Geography
Area: 647,500 sq. km. (249,935 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas.
Cities: Capital (1999/2000 UN est.) Kabul--1,780,000. Other
cities (1988 UN est.; current figures are probably significantly
higher)--Kandahar (226,000); Herat (177,000); Mazar-e-Sharif
(131,000); Jalalabad (58,000); Konduz (57,000).
Terrain: Landlocked; mostly mountains and desert.
Climate: Dry, with cold winters and hot summers.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Afghan(s).
Population: 28,717,213 (July 2003 est.). More than 4 million Afghans
live outside the country, mainly in Pakistan and Iran, although over
two and a half million have returned since the removal of the Taliban.
Annual population growth rate (2003 est.): 3.38%. This rate does not
take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact.
Main ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq,
Baluch, Nuristani, Kizilbash.
Religions: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%.
Main languages: Dari (Afghan Persian), Pashto.
Education: Approximately 4 million children, of whom some 30% are
girls, enrolled in school during 2003. Literacy (2001
est.)--36% (male 51%, female 21%), but real figures may be lower given
breakdown of education system and flight of educated Afghans.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2003)—142.48/1,000. Life
expectancy (2003 est.)--47.67 yrs. (male); 46.23 yrs. (female).
Work force: Mostly in rural agriculture; number cannot be estimated
due to conflict.
Government
Christian singles note- Afghanistan identifies
itself as an "Islamic Republic."
Independence: August 19, 1919 (from U.K. control over Afghan foreign
affairs).
Constitution: Adopted on January 4, 2004, paving the way for
nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections. Afghanistan held
its first national democratic Presidential elections on October 9,
2004. Hamid Karzai was announced as the official winner on November 3,
2004 and inaugurated on December 7, 2004. Parliamentary and local
elections are planned for spring 2005.
Economy
GDP: $4 billion (2002-03 est.).
Per capita GDP: $180-$190 (based on 22 million population estimate).
Purchasing parity power: $19 billion (2002 est.)
GDP growth: 28.6% (2002-03 est.)
Natural resources: Natural gas, oil, coal, copper, chromite, talc,
barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron, salt, precious and semiprecious
stones.
Agriculture (estimated 52% of GDP): Products--wheat, corn,
barley, rice, cotton, fruit, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, and mutton.
Industry (estimated 26% of GDP): Types--small-scale production
for domestic use of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and
cement; hand-woven carpets for export; natural gas, precious and
semiprecious gemstones.
Services (estimated 22% of GDP): transport, retail, and
telecommunications.
Trade (2002-03 est.): Exports--$100 million (does not include
opium): fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semiprecious gems. Major markets--Central
Asian republics, Pakistan, Iran, EU, India. Estimates show that the
figure for 2001 was much lower, except for opium. Imports--$2.3
billion: food, petroleum products, machinery, and consumer goods.
Estimates show that imports were severely reduced in 2001. Major
suppliers--Central Asian republics, Pakistan, Iran.
Currency: The currency is the afghani, which was reintroduced as
Afghanistan’s new currency in January 2003. The exchange rate of the
new currency has remained broadly stable since the completion of the
conversion process from the country’s old afghani currency. At
present, $1 U.S. equals approximately 43 afghanis. Since its inception
the new afghani has gained gradual acceptance throughout the country,
but other foreign currencies are also still frequently accepted as
legal tender.
PEOPLE
Afghanistan's ethnically and linguistically mixed population
reflects its location astride historic trade and invasion routes
leading from Central Asia into South and Southwest Asia. Pashtuns are
the dominant ethnic group, accounting for about 38-44% of the
population. Tajik (25%), Hazara (10-19%), Uzbek (6-8%), Aimaq,
Turkmen, Baluch, and other small groups also are represented. Dari
(Afghan Persian) and Pashto are official languages. Dari is spoken by
more than one-third of the population as a first language and serves
as a lingua franca for most Afghans, though the Taliban use Pashto.
Tajik, Uzbek, and Turkmen are spoken widely in the north. Smaller
groups throughout the country also speak more than 70 other languages
and numerous dialects.
Christian singles note-Afghanistan is an
Islamic country. An estimated 84% of the population is Sunni,
following the Hanafi school of jurisprudence; the remainder is
predominantly Shi'a, mainly Hazara. Despite attempts during the years
of communist rule to secularize Afghan society, Islamic practices
pervade all aspects of life. In fact, Islam served as the principal
basis for expressing opposition to the communists and the Soviet
invasion. Likewise, Islamic religious tradition and codes, together
with traditional practices, provide the principal means of controlling
personal conduct and settling legal disputes. Excluding urban
populations in the principal cities, most Afghans are divided into
tribal and other kinship-based groups, which follow traditional
customs and religious practices
