04 male/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.9 years
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Infant mortality rate
Total: 110.6 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 118 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 102.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 1

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.7 years
Male: 50.3 years
Female: 53.2 years
Rank: 222

Total fertility rate: 5.12 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 10

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 22.5% (2015/16)

Drinking water source: total: 44.7% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 0.3 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 0.5 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access: total: 68.1% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: .1% (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids: 7,500 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 103
Deaths: 500 (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.5% (2016)
Rank: 177

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 25% (2013)
Rank: 8

Education expenditures: 3.4% of GDP (2015)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 38.2%
Male: 52%
Female: 24.2%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 8 years

Country name
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Local long form: Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan
Local short form: Afghanistan
Former: Republic of Afghanistan
Etymology: the name 'Afghan' originally referred to the Pashtun people while the suffix '-stan' means 'place of' or 'country'; so Afghanistan literally means the 'Land of the Afghans'

Government type: presidential Islamic republic

Capital
Name: Kabul
Geographic coordinates: 34 31 N 69 11 E
Time difference: UTC+4.5

Administrative divisions: 34 provinces (welayat singular - welayat); Badakhshan Badghis Baghlan Balkh Bamyan Daykundi Farah Faryab Ghazni Ghor Helmand Herat Jowzjan Kabul Kandahar Kapisa Khost Kunar Kunduz Laghman Logar Nangarhar Nimroz Nuristan Paktika Paktiya Panjshir Parwan Samangan Sar-e Pul Takhar Uruzgan Wardak Zabul

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

National holiday: Independence Day 19 August (1919)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004 signed 16 January 2004 ratified 26 January 2004
Amendments: proposed by a commission formed by presidential decree followed by the convention of a Grand Council decreed by the president; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Loya Jirga membership and endorsement by the president (2017)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil customary and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai ; CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai ; CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014)
Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 26 ministers appointed by the president approved by the National Assembly
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held in 2 rounds on 5 April and 14 June 2014 (next to be held in 2018)
Election results: percent of vote in first round - Abdullah ABDULLAH 45% Ashraf GHANI (independent) 31.6% Zalmai RASSOUL 11.4% other 12%; percent of vote in second round - Ashraf GHANI 56.4% Abdullah ABDULLAH 43.6%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (249 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Note: the constitution allows the government to convene a constitutional Loya Jirga on issues of independence national sovereignty and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it consists of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils; no constitutional Loya Jirga has ever been held and district councils have never been elected; the president appointed 34 members of the Meshrano Jirga that the district councils should have indirectly elected
Elections: Meshrano Jirga - last held 10 January 2015 ; Wolesi Jirga - last held on 18 September 2010 (next originally scheduled on 15 October 2016 but postponed to 7 July 2018)
Election results: Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama
Judge selection and term of office: court chief and justices appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices serve single 10-year terms
Subordinate courts: Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; Special Courts for issues including narcotics security property family and juveniles

Political parties and leaders: note - the Ministry of Justice licensed 57 political parties as of September 2016

International organization participation: ADB CICA CP ECO EITI (candidate country) FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIC OPCW OSCE (partner) SAARC SACEP SCO (dialogue member) UN UNAMA UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hamdullah MOHIB
In the us chancery: 2,341 Wyoming Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 483-6,410
In the us FAX: [1] 483-6,488
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles New York Washington DC
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Special Charge d'Affaires Hugo LLORENS (since December 2016)
From the us embassy: Bibi Mahru Kabul
From the us mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul APO AE 9,806
From the us telephone: [00 93] 0700 108 001
From the us FAX: [00 93] 0700 108 564

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side) red and green with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other 2 bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning 'God is great') and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan; black signifies the past red is for the blood shed for independence and green can represent either hope for the future agricultural prosperity or Islam
Note: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century - 19 by one count - than any other country; the colors black red and green appeared on most of them

National symbols: lion; national colors: red green black

National anthem
Name: 'Milli Surood'
Lyrics and music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA
Note: adopted 2006; the 2004 constitution of the post-Taliban government mandated that a new national anthem should be written containing the phrase 'Allahu Akbar' and mentioning the names of Afghanistan's ethnic groups

Economy overview: In 2016 Afghanistan's growth rate was only marginally above that of 2014 and 2015. The drawdown of international security forces that started in 2012 has negatively affected economic growth as a substantial portion of commerce especially in the services sector has catered to the ongoing international troop presence in the country. Afghan President Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai is dedicated to instituting economic reforms to include improving revenue collection and fighting corruption. However the reforms will take time to implement and Afghanistan will remain dependent on international donor support over the next several years.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $62.78 billion (2014 est.)
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 103

Real gdp growth rate: 2.7% (2014 est.)
Rank: 133

Gross national saving: 23.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 46

