1.
[syn: Afghanistan, Islamic State of Afghanistan]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Afghanistan \Afghanistan\ n.
1. a mountainous country in central Asia.
[WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Afghanistan
n 1: a mountainous landlocked country in central Asia; bordered
by Iran to the west and Russia to the north and Pakistan to
the east and south; "Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in
1979" [syn: Afghanistan, Islamic State of Afghanistan]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Afghanistan
Introduction Afghanistan
------------------------
Background: Afghanistan's recent history is
characterized by war and civil
strife, with intermittent periods of
relative calm and stability. The
Soviet Union invaded in 1979 but was
forced to withdraw 10 years later by
anti-Communist mujahidin forces
supplied and trained by the US,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others.
Fighting subsequently continued
among the various mujahidin
factions, giving rise to a state of
warlordism that spawned the Taliban
in the early 1990s. The Taliban was
able to seize most of the country,
aside from Northern Alliance
strongholds primarily in the
northeast, until US and allied
military action in support of the
opposition following the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks
forced the group's downfall. The
four largest Afghan opposition
groups met in Bonn, Germany, in late
2001 and agreed on a plan for the
formulation of a new government
structure that resulted in the
inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as
Chairman of the Afghan Interim
Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001.
In addition to occasionally violent
political jockeying and ongoing
military action to root out
remaining terrorists and Taliban
elements, the country suffers from
enormous poverty, a crumbling
infrastructure, and widespread land
mines.
Geography Afghanistan
---------------------
Location: Southern Asia, north and west of
Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 647,500 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; droughts
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 party to: Desertification,
agreements: 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 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)
People Afghanistan
------------------
Population: 27,755,775 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291;
female 5,706,542)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101;
female 7,382,101)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male
410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.43%
note: this rate reflects the
continued return of refugees from
Iran (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 41.03 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 144.76 deaths/1,000 live births
(2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.6 years
female: 45.85 years (2002 est.)
male: 47.32 years
Total fertility rate: 5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%,
minor ethnic groups (Aimaks,
Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 13%,
Uzbek 8%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%,
other 1%
Languages: Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari)
50%, Turkic languages (primarily
Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and
Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.)
total population: 36%
People - note: large numbers of Afghan refugees
create burdens on neighboring states
Government Afghanistan
----------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Islamic
State of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye
Afghanestan
Government type: transitional
Capital: Kabul
Administrative divisions: 32 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,
Nurestan, and Khowst
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over
Afghan foreign affairs)
National holiday: Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Constitution: the Bonn Agreement calls for a
Constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand
Council) to be convened within 18
months of the establishment of the
Transitional Authority to draft a
new constitution for the country;
the basis for the next constitution
is the 1963/64 Constitution,
according to the Bonn Agreement
Legal system: the Bonn Agreement calls for a
judicial commission to rebuild the
justice system in accordance with
Islamic principles, international
standards, the rule of law, and
Afghan legal traditions
Suffrage: NA; previously males 15-50 years of
age
Executive branch: note: following the Taliban's
refusal to hand over Usama bin LADIN
to the US for his suspected
involvement in the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks in the US, a US-
led international coalition was
formed; after several weeks of
aerial bombardment by coalition
forces and military action on the
ground, including Afghan opposition
forces, the Taliban was ousted from
power on 17 November 2001; in
December 2001 a number of prominent
Afghans met under UN auspices in
Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan
for governing the country; as a
result, the Afghan Interim Authority
(AIA) - made up of 30 members,
headed by a chairman and five deputy
chairmen - was inaugurated on 22
December 2001 with about a six-month
mandate to be followed by a two-year
Transitional Authority (TA) after
which elections are to be held; the
structure of the follow-on TA will
be announced on 10 June 2002 when
the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) is
convened
chief of state: Chairman of the AIA,
Hamad KARZAI (since 22 December
2001); note - presently the chairman
is both chief of state and head of
government
head of government: Chairman of the
AIA, Hamad KARZAI (since 22 December
2001); note - presently the chairman
is both chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: the 30-member AIA
elections: NA
Legislative branch: nonfunctioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch: the Bonn Agreement calls for the
establishment of a Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: NA; note - political parties in
Afghanistan are in flux and many
prominent players have plans to
create new parties; the three main
groups represented in the Afghan
Interim Authority (AIA) are: the
Northern Alliance (also known as the
United Islamic Front for the
Salvation of Afghanistan) - the main
opposition to the Taliban - composed
of different ethnic and political
groups; the Rome Group, associated
with the former king of Afghanistan,
composed mainly of expatriate
Afghans; and the Peshawar Group,
another expatriate group; there are
also several "independent" groups
Political pressure groups and NA; note - ministries formed under
leaders: the Afghan Interim Authority(AIA)
include former pressure group
leaders
International organization AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
participation: IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC
(suspended), IOM (observer), ITU,
NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: ambassador Ishaq
SHAHRYAR (as of 19 June 2002)
chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20008
FAX: 202-483-6487
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: 202-483-6410
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Robert
US: Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in
Kabul reopened 16 December 2001
following closure in January 1989
embassy: Great Masood Road, Kabul
mailing address: NA
telephone: 93-2-290002-290005
FAX: NA
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black
(hoist), red, and green with a gold
emblem centered on the red band; the
emblem features a temple-like
structure encircled by a wreath on
the left and right and by a bold
Islamic inscription above
Economy Afghanistan
-------------------
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 two decades of war,
including the nearly 10-year Soviet
military occupation (which ended 15
February 1989). During that conflict
one-third of the population fled the
country, with Pakistan and Iran
sheltering a combined peak of more
than 6 million refugees. Gross
domestic product has fallen
substantially over the past 20 years
because of the loss of labor and
capital and the disruption of trade
and transport; severe drought added
to the nation's difficulties in
1998-2001. The majority of the
population continues to suffer from
insufficient food, clothing,
housing, and medical care, problems
exacerbated by military operations
and political uncertainties.
