1985 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1985 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
subsistence farming and animal husbandry; main crops — wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Area
647,497 km2; about the size of Texas; 75% desert, waste, or urban; 22% arable (12% cultivated, 10% pasture); 3% forest
Branches
Revolutionary Council acts as legislature and final court of appeal; President of Council acts as chief of state; Cabinet and judiciary responsible to Council; Presidium chosen by Council has full authority when Council not in session; Loya Jirga (Grand National Assembly) supposed to convene eventually and approve permanent constitution
Budget
current expenditure Af22.7 billion, capital expenditure Af 10.9 billion for FY82 (est.)
Capital
Kabul
Communists
the PDPA claims 120,000 members
Electric power
465,000 kW capacity (1984); 1.3 billion kWh produced (1984), 96 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
50% Pashtun, 25% Tajik, 9% Uzbek, 9% Hazara; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baluchi, and others
Exports
$680 million (f.o.b., 1984); mostly fruits and nuts, natural gas, and carpets
Fiscal year
21 March-20 March
GNP
$2.8 billion (FY79), $163 per capita (1984); real growth rate 2.5% (1975-79); current figures not available (1984)
Government leaders
BABRAK Karmal, President of the Revolutionary Council and head of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (since December 1979); Soltan Ali KESHTMAND, Prime Minister (since June 1981)
Imports
$940 million (c.i.f., 1984); mostly food supplies and petroleum products
Labor force
4.98 million (1980 est); 67.8% agriculture and animal husbandry, 10.2% industry, 6.3% construction, 5.0% commerce, 7.7% services and other; current figures unavailable because of fighting (1984)
Land boundaries
5,510 km People
Language
50% Pashtu, 35% Afghan Persian (Dari), 11% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 10% thirty minor languages (primarily Baluchi and Pashai); much bilingualism
Legal system
not established; legal education at Kabul University; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Literacy
12%
Major industries
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement for domestic use; handwoven carpets for export
Major trade partners
exports — mostly USSR and other Eastern bloc countries; imports— mostly USSR and other Eastern bloc countries
Member of
ADB, Colombo Plan, FAO, G77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG; suspended from OIC in January 1980 Economy
Monetary conversion rate
50.6 afghanis=US$l (official, February 1984)
Nationality
noun — Afghan(s); adjective — Afghan
Official name
Democratic Republic of
Organized labor
government-controlled unions are being established Government
Other political or pressure groups
the military and other branches of internal security are being rebuilt by the Soviets; insurgency continues throughout the country; widespread opposition on religious grounds; widespread anti-Soviet sentiment
Political subdivisions
29 provinces with centrally appointed governors
Population
14,792,000 (July 1985), average annual growth rate 1.7%; these estimates include an adjustment for emigration to Pakistan during recent years, but they do not take into account other demographic consequences of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan
Religion
74% Sunni Muslim, 25% Shi'a Muslim, 1% other
Suffrage
universal from age 18 Political parties and leaders: the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) is the sole legal political party; has two factions; the Parchami faction has been in power since December 1979; members of the deposed Khalqi faction continue to hold some important posts; the Sholaye-Jaweid is a much smaller proBeijing group
Type'
Communist regime backed by multidivisional Soviet force