1997 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1997 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Texas
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Environment - current issues
soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification
Environment - international agreements
party to : Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic coordinates
33 00 N, 65 00 E
Geography - note
landlocked
Irrigated land
30,000 sq km (1993 est.)
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
Land use
arable land: 12% permanent crops : 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 3% other: 39% (1993 est.)
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Map references
Asia
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding
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
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 5,201,585; female 5,003,503) 15-64 years: 54% (male 6,680,687; female 6,208,463) 65 years and over : 3% (male 341,301; female 302,546) (July 1997 est.)
Birth rate
42.72 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate
17.78 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Ethnic groups
Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)
Infant mortality rate
146.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 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
total population : 46.34 years male: 46.89 years female: 45.76 years (1997 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 31.5% male : 47.2% female: 15% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan
Net migration rate
19.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Population
23,738,085 (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate
4.48% (1997 est.) note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees
Religions
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Sex ratio
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: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate
6.07 children born/woman (1997 est.)
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 two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst
Constitution
none
Country name
conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form : Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan
Data code
AF
Diplomatic representation from the US
the US embassy in Kabul has been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission : Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Yar Mohammed MOHABBAT chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3770, 3771
Executive branch
on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided among fighting factions note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government of Afghanistan; the UN has deferred a decision on credentials and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stonghold in the ethnically diverse north - General DOSTAM's National Islamic Movement controls several northcentral provinces and Commander MASOOD controls the ethnic Tajik majority areas of the northeast
FAX
[1] (202) 328-3516 consulate(s) general : New York consulate(s): Washington, DC
Flag 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
Government type
transitional government
Independence
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
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
non-functioning as of March 1995, although there are local Shari'a (Islamic law) courts throughout the country
Legal system
a new legal system has not been adopted but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Islamic law (Shari'a)
Legislative branch
non-functioning as of June 1993
National capital
Kabul
National holiday
Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August
Political parties and leaders
Taliban (Religious Students Movement), Mohammad OMAR; Supreme Defense Council of Afghanistan [comprised of Jumbesh-i-Melli Islami (National Islamic Movement), Abdul Rashid DOSTAM; Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI and Ahmad Shah MASOOD; and Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction (Islamic Unity Party), Abdul Karim KHALILI]; other smaller parties are 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-Akbari faction (Islamic Unity Party), Mohammad Akbar AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI
Political pressure groups and leaders
tribal elders represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan (CUNUA), Ishaq GAILANI; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan (WUFA), A. Rasul AMIN; Mellat (Social Democratic Party), leader NA
Suffrage
undetermined; previously males 15-50 years of age
Economy
Agriculture - products
wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton
Budget
revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Currency
1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls
Debt - external
$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Economic aid
recipient: ODA; about $56 million in UN aid plus additional bilateral aid and aid in kind (1996) note: US provided $450 million in bilateral assistance (1985-93); US continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons
Economy - overview
Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 17 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During the war one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. Now, only 750,000 registered Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 1.2 million in Iran. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 17 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 medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem throughout the country, with one estimate putting the rate at 240% in Kabul in 1996. Numerical data are likely to be either unavailable or unreliable.
Electricity - capacity
371,000 kW (1993)
Electricity - consumption per capita
35 kWh (1995 est.)
Electricity - production
670 million kWh (1994)
Exchange rates
afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 17,000 (December 1996), 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
total value: $80 million (1996 est.) commodities: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems partners : FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia
Fiscal year
21 March - 20 March
GDP
purchasing power parity - $18.1 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 56% industry: 15% services: 29%
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $800 (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
Imports
total value : $150 million (1996 est.) commodities: food and petroleum products; most consumer goods partners: FSU, 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 price index
240% (1996 est.)
Labor force
total: 7.1 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
8% (1995 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 6, FM 0, shortwave 2
Radios
1.8 million (1996 est.); note - about 60% of families own a radio
Telephone system
domestic : very limited telephone and telegraph service 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: one television station run by Jumbesh faction provides intermittent service
Televisions
100,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Airports
33 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 16 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m : 2 under 914 m: 7 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Heliports
3 (1996 est.)
Highways
total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1995 est.)
Pipelines
petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports and harbors
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Railways
total: 24.6 km 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
Waterways
1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT
Military and Security
Military branches
NA; note - the military does not exist on a national basis; 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 groups
Military expenditures - dollar figure
$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
NA%
Military manpower - availability
males age 15-49 : 5,813,298 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service
males : 3,118,004 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - military age
22 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually
males: 231,250 (1997 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
some support from RABBANI and MASOOD to anti-government Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions; question over which group should hold Afghanistan's seat at the UN
Illicit drugs
world's second-largest illicit opium producer after Burma (1,230 metric tons in 1996 - down 2% from 1995) and a major source of hashish ______________________________________________________________________ ALBANIA