Inflation remains a serious problem.
Following the US-led coalition war
that led to the defeat of the
Taliban in November 2001 and the
formulation of the Afghan Interim
Authority (AIA) resulting from the
December 2001 Bonn Agreement,
International efforts to rebuild
Afghanistan were addressed at the
Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan
Reconstruction in January 2002, when
$4.5 billion was collected for a
trust fund to be administered by the
World Bank. Priority areas for
reconstruction include the
construction of education, health,
and sanitation facilities,
enhancement of administrative
capacity, the development of the
agricultural sector, and the
rebuilding of road, energy, and
telecommunication links.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21
billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2000
est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60%
industry: 20%
services: 20% (1990 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry 10%,
services 10% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA
Industries: small-scale production of textiles,
soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer,
and cement; handwoven carpets;
natural gas, coal, copper
Electricity - production: 375 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36%
hydro: 64%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 453.75 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 105 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton,
sheepskin, and lambskin
Exports: $1.2 billion (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven
carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious
gems
Exports - partners: Pakistan 32%, India 8%, Belgium 7%,
Germany 5%, Russia 5%, UAE 4% (1999)
Imports: $1.3 billion (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: capital goods, food and petroleum
products; most consumer goods
Imports - partners: Pakistan 19%, Japan 16%, Kenya 9%,
South Korea 7%, India 6%,
Turkmenistan 6% (1999)
Debt - external: $5.5 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: international pledges made by more
than 60 countries and international
financial institutions at the Tokyo
Donors Conference for Afghan
reconstruction in January 2002
reached $4.5 billion through 2006,
with $1.8 billion allocated for
2002; according to a joint
preliminary assessment conducted by
the World Bank, the Asian
Development Bank, and the UN
Development Program, rebuilding
Afghanistan will cost roughly $15
billion over the next ten years
Currency: afghani (AFA)
Currency code: AFA
Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 4,700
(January 2000), 4,750 (February
1999), 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 was fixed at 50.600
afghanis to the dollar until 1996,
when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar,
and finally became fixed again at
3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
Communications Afghanistan
--------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 29,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: very limited
telephone and telegraph service
domestic: in 1997,
telecommunications links were
established between Mazar-e Sharif,
Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and
Kabul through satellite and
microwave systems
international: satellite earth
stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
linked only to Iran and 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean
region); commercial satellite
telephone center in Ghazni
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active
station is in Kabul), FM 1,
shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu,
Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and
English) (1999)
Radios: 167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: at least 10 (one government-run
central television station in Kabul
and regional stations in nine of the
32 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)
Televisions: 100,000 (1999)
Internet country code: .af
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation Afghanistan
--------------------------
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 (2001)
Highways: total: 21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which
handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Pipelines: natural gas 180 km
note: product pipelines from
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have
been in disrepair and disuse for
years (2002)
Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports: 46 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36
under 914 m: 11 (2001)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 4
Heliports: 2 (2001)
Military Afghanistan
--------------------
Military branches: NA; note - the December 2001 Bonn
Agreement calls for all militia
forces to come under Afghan Interim
Authority (AIA) control, but
formation of a national army is
likely to be a gradual process;
Afghanistan's forces continue to be
factionalized largely along ethnic
lines
Military manpower - military age: 22 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,896,623 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 3,696,379 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching military males: 252,869 (2002 est.)
age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Afghanistan
--------------------------------
Disputes - international: close ties with Pashtuns in Pakistan
make long border difficult to
control
Illicit drugs: poppy ban cut 2001 cultivation by
97% to 1,695 hectares, with
potential production of 74 tons of
opium; a major source of hashish;
many heroin-processing laboratories
throughout the country; major
political factions in the country
profit from the drug trade