Afghanistan

total:

23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)

per capita:

779 cu m/yr (2000)

• damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
• flooding;
• droughts

• limited natural freshwater 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

• 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)

noun:

Afghan(s)

adjective:

Afghan

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

malaria

animal contact disease:

rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

conventional long form:

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

conventional short form:

Afghanistan

local long form:

Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan

local short form:

Afghanistan

former:

Republic of Afghanistan

name:

Kabul

geographic coordinates:

34 31 N, 69 11 E

time difference:

UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat);
• Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

• sixth constitution drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004;
• signed 16 January 2004;
• ratified 26 January 2004

chief of state:

• President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004);
• First Vice President Mohammad FAHIM Khan (since 19 November 2009);
• Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004);
• First Vice President Mohammad FAHIM Khan (since 19 November 2009);
• Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004)

cabinet:

25 ministers; note - ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• the president and two vice presidents elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round;
• election last held on 20 August 2009 (next to be held in 2014)

election results:

• Hamid KARZAI reelected president;
• percent of vote (first round) - Hamid KARZAI 49.67%, Abdullah ABDULLAH 30.59%, Ramazan BASHARDOST 10.46%, Ashraf GHANI 2.94%;
• other 6.34%;
• note - ABDULLAH conceded the election to KARZAI following the first round vote

highest courts:

Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama; consists of 9 judges; judge selection & term of office:; justices appointed by the president with the endorsement of the Wolesi Jirga; justices serve non-renewable 10-year terms

subordinate courts:

Cassation and sharia

other:

• religious groups;
• tribal leaders;
• ethnically based groups;
• Taliban

chief of mission:

Ambassador Eklil Ahmad HAKIMI

chancery:

2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-6410

FAX:

[1] (202) 483-6488

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador James B. CUNNINGHAM

embassy:

The Great Masood Road, Kabul

mailing address:

U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806

telephone:

[93] 0700 108 001

FAX:

[93] 0700 108 564

• three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other two bands;
• the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK);
• this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan;
• black signifies the past, red is for the blood shed for independence, and green can represent either hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam

note: Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them

name:

"Milli Surood" (National Anthem)

lyrics/music:

Abdul Bari JAHANI/Babrak WASA

note: adopted 2006; the 2004 constitution of the post-Taliban government mandated that a new national anthem should be written containing the phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) and mentioning the names of Afghanistan's ethnic groups

agriculture:

78.6%

industry:

5.7%

services:

15.7% (FY08/09 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.8%

highest 10%:

24% (2008)

general assessment:

limited fixed-line telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks

domestic:

• aided by the presence of multiple providers, mobile-cellular telephone service continues to improve rapidly;
• the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Information claims that more than 90 percent of the population live in areas with access to mobile-cellular services

international:

country code - 93; multiple VSAT's provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2012)

• state-owned broadcaster, Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), operates a series of radio and television stations in Kabul and the provinces;
• an estimated 150 private radio stations, 50 TV stations, and about a dozen international broadcasters are available (2007)

total:

42,150 km

country comparison to the world: 85

paved:

12,350 km

unpaved:

29,800 km (2006)

males age 16-49:

7,056,339

females age 16-49:

6,653,419 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

4,050,222

females age 16-49:

3,797,087 (2010 est.)

male:

392,116

female:

370,295 (2010 est.)

• Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps;
• Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey;
• Iran protests Afghanistan's restricting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought;
• Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities;
• Russia remains concerned about the smuggling of poppy derivatives from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries

refugees (country of origin):

2,972 (Pakistan) (2011)

IDPs:

481,877 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west due to drought and instability) (2012)

• world's largest producer of opium;
• while poppy cultivation was relatively stable at 119,000 hectares in 2010, a poppy blight affecting the high cultivation areas in 2010 reduced potential opium production to 3,200 metric tons, down over 40 percent from 2009;
• the Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the opiate trade, which is a key source of revenue for the Taliban inside Afghanistan;
• widespread corruption and instability impede counterdrug efforts;
• most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium;
• vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial networks;
• regional source of hashish (2008)