|
General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
652,090 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
5,529 km |
|
Coastline: |
0 km
(landlocked) |
|
Capital: |
Kabul |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Kandahar, Herat,
Mazar-i-Sharif |
|
Official
Language: |
Pashtu and Dari |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Afghani (AFA) |
|
National Day: |
August 19 |
Location and
Geography
Afghanistan is
located in Central
Asia. It has borders
with Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan in the
North, China in the
North-east, Pakistan
in the East and
South, and Iran in
the West. The
country is split
from East to West by
the Hindu Kush
mountain range
culminating in the
East to the height
of 7315 m. With the
exception of the
South-west regions,
most of the
country’s landscape
is dominated by high
snow-capped
mountains and
traversed by deep
valleys. The
principal rivers
drain to the
South-west into the
Helmand and
Arghandab valleys
and then into the
desert. The country
has a typical
continental dry
climate,
characterised by
seasonal and daily
extremes of
temperature and
clearly defined
seasons. Winters are
cold and summers are
very hot.
Demography
|
Population:
|
23.30 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
49 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
21 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
165 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 43 years,
Female: 44 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
23.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
42.50 percent
(1998) |
Economy
Afghanistan is an
agricultural country
with the majority of
its population
engaged in this
sector. Although
only about 20
percent of the total
land area is
economically useful,
agriculture and
animal husbandry are
by far the most
important components
of the national
product. The major
cultivated crop is
wheat. Other
products are fruits,
nuts, wool and
mutton. Industry is
based on
agricultural and
pastoral raw
materials. Natural
resources are
natural gas,
petroleum, coal,
copper ore and
sulphur, lead and
zinc, talc, barytes,
salt, precious
stones and iron ore.
The country is also
potentially rich in
hydroelectric
resources. Natural
gas is its major
export commodity.
There is a
small-scale
production of
textiles, soap,
furniture, shoes,
fertilisers, cement,
copper and hand
woven carpets.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
11800 million
US$ (1990) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
799 US$ (1990) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
52.0%
Agriculture,
24.1% Industry,
23.9% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
99 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
636 million US$
(2000) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Fruits and nuts,
hand-woven
carpets, wool,
cotton, hides
and natural gas |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Foodstuff and
petroleum
products |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Pakistan, India,
South Korea and
Japan |
|
