Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Match 2 DB Rec# - 55,749 Dataset-WOFACT Source :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Source key :CI Program :WORLD FACTBOOK Program key :CI WOFACT Update sched. :Annually ID number :CI WOFACT 001 Title :AFGHANISTAN Data type :TEXT End year :1994 Date of record:02/16/1994 Keywords 3 : | AFGHANISTAN Text : AFGHANISTAN GEOGRAPHY Location: South Asia, between Iran and Pakistan Area: total area: 647,500 km2 land area: 647,500 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas Land boundaries: total 5,529 km, 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 International disputes: periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; Iran supports clients in country, private Pakistani and Saudi sources may also be active; power struggles among various groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries among emerging warlords, traditional tribal disputes continue; support to Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan (Durand Line) Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 46% forest and woodland: 3% other: 39% Irrigated land: 26,600 km2 (1989 est.) Environment: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution, flooding Note: landlocked PEOPLE Population: 16,494,145 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 2.45% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 43.83 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 19.33 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.41 years male: 45.09 years female: 43.71 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 6.34 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan Ethnic divisions: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 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: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 29% male: 44% female: 14% Labor force: 4.98 million by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7% (1980 est.) GOVERNMENT Names: conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan former: Republic of Afghanistan Digraph: AF Type: transitional government Capital: Kabul Administrative divisions: 30 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 note: there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan) Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK) Constitution: the old Communist-era constitution has been suspended; a new Islamic constitution has yet to be ratified Legal system: a new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional government has declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari'a) National holiday: Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August Political parties and leaders: current political organizations include Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI, Ahmad Shah MASOOD; Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic Party), Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction; Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party) Yunis KHALIS faction; Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF; Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement), Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan National Liberation Front), Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic Front), Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Hizbi Wahdat (Islamic Unity Party), Abdul Ali MAZARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI; a new northern organization consisting of resistance and former regional figures is Jonbesh-i-Milli Islami (National Islamic Movement), Rashid DOSTUM note: the former ruling Watan Party has been disbanded Other political or pressure groups: the former resistance commanders are the major power brokers in the countryside; shuras (councils) of commanders are now administering most cities outside Kabul; ulema (religious scholars); tribal elders Suffrage: undetermined; previously universal, male ages 15-50 Elections: President: last held NA December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1994); results - Burhanuddin RABBANI was elected to a two-year term by a national shura Executive branch: president, prime minister; Afghan leaders are still in the process of choosing a cabinet (May 1993) Legislative branch: a unicameral parliament consisting of 205 members was chosen by the shura in January 1993; non-functioning as of June 1993 Judicial branch: an interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been appointed, but a new court system has not yet been organized Leaders: Chief of State: President Burhanuddin RABBANI (since 2 January 1993); First Vice President Mohammad NABI Mohammadi (since NA); First Vice President Mohammad SHAH Fazli (since NA) Head of Government: Prime Minister-designate Gulbaddin HIKMATYAR (since Member of: AsDB (has previously been a member of), CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Abdul RAHIM chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-3770 or 3771 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant) embassy: Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: 62230 through 62235 or 62436 note: US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989 Flag: a new flag of unknown description reportedly has been adopted; previous flag consisted of three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green, with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi, which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band ECONOMY Overview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 13 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the past decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering more than 3 million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another 1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Although reliable data are unavailable, gross domestic product is lower than 12 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3 billion (1989 est.) National product real growth rate: NA% National product per capita: $200 (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 90% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA Exports: $236 million (f.o.b., FY91 est.) wool, cotton, hides, and pelts partners: former USSR, Pakistan Imports: $874 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.) commodities: food and petroleum products partners: former USSR, Pakistan External debt: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (FY91 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP Electricity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,000 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper Agriculture: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products - wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer (after Burma) and a major source of hashish Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $510 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1 billion; net official Western disbursements (1985-89), $270 million Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 1,019 (March 1993), 900 (November 1991), 850 (1991), 700 (1989-90), 220 (1988-89); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rates Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya Highways: 21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and tracks Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 metric tons Pipelines: petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km Ports: Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports) total: 41 usable: 36 with permanent-surface runways: 9 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 16 Telecommunications: limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast services; television introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station Defense forces Branches: the military still does not yet exist on a national scale; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias remain intact Manpower availability: males age 15-49 4,094,481; fit for military service 2,196,136; reach military age (22) annually 153,333 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: the new government has not yet adopted a defense budget -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM, July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries Local Filename: WF940001.TXT