The 2002 CIA World Factbook | Page 7

- made up of
30 members, headed by a chairman and five deputy chairmen - was
inaugurated on 22 December 2001 with about a six-month mandate to
be followed by a two-year Transitional Authority (TA) after which
elections are to be held; the structure of the follow-on TA will be
announced on 10 June 2002 when the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) is
convened chief of state: Chairman of the AIA, Hamad KARZAI (since
22 December 2001); note - presently the chairman is both chief of state
and head of government head of government: Chairman of the AIA,
Hamad KARZAI (since 22 December 2001); note - presently the
chairman is both chief of state and head of government cabinet: the
30-member AIA elections: NA
Legislative branch: nonfunctioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch: the Bonn Agreement calls for the establishment of a
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: NA; note - political parties in Afghanistan
are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new parties;
the three main groups represented in the Afghan Interim Authority
(AIA) are: the Northern Alliance (also known as the United Islamic
Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan) - the main opposition to the
Taliban - composed of different ethnic and political groups; the Rome
Group, associated with the former king of Afghanistan, composed
mainly of expatriate Afghans; and the Peshawar Group, another
expatriate group; there are also several "independent" groups
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA; note - ministries formed
under the Afghan Interim Authority(AIA) include former pressure
group leaders
International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC (suspended), IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC,
OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: ambassador Ishaq SHAHRYAR
(as of 19 June 2002) chancery: consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: 202-483-6410
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Robert Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in Kabul reopened 16
December 2001 following closure in January 1989 embassy: FAX: NA
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and
green with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem
features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and
right and by a bold Islamic inscription above
Economy Afghanistan
Economy - overview: Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and
goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political

and military upheavals during two decades of war, including the nearly
10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989).
During that conflict one-third of the population fled the country, with
Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million
refugees. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past
20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of
trade and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in
1998-2001. The majority of the population continues to suffer from
insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, problems
exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties. Inflation
remains a serious problem. Following the US-led coalition war that led
to the defeat of the Taliban in November 2001 and the formulation of
the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) resulting from the December 2001
Bonn Agreement, International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were
addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction
in January 2002, when $4.5 billion was collected for a trust fund to be
administered by the World Bank. Priority areas for reconstruction
include the construction of education, health, and sanitation facilities,
enhancement of administrative capacity, the development of the
agricultural sector, and the rebuilding of road, energy, and
telecommunication links.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60% industry: 20% services:
20% (1990 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services
10% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital
expenditures of $NA
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Electricity - production: 375 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36% hydro: 64% other:
0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 453.75 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 105 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskin,
and lambskin
Exports: $1.2 billion (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets,
wool,