adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide
elections. In December 2002, the TISA marked the one-year
anniversary of the fall of the Taliban. 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 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 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:
28,717,213 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 41.8% (male 6,123,971; female 5,868,013)
15–64 years: 55.4% (male 8,240,743; female 7,671,242)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 427,710; female 385,534) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.9 years
male: 19.1 years
female: 18.7 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
3.38%
note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and
its continuing impact (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
40.63 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
17.15 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
10.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 142.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 138.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 145.99 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.97 years
male: 47.67 years
female: 46.23 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.64 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
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
female: 21% (1999 est.)
total population: 36%
male: 51%
People - note:
large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on neighboring
states
Government Afghanistan
Country name:
conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of