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Region:
South Asia
Neighbours: Landlocked Afghanistan is bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and
Tajikistan, on the east by China and Jammu and Kashmir, on the east and south by
Pakistan, and on the west by Iran.
Area: 652,090 square kilometres (251,773 square miles)
Size Comparison: More than twice the size of Oman
Physical Features:
Afghanistan is a predominantly mountainous country with about three-quarters of
its surface consisting of uplands. The main lowlands are a series of river
valleys in the north and various desert regions in the south and southwest. The
Hindu Kush is the principal mountain system in Afghanistan. With its various
offshoots, it extends for about 966 kilometres (600 miles) from the Pamirs range
in the northeast to the border with Iran in the west. The average elevation of
the Hindu Kush is about 4,270 metres (14,000 feet), but some peaks are as high
as 7,620 metres (25,001 feet), with the highest peak, Tirich Mir, reaching 7,699
metres (25,260 feet).
North of the Hindu Kush, the Turkestan Plains descend to the Amu Darya on the
northern border. After broadening into the Hazarajat central plateau, the
mountains level off into western deserts, such as the Rigestan.
Natural passes penetrate the mountains of Afghanistan at various points,
facilitating travel within the country as well as communication with
neighbouring countries. In the Hindu Kush, the only pass lower than 3,050 metres
(10,006 feet) is the Shebar Pass (2,987 metres/9,800 feet), which connects the
Kabul region with the northern part of the country. The historic Khyber Pass on
the northeastern border is the best known of the mountain passes. It traverses
the Sulaiman Range and affords relatively easy access to Pakistan.
Major Rivers And Lakes
Rivers:
Afghanistan relies on four major river systems for its water: the Amu Darya,
known in ancient times as the Oxus, on the border with Tajikistan; the Kabul,
which flows into the Indus River; the Helmand in the south, the longest river in
the country; and, in the west, the Harirud. All of these, with the exception of
the Kabul, empty into lakes or swamps.
Climate:
Annual Precipitation
The climate of Afghanistan varies according to elevation and location. Kabul,
for example, at 1,676 metres (about 5,499 feet) has cold winters and pleasant
summers. Jalalabad (about 550 metres/1,805 feet high) is subtropical. Kandahar
(1,006 metres/3,300 feet) is mild year-round. Overall, daytime temperatures may
range from freezing at dawn to almost 38°C (100°F) at noon. Summer temperatures
as high as 49°C (120°F) have been recorded in the northern valleys. Midwinter
temperatures as low as 9°C (16°F) are common at the 1,980-metre (6,496-foot)
level in the Hindu Kush.
Afghanistan is a relatively dry country. Average annual rainfall is about 305
millimetres (12 inches), with most of the rainfall occurring between the months
of October and April. Sandstorms are frequent in the deserts and arid plains.
Environmental Issues:
Because Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, the national
report to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
identified socio-economic problems, such as poverty and poor health, rather than
the environment, as the main areas of concern. These issues are set against a
backdrop of more than a decade of civil war and Soviet occupation, with the
associated destruction of infrastructure and housing, plus a legacy of discarded
ammunition and unexploded bombs.
Basic Facts
Official Name: Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan
Capital: Kabul
Area: 652,090 square kilometres
, 251,773 square miles
Major cities (Population)
Kabul 700,000 (1993 estimate)
Kandahar 225,500 (1988 estimate)
Herat 177,300 (1988 estimate)
People
Population: 20,141,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate:
5.8 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Population density:
31 persons per square kilometre
80.3 persons per square mile (1995 estimate)
Urbanization:
Per cent urban 20 per cent (1995 estimate)
Per cent rural 80 per cent (1995 estimate)
Life Expectancy:
Total 44 years (1995 estimate)
Female 44 years (1995 estimate)
Male 43 years (1995 estimate)
Infant mortality rate
172 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)
Literacy rate:
Total 32 per cent (1995 estimate)
Female 15 per cent (1995 estimate)
Male 47 per cent (1995 estimate)
Ethnic Divisions:
Not available yet.
Languages:
Afghan Persian (Dari) 50 per cent
Pashto 28 per cent
Turkic languages: (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 18 per cent
30 minor languages:
(primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4 per cent
Extensive bilingualism
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 84 per cent
Shiite Muslim 15 per cent
Other 1 per cent
Independence:
19 August 1919 (from the United Kingdom)
Constitution: None
Voting Rights: Undetermined
Membership of international organizations:
AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
INTELSAT, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Economy:
Gross domestic product (GDP)
US$3.48 billion (1981)
GDP per capita US$2,195 (1992)
National Budget: Not available
Unit of currency: 1
Afghani (US$1=Afg.39,500 - as of Sept 1st 2002), Afghani
(AF), consisting of 100 puls,
Exports:
Fruit and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, pelts, precious and
semi-precious gems
Imports:
Food, petroleum products, consumer goods
Major trading partners for exports:
Former Soviet republics, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, United Kingdom,
Belgium, Luxembourg
Major trading partners for imports:
Former Soviet republics, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea,
Germany
Industries:
Small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and
cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Agriculture:
Largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products—wheat,
fruit, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Natural resources:
Natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron
ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones
Sources
Basic Facts and People:
Land area data are from the 1994 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Production Yearbook. Population, population growth rate, and life expectancy
data are from the United Nations (UN) World Population Prospects: The 1994
Revision. Population density and infant mortality rate data are from the UN 1993
Statistical Yearbook. Literacy rate data are from the UN Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 1995 Statistical Yearbook. Urban
and rural population data are from the UN World Urbanization Prospects: The 1994
Revision. Ethnic, language, and religious divisions are from the CIA 1995 World
Factbook.
Economy:
Gross domestic product (GDP) data are from World Bank World Tables. GDP per
capita data are from the UN 1993 Statistical Yearbook. GDP industry data are
from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 1993 Handbook of
International Trade and Development. National budget data are from World Bank
World Tables.
Note: Due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100 per cent.
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