MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Afghanistan Index
The welcome Daoud received on returning to power on July 17,
1973 reflected the citizenry's disappointment with the lackluster
politics of the preceding decade. King Zahir's "New Democracy"
had promised much but had delivered little. Daoud's comeback was
a return to traditional strongman rule and he was a particularly
appealing figure to military officers. As prime minister, Daoud
had obtained large supplies of modern arms from the Soviet Union
and he had been a former army officer himself. Also, his strong
position on the Pashtunistan issue had not been forgotten by
conservative Pashtun officers.
Daoud discussed rebellion for more than a year with various
opposition elements--both moderates and leftists, including
military officers who were members of both the Khalqi and
Parchami factions of the PDPA. Certainly the communists had
worked vigorously to undermine Zahir Shah's experiment in
constitutional democracy. Their inflammatory speeches in
parliament and organized street riots were tactics which alarmed
the king to the degree that he refused to sign the law legalizing
political parties. Karmal's Parcham faction became integrally
involved in planning the coup. There is general agreement that
Daoud had been meeting with what he called various "friends" for
more than a year. The coup itself was carried out by junior
officers trained in the Soviet Union. Some Afghans suspected that
Daoud and Karmal had been in touch for many years and that Daoud
had used him as an informant on the leftist movement. No strong
link can be cited to support this, however, other than the
closeness between Karmal's father, an army general, and Daoud. At
the time of the July 1973 coup, which took place when the king
was in Italy receiving eye treatment at the medicinal mud baths
at Ischia, Italy, it was sometimes difficult to assess the
factional and party affiliation of the officers who took place.
Despite a number of conversions of Parchamis to the Khalqi
faction by the time of the communist coup of April 1978 which
overthrew Daoud, both party and factional loyalties became
obvious after the PDPA took power.
Although leftists had played a central role in the coup, and
despite the appointment of two leftists as ministers, evidence
suggests that the coup was Daoud's alone. Officers personally
loyal to him were placed in key positions while young Parchamis
were sent to the provinces, probably to get them out of Kabul,
until Daoud had purged the leftist officers by the end of
1975.
The next year, Daoud established his own political party, the
National Revolutionary Party, which became the focus of all
political activity. In January 1977, a loyal jirgah approved
Daoud's constitution establishing a presidential, one party
system of government.
Any resistance to the new regime was suppressed. A coup
attempt by Maiwandwal, which may have been planned before Daoud
took power, was subdued shortly after his coup. In October 1973,
Maiwandwal, a former prime minister and a highly respected former
diplomat, died in prison at a time when Parchamis controlled the
Ministry of Interior under circumstances corroborating the
widespread belief that he had been tortured to death.
While both of the PDPA's factions had attempted to collaborate
with Daoud before the 1973 coup, Parcham used its advantage to
recruit on an unprecedented scale immediately following the coup.
Daoud, however, soon made it clear that he was no front man and
that he had not adopted the claims of any ideological faction. He
began in the first months of his regime to ease Parcharmis out of
his cabinet. Perhaps not to alienate the Soviet Union, Daoud was
careful to cite inefficiency and not ideological reasons for the
dismissals. Khalq, seeing an opportunity to make some short-term
gains at Parcham's expense, suggested to Daoud that "honest"
Khalqis replace corrupt Parchamis. Daoud, wary of ideologues,
ignored this offer.
Daoud's ties with the Soviet Union, like his relations with
Afghan communists, deteriorated during his five year presidency.
This loosening of ties with the Soviet Union was gradual. Daoud's
shift to the right and realignment made the Soviets anxious but
western observers noted that Daoud remained solicitous of Soviet
interests and Afghanistan's representative in the United Nations
voted regularly with the Soviet Bloc or with the group of
nonaligned countries. The Soviets remained by far Afghanistan's
largest aid donor and were influential enough to insist that no
Western activity, economic or otherwise, be permitted in northern
Afghanistan.
Daoud still favored a state-centered economy, and, three years
after coming to power, he drew up an ambitious seven-year
economic plan (1976-83) that included major projects and required
a substantial influx of foreign aid. As early as 1974, Daoud
began distancing himself from over-reliance on the Soviet Union
for military and economic support. That same year, he formed a
military training program with India, and opened talks with Iran
on economic development aid. Daoud also turned to other oil-rich
Muslim nations, such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait, for
financial assistance.
Pashtunistan zealots confidently expected the new president to
raise this issue with Pakistan, and in the first few months of
the new regime, bilateral relations were poor. Efforts by Iran
and the United States to cool a tense situation succeeded after a
time, and by 1977 relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had
notably improved. During Daoud's March 1978 visit to Islamabad,
an agreement was reached whereby President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq of
Pakistan released Pashtun and Baloch militants from prison in
exchange for Daoud withdrawing support for these groups and
expelling Pashtun and Baloch militants taking refuge in
Afghanistan.
Daoud's initial visit to the Soviet Union in 1974 was
friendly, despite disagreement on the Pashtunistan issue. By the
time of Daoud's second visit in April 1977, the Soviets knew of
his purge of the left begun in 1975, his removal of Soviet
advisers from some Afghan military units, and his changes in
military training whereby other nations, especially India and
Egypt, trained Afghans with Soviet weapons. Despite official
goodwill, unofficial reports circulated of sharp Soviet criticism
of anticommunists in Daoud's new cabinet, of his failure to
cooperate with the PDPA, and of his criticism of Cuba's role in
the nonaligned movement. Furthermore, Daoud was friendly with
Iran and Saudi Arabia, and he had scheduled a visit to Washington
for the spring of 1978.
