General Information on Afghanistan
Location:
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran, south of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and west of China.
Geographic coordinates:
33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references:
Asia:
Area:
total: 652,000 sq km; land: 652,000 sq km;water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
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
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m; highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m.
Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:
arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 87,65% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
23,860 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; draughts.
Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution
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
Geography - note:
landlocked; the Hidu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan ( wakhan corridor).
Afghanistan People 2000
Population:
25,838,797 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.37% (male 5,598,403; female 5,371,054)
15-64 years: 54.86% (male 7,362,961; female 6,839,914)
65 years and over: 2.77% (male 378,741; female 337,724) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.54% (2000 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran
Birth rate:
41.82-births/ 1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate:
18.01-deaths/ 1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate:
11.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
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: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/ female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
149.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.88 years
male: 46.62 years
female: 45.1 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.87 children born/ woman (2000 est.)
Nationality :
noun:Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups:
Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim, Shia Mulsim and others
Languages:
Pashtu, Dari (Lingua Franca), Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai), much bilingualism
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 31.5%
male: 47.2%
female: 15% (1999 est.)
Provinces
Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces.
1. Badakhshan-(Feyzabad)
2. Badghis-(Qaleh-ye Now)
3. Baghlan-(Baglan)
4. Balkh-(Mazar-e-Shariff)
5. Bamian-(Bamian)
6. Daikandi(Nili)
7. Farah-(Farah)
8. Faryab-(Meymaneh)
9. Ghazni-(Ghazni)
10. Ghowr-(Choghcharan)
11. Helmand-(Lashkargah)
12. Herat-(Herat)
13. Jowzjan-(Sheberghan)
14. Kabul-(Kabul)
15. Kandahar-(Kandahar)
16. Kapisa-(Mahmud-e-Raqi)
17. Khost
18. Konar-(Asadabad)
19. Kunduz-(Konduz)
20. Laghman-(Mehtar Lam)
21. Logar-(Pul-alam)
22. Nangarhar-(Jalalabad)
23. Nimruz-(Zaranj)
24. Nuristan
25. Oruzgan-(Tarin Kowt)
26. Panjshir - (Bazrak )
27. Paktia-(Gardez)
28. Paktika-(Mahmodraqi )
29. Parwan-(Charikar)
30. Samangan-(Aybak)
31. Sar-i Pol
32. Takhar-(Taloqan)
33. Wardak-(Maidan )
34. Zabol-(Qalat)
