The 2002 CIA World Factbook | Page 6

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% permanent crops: 0% other: 88% (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: 27,755,775 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291; female 5,706,542)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101; female 7,382,101) 65 years and
over: 2.8% (male 410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.43% note: this rate reflects the continued
return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 41.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 144.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 45.85 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 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 male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.) total population: 36%
People - note: large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on
neighboring states
Government Afghanistan
Country name: conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye
Afghanestan
Government type: transitional
Capital: Kabul
Administrative divisions: 32 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,
Nurestan, and Khowst
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign
affairs)
National holiday: Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Constitution: the Bonn Agreement calls for a Constitutional Loya Jirga
(Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment
of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country;
the basis for the next constitution is the 1963/64 Constitution,
according to the Bonn Agreement
Legal system: the Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to
rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles,
international standards, the rule of law, and Afghan legal traditions
Suffrage: NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Executive branch: note: following the Taliban's refusal to hand over
Usama bin LADIN to the US for his suspected involvement in the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, a US-led international
coalition was formed; after several weeks of aerial bombardment by
coalition forces and military action on the ground, including Afghan
opposition forces, the Taliban was ousted from power on 17 November
2001; in December 2001 a number of prominent Afghans met under
UN auspices in Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan for governing the
country; as a result, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA)