THE WORLD FACTBOOK

       Table of Contents

      _@Afghanistan *Geography #_Total area: 647,500 km2; land area: 647,500 km2

      _#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

      _#_Land boundaries: 5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km

      _#_Coastline: none—landlocked

      _#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked

      _#_Disputes: Pashtun question with Pakistan; Baloch question with Iran and Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; insurgency with Iranian and Pakistani involvement; traditional tribal rivalries

      _#_Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

      _#_Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

      _#_Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

      _#_Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated NEGL%

      _#_Environment: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution

      _#_Note: landlocked

      _*People #_Population: US Bureau of the Census—16,450,304 (July 1991), growth rate 5.2% (1991) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note—another report indicates a July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including 3,271,580 refugees in Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in Iran

      _#_Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Death rate: 20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

      _#_Net migration rate: 28 migrants/1,000 population (1991); note—there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are fragmentary and unreliable

      _#_Infant mortality rate: 164 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

      _#_Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 43 years female (1991)

      _#_Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)

      _#_Nationality: noun—Afghan(s); adjective—Afghan

      _#_Ethnic divisions: Pashtun 50%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 9%, Hazara 12–15%; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and other

      _#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15%, other 1%

      _#_Language: Pashtu 50%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%; much bilingualism

      _#_Literacy: 29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

      _#_Labor force: 4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7%, (1980 est.)

      _#_Organized labor: some small government-controlled unions

      _*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Afghanistan

      _#_Type: authoritarian

      _#_Capital: Kabul

      _#_Administrative divisions: 30 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; note—there may be a new province of

       Nurestan (Nuristan)

      _#_Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)

      _#_Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987, revised May 1990

      _#_Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      _#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April (1978)

      _#_Executive branch: president, four vice presidents, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

      _#_Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of an upper house or Council of Elders (Sena) and a lower house or Council of Representatives (Wolosi Jirga)

      _#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

      _#_Leaders:

      Chief of State and Head of Government—President (Mohammad)

       NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987); First Vice President

       Abdul Wahed SORABI (since 7 January 1991); Prime Minister Fazil Haq

       KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)

      _#_Political parties and leaders: main party—Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly known as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA); there are other, much smaller political parties recognized by the government

      _#_Suffrage: universal, male ages 15–50

      _#_Elections:

      Senate—last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991); results—Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats—(192 total, 128 elected) Hizbi Watan 128;

      House of Representatives—last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results—Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats—(234 total) Hizbi Watan 184, opposition 50; note—members may or may not be affiliated with a political party

      _#_Communists: Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA) claims 200,000 members and no longer considers itself a Communist party

      _#_Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches of internal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues throughout the country; widespread antiregime sentiment and opposition on religious and political grounds

      _#_Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; note—Afghanistan was suspended from the OIC in January 1980, but in March 1989 the self-proclaimed Mujaheddin Government of Afghanistan was given membership

      _#_Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires Abdul Ghafur JOUSHAN; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234–3770 or 3771;

      US—Charge