275 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
275 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
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AFGHANISTAN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 647,500 km2; land area: 647,500 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
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Land boundaries: 5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km,
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Pakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Disputes: Pashtun question with Pakistan; Baloch question with Iran
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and Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights;
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insurgency with Iranian and Pakistani involvement; traditional tribal
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rivalries
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Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
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Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
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Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc,
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barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and
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semiprecious stones
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Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
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soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution
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Note: landlocked
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PEOPLE
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Population: US Bureau of the Census--16,450,304 (July 1991),
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growth rate 5.2% (1991) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan
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and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note--another report indicates a
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July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including 3,271,580 refugees in
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Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in Iran
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Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 28 migrants/1,000 population (1991);
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note--there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are
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fragmentary and unreliable
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Infant mortality rate: 164 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 43 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Afghan(s); adjective--Afghan
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Ethnic divisions: Pashtun 50%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 9%, Hazara
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12-15%; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and
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other
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Religion: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15%, other 1%
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Language: Pashtu 50%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 35%, Turkic
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languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages
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(primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%; much bilingualism
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Literacy: 29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%,
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industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other
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10.7%, (1980 est.)
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Organized labor: some small government-controlled unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Afghanistan
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Type: authoritarian
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Capital: Kabul
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Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (velayat,
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singular--velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh,
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Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand,
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Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar,
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Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan,
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Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol,
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Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note--there may be a new province of
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Nurestan (Nuristan)
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Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)
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Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987, revised May 1990
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Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April
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(1978)
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Executive branch: president, four vice presidents, prime minister,
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deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura)
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consists of an upper house or Council of Elders (Sena) and a lower house
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or Council of Representatives (Wolosi Jirga)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President (Mohammad)
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NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987); First Vice President
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Abdul Wahed SORABI (since 7 January 1991); Prime Minister Fazil Haq
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KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)
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Political parties and leaders: main party--Hizbi Watan Homeland
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Party (formerly known as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
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or PDPA); there are other, much smaller political parties recognized by
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the government
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Suffrage: universal, male ages 15-50
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Elections:
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Senate--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991);
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results--Hizbi Watan was the only party;
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seats--(192 total, 128 elected) Hizbi Watan 128;
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House of Representatives--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held
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April 1993);
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results--Hizbi Watan was the only party;
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seats--(234 total) Hizbi Watan 184, opposition 50;
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note--members may or may not be affiliated with a political party
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Communists: Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly the People's
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Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA) claims 200,000 members and no
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longer considers itself a Communist party
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Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches
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of internal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues
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throughout the country; widespread antiregime sentiment and opposition on
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religious and political grounds
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Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU,
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LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO;
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note--Afghanistan was suspended from the OIC in January 1980, but in
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March 1989 the self-proclaimed Mujaheddin Government of Afghanistan
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was given membership
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Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires
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Abdul Ghafur JOUSHAN; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington
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DC 20008;
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telephone (202) 234-3770 or 3771;
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US--Charge d'Affaires (vacant); Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir
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Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through 62235 or 62436;
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note--US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989
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Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green
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with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the
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black and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and
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bears a radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor,
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landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and
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livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however,
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have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals, including
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the nine-year Soviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the
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continuing bloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the
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population has fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering about 3.3
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million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another 1 million have
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probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large
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numbers of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or
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damaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims
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to the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is
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lower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital
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and the disruption of trade and transport.
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GDP: $3 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 92% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $306 million (FY91 est.)
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Exports: $236 million (f.o.b., FY90);
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commodities--natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven
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carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts;
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partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
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Imports: $874 million (c.i.f., FY90 est.);
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commodities--food and petroleum products;
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partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe
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External debt: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 8.1% (FY91 plan); accounts
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for about 25% of GDP
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Electricity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced,
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100 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,
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shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal,
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copper
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Agriculture: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal
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husbandry; cash products--wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool,
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mutton
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Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis
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for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer
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(after Burma) and a major source of hashish
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $322
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $465 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1 billion
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Currency: afghani (plural--afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls
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Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1--586 (March 1991)
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Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka
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(USSR) to Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (USSR) to
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Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
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Highways: 21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km
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bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth
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and tracks
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Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya,
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which handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons
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Pipelines: petroleum, oil, and lubricants pipelines--USSR
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to Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km
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Ports: Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)
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Civil air: 2 TU-154, 2 Boeing 727, 4 Yak-40, assorted smaller
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transports
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Airports: 40 total, 36 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: limited telephone, telegraph, and
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radiobroadcast services; television introduced in 1980; 31,200
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telephones; stations--5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special
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Guard/National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force
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(Sarandoi), Ministry of State Security (WAD), Tribal Militia
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,049,092; 2,171,757 fit for
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military service; 166,135 reach military age (22) annually
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Defense expenditures: $450 million, 15% of GDP (1990)
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