Afghanistan Statistic
Geography of Afghanistan
Hindu
Kush mountain, Pashtun in Afghanistan, Hazara in Afghanistan,
Aimaks in Afghanistan, Turkmen in Afghanistan, Baloch in Afghanistan,
Baloch in Afghanistan, Tajik in Afghanistan, Islam in Afghanistan,
Amu Darya, Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan, Helmand River,
carpets, fruits
Afghanistan, approximately the size of Texas, is bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, on the extreme northeast by China, on the east and south by Pakistan, and by Iran on the west. The country is split east to west by the Hindu Kush mountain range, rising in the east to heights of 24,000 ft (7,315 m). With the exception of the southwest, most of the country is covered by high snow-capped mountains and is traversed by deep valleys.
Afghanistan Statistic
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
National name: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan
President: Hamid Karzai (2002)
Current government officials
Total area: 250,000 sq mi (647,500
sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 31,889,923 (growth rate:
2.6%); birth rate: 46.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 157.4/1000;
life expectancy: 43.8; density per sq mi: 128
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Kabul,
2,206,300
Other large cities: Kandahar,
349,300; Mazar-i-Sharif, 246,900; Charikar, 202,600; Herat,
171,500
Monetary unit: Afghani
Languages: Dari Persian, Pashtu (both official),
other Turkic and minor languages
Ethnicity/race: Pashtun in Afghanistan 42%, Tajik in Afghanistan 27%, Hazara in Afghanistan 9%, Uzbek in Afghanistan 9%, Aimaks in Afghanistan 4%, Turkmen in Afghanistan 3%, Baloch in Afghanistan 2%, others 4%
Religion: Islam (Sunni 80%, Shiite 19%), other 1%
Literacy rate: 36% (1999 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $21.5 billion; per capita 800. Real growth rate: 8%. Inflation: 16.3% (2005 est.). Unemployment: 40% (2005 est.). Arable land: 12.13%. Agriculture: opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins. Labor force: 15 million; agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10%. Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones. Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper. Exports: $471 million; note—not including illicit exports or reexports (2005 est.): opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semiprecious gems. Imports: $3.87 billion (2005 est.): capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products. Major trading partners: Pakistan, India, U.S., Germany, Turkmenistan, Kenya, South Korea, Russia (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 50,000 (2004); mobile cellular: 600,000 (2004). Radio broadcast stations: AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003). Television broadcast stations: at least 10 (one government run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 30 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). Internet users: 25,000 (2005).
Transportation: Highways: total: 34,789 km; paved: 8,231 km; unpaved: 26,558 km (26,558). Waterways: 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT (2005). Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan. Airports: 46 (2005).
International disputes: Most Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been repatriated, but thousands still remain in Iran, 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; regional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements with Amu Darya and Helmand River states.