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 108.6%
Government consumption: 12.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 18.2%
Investment in inventories: 0%
Exports of goods and services: 6.6%
Imports of goods and services: -46.2%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 22%
Industry: 22%
Services: 56%
Note: data exclude opium production

Agriculture products: opium wheat fruits nuts; wool mutton sheepskins lambskins poppies

Industries: small-scale production of bricks textiles soap furniture shoes fertilizer apparel food products non-alcoholic beverages mineral water cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas coal copper

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2014 est.)
Rank: 98

Labor force: 7.983 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 61
By occupation agriculture: 78.6%
By occupation industry: 5.7%
By occupation services: 15.7%

Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.)
Rank: 207

Population below poverty line: 35.8% (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.8%
Highest 10: 24%

Budget
Revenues: $1.992 billion
Expenditures: $6.636 billion
Surplus or deficit: -24.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 217

Taxes and other revenues: 10.5% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 211

Public debt: 9.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 198

Fiscal year: 21 December - 20 December

Inflation rate consumer prices: -2.9% (2015 est.)
Rank: 152

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15% (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 44

Stock of narrow money: $6.192 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Rank: 93

Stock of broad money: $6.544 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Rank: 115

Stock of domestic credit: $-70.18 million (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 192

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-4.721 billion (2015 est.)
Rank: 168

Exports: $580 million (2015 est.)
Note: not including illicit exports or reexports
Rank: 169
Commodities: opium fruits and nuts handwoven carpets wool cotton hides and pelts precious and semi-precious gems
Partners: Pakistan 46.3% India 37.6% (2016)

Imports: $7.034 billion (2015 est.)
Rank: 113
Commodities: machinery and other capital goods food textiles petroleum products
Partners: Iran 19.3% Pakistan 18.3% China 16.7% Kazakhstan 9.5% Uzbekistan 6.1% Turkmenistan 5.4% Malaysia 4% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.232 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
Rank: 86

Debt external: $2.7 billion (FY08/09)
Rank: 163

Exchange rates: 46.45 (2010)

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 18,999,254
Access electrification total population: 43%
Access electrification urban areas: 83%
Access electrification rural areas: 32%
Production: 1.034 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Production rank: 149
Consumption: 4.741 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 124
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 99
Imports: 3.779 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Imports rank: 48
Installed generating capacity: 599,100 kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 139
Generation sources fossil fuels: 44.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 161
From nuclear fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
From nuclear fuels rank: 36
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 55.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 33
From other renewable sources: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
From other renewable sources rank: 159

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Total petroleum production rank: 104

Crude oil
Exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 86
Imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 90
Proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Proven reserves rank: 104

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 113
Products consumption: 130,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 76
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 129
Products imports: 127,200 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 52

Natural gas
Production: 189 million m³ (2015 est.)
Production rank: 77
Consumption: 816 million m³ (2015 est.)
Consumption rank: 104
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 59
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 81
Proven reserves: 49.55 billion m³ (1 January 2017 es)
Proven reserves rank: 64

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 7.4 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 115

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 114,192
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1
Fixed lines rank: 145
Mobile cellular total: 21,602,982
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 65
Mobile cellular rank: 51

Telephone system
General assessment: limited fixed-line telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks
Domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers mobile-cellular telephone service continues to improve rapidly; the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information claims that more than 90 percent of the population live in areas with access to mobile-cellular services
International: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity

Broadcast media: state-owned broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) operates a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces; an estimated 150 private radio stations 50 TV stations and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .af
Users total: 3,531,770
Users percent of population: 10.6%
Users rank: 100

Military expenditures: 1.14% of GDP (2012)

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2016)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 20
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,929,907
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 33,102,038 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YA (2016)

Airports: 43 (2016)
Rank: 91
With paved runways total: 25
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 18
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5

Heliports: 9 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 466 km (2013)

Roadways
Total: 42,150 km
Paved: 12,350 km
Unpaved: 29,800 km
Rank: 86

Waterways: 1200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2011)
Rank: 60

Ports and terminals
River port: Kheyrabad Shir Khan

Disputes international: Afghan Coalition and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps and since 2014 have met to discuss collaboration on the Taliban insurgency and counterterrorism efforts; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey; Iran protests Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 59,737 (Pakistan) (2016)
IDPs: 1.553 million (2016)

Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation increased 10 percent to 201,000 hectares in 2016 while eradication declined significantly; the 2016 crop yielded an estimated 4,800 mt of raw opium a 43% increase over 2015; the Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the opiate trade which is a key source of revenue for the Taliban inside Afghanistan; widespread corruption and instability impede counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; Afghanistan is also struggling to respond to a burgeoning domestic opiate addiction problem; a 2015 national drug use survey found that roughly 11% of the population tested positive for one or more illicit drugs; vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial networks; illicit cultivation of cannabis and regional source of hashish