Afghanistan

Broadcast media

state-owned broadcaster, Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), operates a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces; an estimated 175 private radio stations, 8 TV networks, and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2010)

Communications - note

Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul (2005)

Internet country code

.af

Internet hosts

46 (2010) country comparison to the world: 211

Internet users

1 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 98

Telephone system

general assessment: limited fixed-line telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers, mobile-cellular telephone service continues to improve rapidly international: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

140,000 (2010) country comparison to the world: 137

Telephones - mobile cellular

13 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 55

Agriculture - products

opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins

Budget

revenues: $1 billion expenditures: $3.3 billion note: Afghanistan has also received $2.6 billion from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (FY09/10 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-14.7% of GDP (FY09/10 est.) country comparison to the world: 203

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15.689% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 15.222% (31 December 2009 est.)

Current account balance

-$2.475 billion (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164 $85 million (2008 est.)

Debt - external

$2.7 billion (FY08/09) country comparison to the world: 134 $8 billion (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

29.4 (2008) country comparison to the world: 120

Economy - overview

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. Afghanistan's living standards are among the lowest in the world. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $67 billion at four donors' conferences since 2002, the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a number of challenges, including low revenue collection, anemic job creation, high levels of corruption, weak government capacity, and poor public infrastructure.

Electricity - consumption

231.1 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 179

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

120 million kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

285.5 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 169

Exchange rates

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 46.45 (2010) 50.23 (2009)

Exports

$547 million (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164 $603 million (2008 est.) note: not including illicit exports or reexports

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Pakistan 25.9%, India 25.5%, US 14.9%, Tajikistan 9.6%, Germany 5% (2010)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$15.61 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$27.36 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 111 $25.28 billion (2009 est.) $20.92 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 31.6% industry: 26.3% services: 42.1% note: data exclude opium production (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$900 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 218 $900 (2009 est.) $800 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

8.2% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 20.9% (2009 est.) 3.6% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 24%

Imports

$5.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 110 $4.5 billion (2007)

Imports - commodities

machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Imports - partners

US 29.1%, Pakistan 23.3%, India 7.6%, Russia 4.5%, Germany 4.2% (2010)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food-products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.9% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 19 -8.3% (2008 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

NA%

Labor force

15 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 78.6% industry: 5.7% services: 15.7% (FY08/09 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

30 million cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 109

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 49

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76

Natural gas - production

30 million cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 87

Natural gas - proved reserves

49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

Oil - consumption

4,800 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 171

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 133

Oil - imports

4,512 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Population below poverty line

36% (FY08/09)

Stock of broad money

$5.659 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 118 $4.149 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$363.6 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173 $20.06 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$5.307 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $3.943 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

6.4% of GDP (FY09/10 est.) country comparison to the world: 209

Unemployment rate

35% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 180 40% (2005 est.)

Area

total: 652,230 sq km country comparison to the world: 41 land: 652,230 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: Noshak 7,485 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%) per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; the Hindu 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)

Irrigated land

31,990 sq km (2008)

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: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005)

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; droughts

Natural resources

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

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Total renewable water resources

65 cu km (1997)

Administrative divisions

34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

Capital

name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

sixth constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004; ratified 26 January 2004

Country name

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806 telephone: [93] 0700 108 001 FAX: [93] 0700 108 564

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Eklil Ahmad HAKIMI chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6410 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6488 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Mohammad FAHIM Khan (since 19 November 2009); Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Mohammad FAHIM Khan (since 19 November 2009); Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004) cabinet: 25 ministers; note - ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: the president and two vice presidents elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; election last held on 20 August 2009 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Hamid KARZAI reelected president; percent of vote (first round) - Hamid KARZAI 49.67%, Abdullah ABDULLAH 30.59%, Ramazan BASHARDOST 10.46%, Ashraf GHANI 2.94%; other 6.34%; note - ABDULLAH conceded the election to KARZAI following the first round vote

Flag description

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan; black signifies the past, red is for the blood shed for independence, and green can represent either hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam note: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them

Government type

Islamic republic

Independence

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ADB, CICA, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law

Legislative branch

the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third of members elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms, and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 250 seats); members directly elected for five-year terms note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held on 18 September 2010 (next election expected in 2015) election results: results by party - NA; note - ethnicity is the main factor influencing political alliances; compositon of Loya Jirga seats by ethnic groups - Pashtun 96, Hazara 61, Tajik 53, Uzbek 15, Aimak 8, Arab 8, Turkmen 3, Nuristani 2, Baloch 1, Pahhai 1, Turkic 1; women hold 68 seats

