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Introduction |
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Background: |
Afghanistan's
recent history is a story of war and civil unrest. The Soviet
Union invaded in 1979, but was forced to withdraw 10 years later
by anti-Communist mujahidin forces. The Communist regime in
Kabul collapsed in 1992. Fighting that subsequently erupted
among the various mujahidin factions eventually helped to spawn
the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that fought
to end the warlordism and civil war that gripped the country.
The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and were able to capture most
of the country outside of Northern Alliance strongholds
primarily in the northeast. Following the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military
action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In
late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process
for political reconstruction that ultimately resulted in the
adoption of a new constitution and presidential election in
2004. On 9 October 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first
democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The new Afghan
government's next task is to hold National Assembly elections,
tentatively scheduled for April 2005.
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|
Geography |
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Location: |
Southern Asia,
north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
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Geographic
coordinates: |
33 00 N, 65 00 E
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Map references: |
Asia
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Area: |
total:
647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area -
comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Texas
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Land boundaries: |
total: 5,529
km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan
2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan
137 km
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Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims: |
none (landlocked)
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Climate: |
arid to semiarid;
cold winters and hot summers
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Terrain: |
mostly rugged
mountains; plains in north and southwest
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Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
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Natural
resources: |
natural gas,
petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead,
zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
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Land use: |
arable land:
12.13%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 87.65% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
23,860 sq km (1998
est.)
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Natural hazards: |
damaging
earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
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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
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|
Environment -
international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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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)
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People |
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Population: |
29,928,987 (July
2005 est.)
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Age structure: |
0-14 years:
44.7% (male 6,842,857/female 6,524,485)
15-64 years: 52.9% (male 8,124,077/female 7,713,603)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 353,193/female 370,772)
(2005 est.)
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Median age: |
total: 17.56
years
male: 17.55 years
female: 17.57 years (2005 est.)
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Population
growth rate: |
4.77%
note: this rate does not take into consideration the
recent war and its continuing impact (2005 est.)
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Birth rate: |
47.02 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Death rate: |
20.75 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Net migration
rate: |
21.43
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality
rate: |
total:
163.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 167.79 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 158.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy
at birth: |
total
population: 42.9 years
male: 42.71 years
female: 43.1 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility
rate: |
6.75 children
born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate: |
0.01% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA
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HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
NA
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Nationality: |
noun:
Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
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Ethnic groups: |
Pashtun 42%, Tajik
27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other
4%
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Religions: |
Sunni Muslim 80%,
Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
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Languages: |
Afghan Persian or
Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages
(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily
Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
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Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 36%
male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.)
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Government |
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Country name: |
conventional
long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
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Government type: |
Islamic republic
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Capital: |
Kabul
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Administrative
divisions: |
34 provinces
(velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan,
Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand,
Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz,
Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia,
Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak,
and Zabol
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Independence: |
19 August 1919
(from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
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National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
19 August (1919)
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Constitution: |
new constitution
drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004; signed 16 January
2004
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Legal system: |
according to the
new constitution, no law should be "contrary to Islam"; the
state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive society
based on social justice, protection of human dignity, protection
of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure
national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes;
the state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties,
international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal
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Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI
(since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah holds
the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presides
symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any governing
authority; the honorific is not hereditary
head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); note - the
president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution,
ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the
National Assembly
elections: the president and two vice presidents are
elected by direct vote for a five-year term; if no candidate
receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting,
the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a
second round; a president can only be elected for two terms;
election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent
of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANOONI 16.3%, Ustad
Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif
PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2%
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Legislative
branch: |
nonfunctioning as
of January 2004; government is empowered by the constitution to
issue legislation by decree until the new assembly is seated;
under the new constitution, the bicameral National Assembly will
consist of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249
seats), directly elected for a five-year term, and the Meshrano
Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one third elected from
provincial councils for a four-year term, one third elected from
local district councils for a three-year term, and one third
presidential appointees for a five-year term; the presidential
appointees will include two representatives of Kuchis and two
representatives of the disabled; half of the presidential
appointees will be women)
note: on rare occasions the government may convene the
Loya Jirga on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and
territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the
constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of
members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the
provincial and district councils
elections: scheduled for spring 2005
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Judicial branch: |
the new
constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme
Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the
president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate
High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a Minister of
Justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating
human rights abuses and war crimes
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Political
parties and leaders: |
note - includes
only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice:
Afghan Millat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; De Afghanistan De Solay
Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Mili
Islami Gond [Shah Mahmood Polal ZAI]; Harakat-e-Islami
Afghanistan [Mohammad Asif MOHSINEE];
Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Iihaj Saraj-u-din
ZAFAREE]; Hezb-e-Aazadee Afghanistan [Abdul MALIK];
Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabeer MARZBAN];
Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil RAHEEMEE];
Hezb-e-Afghan Watan Islami Gond [leader NA];
Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan [Latif PEDRAM];
Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad ZAREEF];
Hezb-e-Libral-e-Aazadee Khwa-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal
SOHAIL]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad
Jamil KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hamnbatagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq
NEMAT]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad
Nadir AATASH]; Hezb-e-Harak-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj
Said Hssain ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqoq-e-Bashar Wa
Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATEE];
Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Gh. Farooq NIJZRABEE];
Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahan [Sibghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Kar Wa
Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiar OMID]; Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Abdul Rasheed AARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami
Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANEE]; Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili
Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOUD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand-e-Mili
Afghanistan [Said Mansoor NADIRI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Islami
Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Said ZAHIR];
Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASEEQ];
Hezb-e-Risalat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEEN];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Wa Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Usman
SALIGZADA]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul
Qahir SHARYATEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Abdul Qadir IMAMEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum-e-Wa Democracy Afghanistan
[Ahamad SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad
Karim KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan
[Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Abdul Rasheed Jalili]; Jamahat-ul-Dahwat ilal
Qurhan-wa-Sunat-ul-Afghanistan [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE];
Jombesh-e Milli [Abdul Rashid DOSTAM]; Mahaz-e-Mili Islami
Afghanistan [Said Ahmad GAILANEE]; Majmah-e-Mili
Fahaleen-e-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shams ul Haq Noor SHAMS];
Nuhzat-e-Aazadee Wa democracy Afghanistan [Abdul Raqeeb Jawid
KUHISTANEE]; Nuhzat-e-Hambastagee Mili Afghanistan [Peer Said
Ishaq GAILANEE]; Sazman-e-Islami Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Siad Jawad
HUSSAINEE]; Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili [Sultan Mahmood DHAZI] (30 Sep
2004)
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Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Jamiat-e Islami
(Society of Islam) [former President Burhanuddin RABBANI];
Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the Liberation of
Afghanistan), [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also small
monarchist, communist, and democratic groups
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International
organization participation: |
AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO,
G-77, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NATO, OIC,
OPCW, OSCE, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
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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
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Economy |
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Economy -
overview: |
Afghanistan's
economic outlook has improved significantly since the fall of
the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over $2
billion in international assistance, recovery of the
agricultural sector, and the reestablishment of market
institutions. Agriculture boomed in 2003 with the end of a
four-year drought, but drought conditions returned for the
southern half of the country in 2004. Despite the progress of
the past few years, Afghanistan remains extremely poor,
landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, farming, and
trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take the
remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention
to raise Afghanistan's living standards up from its current
status among the lowest in the world. Much of the population
continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water,
electricity, medical care, and jobs, but the Afghan government
and international donors remain committed to improving access to
these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure
development, education, housing development, jobs programs, and
economic reform over the next year. Growing political stability
and continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction
create an optimistic outlook for maintaining improvements in the
Afghan economy in 2005. Expanding poppy cultivation and a
growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms
as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges.
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GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $21.5 billion (2003 est.)
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GDP - real
growth rate: |
7.5% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $800 (2003 est.)
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GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture:
60%
industry: 20%
services: 20% (1990 est.)
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Labor force: |
11.8 million (2001
est.)
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Labor force - by
occupation: |
agriculture 80%,
industry 10%, services 10% (2004 est.)
