1996 Edition

Description

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars

Location

33 00 N, 65 00 E -- Southern Asia, north of Pakistan Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

land area

647,500 sq km

total area

647,500 sq km

Climate

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues

soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification

international agreements

party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

natural hazards

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Geographic note

landlocked

International disputes

periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; Iran supports clients in country, private Pakistani and Saudi sources also are active; power struggles among various groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries among emerging warlords, traditional tribal disputes continue; support to Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan (Durand Line); support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions

Irrigated land

26,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

total

5,529 km

Land use

arable land

12%

forest and woodland

3%

meadows and pastures

46%

other

39%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Southern Asia, north of Pakistan

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

highest point

Nowshak 7,485 m

lowest point

Amu Darya 258 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 4,972,469; female 4,784,900) 15-64 years: 54% (male 6,377,231; female 5,916,954) 65 years and over: 3% (male 325,808; female 286,774) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

43.03 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

18.16 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)

Infant mortality rate

149.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Life expectancy at birth

female

45.24 years (1996 est.)

male

46.43 years

total population

45.85 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

15%

male

47.2%

total population

31.5%

Nationality

adjective

Afghan

noun

Afghan(s)

Net migration rate

22.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

22,664,136 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

4.78% (1996 est.)

Religions

Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%

Sex ratio

all ages

1.06 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

6.14 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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 two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst

Capital

Kabul

Constitution

none

Data code

AF

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Abdul RAHIM

telephone

[1] (202) 234-3770, 3771

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers; note - term of present government expired 28 December 1994; factional fighting since 1 January 1994 has kept government officers from actually occupying ministries and discharging government responsibilities; the government's authority to remove cabinet members, including the prime minister, following the expiration of their term is questionable

chief of state

President Burhanuddin RABBANI (interim president July-December 1992, president since 2 January 1993) was elected to a two-year term (later amended by multi-party agreement to 18 months) by a national shura (council); election last held 31 December 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote NA; Vice President Mohammad NABI MOHAMMADI (since NA) was appointed by the president; note - in June 1994 failure to agree on a transfer mechanism resulted in RABBANI's extending his term to 28 December 1994; following the expiration of the term and while negotiations on the formation of a new government go on, RABBANI continues in office

head of government

Prime Minister Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI (since NA) was appointed by President RABBANI as de facto prime minister, but does not have any real authority; First Deputy Prime Minister Qutbuddin HELAL (since 17 March 1993) and Deputy Prime Minister Arsala RAHMANI (since 17 March 1993)

FAX

[1] (202) 328-3516

consulate(s)

Washington, DC

consulate(s) general

New York

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars

Independence

19 August 1919 (from UK)

International organization participation

AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO

Judicial branch

an interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister, but a new court system has not yet been organized

Legal system

a new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional government has declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari'a)

Legislative branch

a unicameral parliament consisting of 205 members was chosen by a national shura (council) in January 1993; non-functioning as of June 1993

Name of country

conventional long form

Islamic State of Afghanistan

conventional short form

Afghanistan

former

Republic of Afghanistan

local long form

Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan

local short form

Afghanestan

National holiday

Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August

Other political or pressure groups

the former resistance commanders are the major power brokers in the countryside and their shuras (councils) are now administering most cities outside Kabul; tribal elders and religious students are trying to wrest control from them; ulema (religious scholars); tribal elders; religious students (talib)

Political parties and leaders

current political organizations include Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI, Ahmad Shah MASOOD; Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic Party), Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction; Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party), Yunis KHALIS faction; Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF; Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement), Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan National Liberation Front), Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic Front), Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction (Islamic Unity Party), Abdul Karim KHALILI; Hizbi Wahdat-Akbari faction (Islamic Unity Party), Mohammad Akbar AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI; Jumbesh-i-Milli Islami (National Islamic Movement), Abdul Rashid DOSTAM; Taliban (Religious Students Movement), Mohammad OMAR

note

the former ruling Watan Party has been disbanded

Suffrage

undetermined; previously males 15-50 years of age

Type of government

transitional government

US diplomatic representation

the US does not have an embassy in Afghanistan (embassy closed January 1989)

Agriculture

wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Currency

1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

Economic aid

note

US provided $450 million assistance (1985-93); the UN provides assistance in the form of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 16 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the past decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering more than 6 million refugees. Now, only 1.0 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 1.3 million in Iran. Another 1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 15 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. Millions of people continue to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and lack of medical care. Numerical data are extremely shaky.

Electricity

capacity

480,000 kW

consumption per capita

39 kWh (1993)

production

550 million kWh

Exchange rates

afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which is a fixed rate of 50.600 afghanis to the dollar

Exports

$188.2 million (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities

fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

partners

FSU countries, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia

External debt

$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)

Fiscal year

21 March - 20 March

GDP

purchasing power parity - $12.8 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

65%

industry

15%

services

20%

GDP per capita

$600 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

NA%

Illicit drugs

an illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer after Burma (1,250 metric tons in 1995) and a major source of hashish

Imports

$616.4 million (c.i.f., 1991)

commodities

food and petroleum products; most consumer goods

partners

FSU countries, 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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

NA%

Labor force

4.98 million

by occupation

agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

NA; note - the military still does not exist on a national scale; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized among the various mujahedin and former regime leaders

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

5,549,602

males fit for military service

2,976,741

males reach military age (22) annually

220,532 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 5, FM 0, shortwave 2

Radios

NA

Telephone system

domestic

very limited telephone and telegraph service; 1 public telephone in Kabul

international

satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region)

Telephones

31,200 (1983 est.)

Television broadcast stations

NA

note

several television stations run by factions and local councils which provide intermittent service

Televisions

100,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

35

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

4

with paved runways over 3 047 m

3

with paved runways under 914 m

7

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

13

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

3 (1995 est.)

Heliports

3 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

2,800 km

total

21,000 km

unpaved

18,200 km (1984 est.)

Pipelines

petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km

Ports

Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Railways

broad gauge

9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1,524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya

total

24.6 km

Waterways

1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT