1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Texas
Disputes
Pashtun question with Pakistan; Baloch question with Iran and Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; insurgency with Iranian and Pakistani involvement; traditional tribal rivalries
Environment
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution
Land boundaries
5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km
Land use
arable land 12%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Note
landlocked
Terrain
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Total area
647,500 km2; land area: 647,500 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
44 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Pashtun 50%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 9%, Hazara 12-15%; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and other
Infant mortality rate
164 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7%, (1980 est.)
Language
Pashtu 50%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%; much bilingualism
Life expectancy at birth
44 years male, 43 years female (1991)
Literacy
29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Afghan(s); adjective--Afghan
Net migration rate
28 migrants/1,000 population (1991); note--there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are fragmentary and unreliable
Organized labor
some small government-controlled unions
Population
US Bureau of the Census--16,450,304 (July 1991), growth rate 5.2% (1991) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note--another report indicates a July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including 3,271,580 refugees in Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in Iran
Religion
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15%, other 1%
Total fertility rate
6.3 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
30 provinces (velayat, singular--velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note--there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)
Capital
Kabul
Communists
Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA) claims 200,000 members and no longer considers itself a Communist party
Constitution
adopted 30 November 1987, revised May 1990
Diplomatic representation
Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires Abdul Ghafur JOUSHAN; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-3770 or 3771; US--Charge d'Affaires (vacant); Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through 62235 or 62436; note--US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989
Elections
Senate--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991); results--Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats--(192 total, 128 elected) Hizbi Watan 128; House of Representatives--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results--Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats--(234 total) Hizbi Watan 184, opposition 50; note--members may or may not be affiliated with a political party
Executive branch
president, four vice presidents, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band
Independence
19 August 1919 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State and Head of Government--President (Mohammad) NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987); First Vice President Abdul Wahed SORABI (since 7 January 1991); Prime Minister Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)
Legal system
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of an upper house or Council of Elders (Sena) and a lower house or Council of Representatives (Wolosi Jirga)
Long-form name
Republic of Afghanistan
Member of
AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; note--Afghanistan was suspended from the OIC in January 1980, but in March 1989 the self-proclaimed Mujaheddin Government of Afghanistan was given membership
National holiday
Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April (1978)
Other political or pressure groups
the military and other branches of internal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues throughout the country; widespread antiregime sentiment and opposition on religious and political grounds
Political parties and leaders
main party--Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly known as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA); there are other, much smaller political parties recognized by the government
Suffrage
universal, male ages 15-50
Type
authoritarian
Economy
Agriculture
largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products--wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Budget
revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $306 million (FY91 est.)
Currency
afghani (plural--afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $322 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $465 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1 billion
Electricity
480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
afghanis (Af) per US$1--586 (March 1991)
Exports
$236 million (f.o.b., FY90); commodities--natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts; partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
External debt
$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Fiscal year
21 March-20 March
GDP
$3 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)
Illicit drugs
an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer (after Burma) and a major source of hashish
Imports
$874 million (c.i.f., FY90 est.); commodities--food and petroleum products; partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
Industrial production
growth rate 8.1% (FY91 plan); accounts for about 25% of GDP
Industries
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
over 92% (1990 est.)
Overview
Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however, have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals, including the nine-year Soviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the continuing bloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the population has fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering about 3.3 million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large numbers of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or damaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims to the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is lower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
Airports
40 total, 36 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
2 TU-154, 2 Boeing 727, 4 Yak-40, assorted smaller transports
Highways
21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and tracks
Inland waterways
total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons
Pipelines
petroleum, oil, and lubricants pipelines--USSR to Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km
Ports
Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)
Railroads
9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (USSR) to Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (USSR) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
Telecommunications
limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast services; television introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; stations--5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Guard/National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), Ministry of State Security (WAD), Tribal Militia
Defense expenditures
$450 million, 15% of GDP (1990) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 4,049,092; 2,171,757 fit for military service; 166,135 reach military age (22) annually