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Unemployment
rate: |
NA
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Population below
poverty line: |
53% (2003)
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Household income
or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA
highest 10%: NA
|
|
Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
10.3% (2003)
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Budget: |
revenues:
$300 million
expenditures: $609 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (FY04-05 budget)
|
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Agriculture -
products: |
opium, wheat,
fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
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Industries: |
small-scale
production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer,
cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
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Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA
|
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Electricity -
production: |
540 million kWh
(2002)
|
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Electricity -
production by source: |
fossil fuel:
36.3%
hydro: 63.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
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Electricity -
consumption: |
652.2 million kWh
(2002)
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Electricity -
exports: |
0 kWh (2002)
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Electricity -
imports: |
150 million kWh
(2002)
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Oil -
production: |
0 bbl/day (2001
est.)
|
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Oil -
consumption: |
3,500 bbl/day (2001
est.)
|
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Oil - exports: |
NA
|
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Oil - imports: |
NA
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Oil - proved
reserves: |
0 bbl (1 January
2002)
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Natural gas -
production: |
220 million cu m
(2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
consumption: |
220 million cu m
(2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural gas -
imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
|
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Natural gas -
proved reserves: |
49.98 billion cu m
(1 January 2002)
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Exports: |
$446 million (not
including illicit exports or reexports) (FY03-04)
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Exports -
commodities: |
opium, fruits and
nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious
and semi-precious gems
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Exports -
partners: |
India 23.1%,
Pakistan 20.5%, US 12.9%, Germany 6% (2004)
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Imports: |
$3.759 billion
(FY03-04)
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Imports -
commodities: |
capital goods,
food, textiles, petroleum products
|
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Imports -
partners: |
Pakistan 25.2%, US
8.7%, South Korea 7.7%, India 7.6%, Germany 6.5%, Turkmenistan
4.5%, Turkey 4.1% (2004)
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Debt - external: |
$8 billion in
bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million
in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
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Currency (code): |
afghani (AFA)
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Currency code: |
AFA
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Exchange rates: |
afghanis per US
dollar - 3,000 (2004), 3,000 (2003), 3,000 (2002), 3,000 (2001),
3,000 (2000)
note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency
stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the
market rate varied widely from the official rate
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Fiscal year: |
21 March - 20 March
|
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Communications |
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Telephones -
main lines in use: |
33,100 (2002)
|
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Telephones -
mobile cellular: |
15,000 (2002)
|
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Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service
domestic: telephone service improving with the
establishment of two mobile phone operators by 2003; telephone
main lines remain weak with only 0.1 line per 10 people
international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed
in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide
international and domestic voice and data connectivity
|
|
Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 21, FM 23,
shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu,
and English) (2003)
|
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Radios: |
167,000 (1999)
|
|
Television
broadcast stations: |
at least 10 (one
government-run central television station in Kabul and regional
stations in nine of the 32 provinces; the regional stations
operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a
station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan
provinces) (1998)
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Televisions: |
100,000 (1999)
|
|
Internet country
code: |
.af
|
|
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000)
|
|
Internet users: |
1,000 (2002)
|
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Transportation |
|
Highways: |
total:
21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1999 est.)
|
|
Waterways: |
1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500
DWT (2004)
|
|
Pipelines: |
gas 387 km (2004)
|
|
Ports and
harbors: |
Kheyrabad, Shir
Khan
|
|
Airports: |
47 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
|
|
Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 37
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
|
|
Heliports: |
5 (2004 est.)
|
|
Military |
|
Military
branches: |
Afghan National
Army (includes Afghan Air Force), Afghan Militia Force (AMF)
(2005)
|
|
Military
manpower - military age and obligation: |
22 years of age;
inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)
|
|
Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 22-49:
4,952,812 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 22-49:
2,662,946 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
275,362 (2005 est.)
|
|
Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$188.4 million
(2004)
|
|
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.6% (2004)
|
|
Transnational Issues |
|
Disputes -
international: |
the UN has been
able to repatriate over two million Afghan refugees but several
million more continue to reside in Iran and Pakistan in camps
and elsewhere, many at their own choosing; Coalition and
Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal areas to
control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other
illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between
Pakistani and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of
boundary encroachments; occasional conflicts over water-sharing
arrangements with Amu Darya and Helmand River states
|
|
Refugees and
internally displaced persons:: |
IDPs:
167,000 - 200,000 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south
and west due to drought and instability) (2004)
|
|
Illicit drugs: |
world's largest
producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy reached
unprecedented level of 206,700 hectares in 2004; counterdrug
efforts largely unsuccessful; potential opium production of
4,950 metric tons; potential heroin production of 582 metric
tons if all opium was processed; source of hashish; many
narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade
source of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from
the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from
Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through
informal financial networks
|
