AFGHANISTAN

Headline facts Kabul

Full name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E

Population: 31,056,997 (as of July 2006)

The country in detail

• Afghanistan has an area of 647,500 square kilometres, which is slightly smaller than Texas.

• Afghanistan is landlocked and bordered by Pakistan (2,430 km) in the south and east, Iran (936 km) in the south and west, Turkmenistan (744 km), Uzbekistan (137km) and Tajikistan (1,206km) in the north and China (76km) in the far northeast.

• The climate is described as arid to semi-arid, that is it has cold winters and hot summers.

• Its lowest point is at 258m (Amu Darya) and its highest point is 7,485m (Nowshak).

• Its natural resources include natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones.

• Overall only 12.13 per cent of land in Afghanistan is arable land, with only 0.21 per cent of that consisting of permanent crops.

There was 27,200 square kilometres of irrigated land as of 2003.

• Its main agricultural products include: opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins and lambskins.

• The Hindu Kush mountains that run from the northeast to the southwest of the country divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country. The highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor).

• Its age structure is as follows (as of 2006): 0-14 years: 44.6 per cent (male 7,095,117 / female 6,763,759), 15-64 years: 53 per cent (male 8,436,716 / female 8,008,463), 65 years and over: 2.4 per cent (male 366,642 / female 386,300).

• Population growth rate: 2.67 per cent (as of 2006)

• Birth rate: 46.6 births per 1,000 population (as of 2006)

• Death rate: 20.34 deaths per 1,000 population (as of 2006)

• Net migration rate: 0.42 migrants per 1,000 population (as of 2006)

• Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.34 years, male: 43.16 years, female: 43.53 years (estimated in 2006)

• Nationality: noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan

• Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42 per cent, Tajik 27 per cent, Hazara nine per cent, Uzbek nine per cent, Aimak nine per cent, Turkmen three per cent, Baloch two per cent, other four per cent.

• Religions: Sunni Muslim 80 per cent, Shi’a Muslim 19 per cent, other one per cent

• Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50 per cent, Pashtu (official) 35 per cent, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11 per cent, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4 per cent. Many people are bilingual.

• It gained independence from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs on August 19 1919 and celebrates this day as a national holiday - Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

The unit of currency in Afghanistan is the Afghani. You get around 69.7944 Afghanis to one British pound.