National anthem

name: "Milli Surood" (National Anthem) lyrics/music: Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA note: adopted 2006; the 2004 constitution of the post-Taliban government mandated that a new national anthem should be written containing the phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) and mentioning the names of Afghanistan's ethnic groups

National holiday

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

National symbol(s)

lion

Political parties and leaders

Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF]; Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHAD]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Sayed Hussain ANWARI]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI, Abdul Hadi ARGHANDIWAL]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad RABBANI]; Islamic Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban Ali URFANI]; Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Haji Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Law and Justice Party [Hanif ATMAR]; National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]; National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; National Linkage Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor NADERY]; United Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad AKBARI]; note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice

Political pressure groups and leaders

other: religious groups; tribal leaders; ethnically based groups; Taliban

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 7,056,339 females age 16-49: 6,653,419 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 4,050,222 females age 16-49: 3,797,087 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 392,116 female: 370,295 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan Air Force (AAF)) (2011)

Military expenditures

1.9% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 76

Military service age and obligation

22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.3% (male 6,464,070/female 6,149,468) 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 8,460,486/female 8,031,968) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 349,349/female 380,051) (2011 est.)

Birth rate

37.83 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 17

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

32.9% (2004) country comparison to the world: 13

Death rate

17.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Drinking water source

Improved: urban: 78% of population rural: 39% of population total: 48% of population Unimproved: urban: 22% of population rural: 61% of population total: 52% of population (2008)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 168

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Health expenditures

7.4% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 67

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2009) country comparison to the world: 176

Infant mortality rate

total: 149.2 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 2 male: 152.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 145.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 45.02 years country comparison to the world: 220 male: 44.79 years female: 45.25 years (2011 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 28.1% male: 43.1% female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

Major cities - population

KABUL (capital) 3.573 million (2009)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

1,400 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) country comparison to the world: 1

Median age

total: 18.2 years male: 18.2 years female: 18.2 years (2011 est.)

Nationality

noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan

Net migration rate

3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 27

Physicians density

0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2009) country comparison to the world: 149

Population

29,835,392 (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 note: this is a significantly revised figure; the previous estimate of 33,609,937 was extrapolated from the last Afghan census held in 1979, which was never completed because of the Soviet invasion

Population growth rate

2.375% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 33

Religions

Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%

Sanitation facility access

Improved: urban: 60% of population rural: 30% of population total: 37% of population Unimproved: urban: 40% of population rural: 70% of population total: 63% of population (2008)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years male: 11 years female: 7 years (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.39 children born/woman (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

Urbanization

urban population: 23% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 4.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey; Iran protests Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries

Illicit drugs

world's largest producer of opium; while poppy cultivation was relatively stable at 119,000 hectares in 2010, a poppy blight affecting the high cultivation areas in 2010 reduced potential opium production to 3,200 metric tons, down over 40 percent from 2009; the Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the opiate trade, which is a key source of revenue for the Taliban inside Afghanistan; widespread corruption and instability impede counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial networks; regional source of hashish (2011)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2007)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Afghanistan is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; Afghan boys and girls are trafficked within the country, in forced prostitution, in forced labor in carpet-making factories, and in forced domestic service; forced begging is a growing problem in Afghanistan; Afghan boys are subjected to forced prostitution and forced labor in the drug smuggling industry in Pakistan and Iran; Afghan women and girls are subjected to forced prostitution and forced marriages; women and girls from Iran, Tajikistan, and possibly Uganda and China are reportedly forced into prostitution in Afghanistan tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the Government of Afghanistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; despite these efforts, the government did not show evidence of increased efforts to address human trafficking over the previous year; the Afghan government did not prosecute or convict trafficking offenders under its 2008 law, and it punished victims of sex trafficking with imprisonment for adultery or prostitution (2011)

Airports

53 (2010) country comparison to the world: 90

Airports - with paved runways

total: 19 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 34 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 9 (2010)

Heliports

11 (2010)

Pipelines

gas 466 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Roadways

total: 42,150 km country comparison to the world: 86 paved: 12,350 km unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)

Waterways

1,200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2008) country comparison to the world: 59