LITMIR.BIZ

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      Afghanistan

      Introduction

      Afghanistan

      Background: Afghanistan's recent history is characterized by war and civil strife, with intermittent periods of relative calm and stability. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, giving rise to a state of warlordism that spawned the Taliban in the early 1990s. The Taliban was able to seize most of the country, aside from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast, until US and allied military action in support of the opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's downfall. The four largest Afghan opposition groups met in Bonn, Germany, in late 2001 and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001. In 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) - 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

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