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 150 private radio stations, 50 TV stations, and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2007)

Communications - note

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

Internet country code

.af

Internet hosts

223 (2012) country comparison to the world: 200

Internet users

1 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 101

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; the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information claims that more than 90 percent of the population live in areas with access to mobile-cellular services international: country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2012)

Telephones - main lines in use

13,500 (2011) country comparison to the world: 199

Telephones - mobile cellular

17.558 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 50

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $2.243 billion expenditures: $3.963 billion note: Afghanistan received $15.7 billion in 2010/2011 (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-8.7% of GDP (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 198

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15.03% (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 37 15.69% (31 December 2010 est.)

Current account balance

-$743.9 million (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 106 -$736 million (2010 est.)

Debt - external

$1.28 billion (FY10/11) country comparison to the world: 147 $2.7 billion (FY08/09)

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. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, lack of infrastructure, and the Afghan Government's difficulty in extending 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. The international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $67 billion at nine donors' conferences between 2003-10. In July 2012, the donors at the Tokyo conference pledged an additional $16 billion in civilian aid through 2016. Despite this help, 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.

Exchange rates

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 51 (2012 est.) 46.75 (2011 est.) 46.45 (2010)

Exports

$376 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 177 $388 million (2011 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 48%, India 19%, Russia 9%, Iran 5% (FY11/12 est.)

Fiscal year

21 December - 20 December

GDP (official exchange rate)

$19.85 billion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$33.55 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 $30.22 billion (2011 est.) $28.57 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 20% industry: 25.6% services: 54.4% note: data exclude opium production (2011 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,000 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 218 $1,000 (2011 est.) $900 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

11% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 5.8% (2011 est.) 8.4% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 24% (2008)

Imports

$6.39 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 116 $5.154 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Pakistan 13.7%, Russia 12.6%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Iran 9.1% (FY11/12 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

13.8% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 0.9% (2010 est.)

Labor force

15 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 40

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

36% (FY08/09)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$5.268 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 89 $4.174 billion (2010 est.)

Stock of broad money

$6.351 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 121 $5.671 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$363.6 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 178 $20.06 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$5.928 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 $5.307 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.3% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 206

Unemployment rate

35% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 182 40% (2005 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

790,200 Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149

Crude oil - production

1,950 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 92

Crude oil - proved reserves

87 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

Electricity - consumption

2.226 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 155

Electricity - from fossil fuels

23.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 186

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

76.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 18

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 36

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 100

Electricity - imports

1.377 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Electricity - installed generating capacity

489,100 kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - production

913.1 million kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

Natural gas - consumption

30 million cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 150

Natural gas - production

30 million cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

Natural gas - proved reserves

49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 67

Refined petroleum products - consumption

4,229 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 176

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

Refined petroleum products - imports

5,193 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 119

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 (2003)

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: Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan local short form: Afghanistan former: Republic of Afghanistan

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CUNNINGHAM 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, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

highest courts: Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama; consists of 9 judges judge selection & term of office: justices appointed by the president with the endorsement of the Wolesi Jirga; justices serve non-renewable 10-year terms subordinate courts: Cassation and sharia

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, two-thirds of members elected from provincial councils for 4-year terms, and one-third nominated by the president for 5-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; composition 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

note - the Ministry of Justice licensed 84 political parties as of December 2012

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, 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: 77

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: 43.2% (male 6,671,683/ female 6,460,034) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 8,414,716/ female 8,121,616) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 350,692/ female 401,187) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

39.3 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 12

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

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

Death rate

14.59 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

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: 165

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)

Infant mortality rate

total: 121.63 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 1 male: 129.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 113.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 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, but Dari functions as the lingua franca note: the Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Balochi, Pashai, Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 49.72 years country comparison to the world: 218 male: 48.45 years female: 51.05 years (2012 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

460 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 21

Median age

total: 17.9 years male: 17.8 years female: 17.9 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan

Net migration rate

-2.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 171

Physicians density

0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

30,419,928 (July 2012 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

2.22% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

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

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: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.64 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9

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 (2008)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 2,972 (Pakistan) (2011) IDPs: 481,877 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to drought and instability) (2012)

Airports

52 (2012) country comparison to the world: 91

Airports - with paved runways

total: 23 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 29 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 6 (2012)

Heliports

10 (2012)

Pipelines

gas 466 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Roadways

total: 42,150 km country comparison to the world: 85 paved: 12,350 km unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)

Waterways

1,200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2011) country comparison to the world: 60