By 1978 Daoud had achieved little of what he had set out to
accomplish. Despite good harvests in 1973 and subsequent years,
no real economic progress had been made, and the Afghan standard
of living had not improved. By the spring of 1978, he had
alienated most key political groups by gathering power into his
own hands and refusing to tolerate dissent. Although Muslim
fundamentalists had been the object of repression as early as
1974, their numbers had nonetheless increased. Diehard
Pashtunistan supporters were disillusioned with Daoud's
rapprochement with Pakistan, especially by what they regarded as
his commitment in the 1977 agreement not to aid Pashtun militants
in Pakistan.
Most ominous for Daoud were developments among Afghan
communists. In March 1977, despite reaching a fragile agreement
on reunification, Parcham and Khalq remained mutually suspicious.
The military arms of each faction were not coordinated because,
by this time, Khalqi military officers vastly outnumbered
Parchami officers and feared the latter might inform Daoud of
this, raising his suspicion that a coup was imminent. Although
plans for a coup had long been discussed, according to a
statement by Hafizullah Amin, the April 1978 coup was implemented
about two years ahead of time.
The April 19, 1978, funeral for Mir Akbar Khyber, a prominent
Parchami ideologue who had been murdered, served as a rallying
point for Afghan communists. An estimated 10,000 to 30,000
persons gathered to hear stirring speeches by Taraki and Karmal.
Shocked by this demonstration of communist unity, Daoud ordered
the arrest of PDPA leaders, but he reacted too slowly. It took
him a week to arrest Taraki, and Amin was merely placed under
house arrest. According to later PDPA writings, Amin sent
complete orders for the coup from his home while it was under
armed guard using his family as messengers. The army had been put
on alert on April 26 because of a presumed "anti-Islamic" coup.
Given Daoud's repressive and suspicious mood, officers known to
have differed with Daoud, even those without PDPA ties or with
only tenuous connections to the communists, moved hastily to
prevent their own downfall.
On April 27, 1978, a coup d'état beginning with troop
movements at the military base at Kabul International Airport,
gained ground slowly over the next twenty-four hours as rebels
battled units loyal to Daoud in and around the capital. Daoud and
most of his family were shot in the presidential palace the
following day. Two hundred and thirty-one years of royal rule by
Ahmad Shah and his descendants had ended, but it was less clear
what kind of regime had succeeded them.
Data as of 1997
- Afghanistan-Jat
- Afghanistan-Pakistan's Policies and Misperceptions
- Afghanistan-The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Since 1992
- Afghanistan-Early Development of Islam
- Afghanistan-AFGHANISTAN'S PROSPECTS
- Afghanistan-Nuristani
- Afghanistan-Disenchantment with the Reforms
- Afghanistan-Literacy
- Afghanistan-POPULATION
- Afghanistan-THE ATTEMPT TO MODERNIZE: 1953-73
- Afghanistan-Regions
- Afghanistan-Modernization and Development of Institutions
- Afghanistan-Tribes
- Afghanistan-Current Activities Adult Literacy
- Afghanistan-Enrollment
- Afghanistan-The Search for Popular Support
- Afghanistan-Mughal-Safavid Rivalry, ca - 1500-1747
- Afghanistan-Ethnic Groups
- Afghanistan-Tajik
- Afghanistan-The Rise of Dost Mohammad THE GREAT GAME
- Afghanistan-The Council of Commanders, 1990-92
- Afghanistan-The Role of Islam
- Afghanistan-Stalemate: The Civil War, 1989-92
- Afghanistan-Ghaznavid and Ghorid Rule
- Afghanistan-Arab
- Afghanistan-Emergence of Modern Islamic Thought in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Neighboring Governments: Involvements and Interference
- Afghanistan-Sunnis of the Hanafi School
- Afghanistan-GENDER ROLES
- Afghanistan-The Struggle for Kabul
- Afghanistan-Teacher Training
- Afghanistan-The Second Anglo-Afghan War
- Afghanistan-RELIGION
- Afghanistan-Tenets of Islam
- Afghanistan-Administrative Structure
- Afghanistan-Pakistan's Support of Afghan Islamists, 1975-79
- Afghanistan-Kabuli
- Afghanistan-CHAPTER 4 - GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Afghanistan-Factionalism
- Afghanistan-Reform, Popular Reaction, and Forced Abdication
- Afghanistan-The Controversy Over Weapons Distribution
- Afghanistan-The Constitutional Period, 1964-73
- Afghanistan-Curriculum
- Afghanistan-Turkmen
- Afghanistan-Internal Refugees: Flight to the Cities
- Afghanistan-SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Afghanistan-FAMILY
- Afghanistan-MUHAMMAD NADIR SHAH, 1929-33
- Afghanistan-Mongol Rule, 1220-1506
- Afghanistan-Daoud as Prime Minister, 1953-63
- Afghanistan-CHAPTER 1 - HISTORICAL SETTING
- Afghanistan-The Path to Victory and Chaos: 1979-92
- Afghanistan-Saudi Arabia
- Afghanistan-The Islamabad and Jalalabad Accords, March-April 1993
- Afghanistan-Meaning and Practice
- Afghanistan-Rivers
- Afghanistan-WARFARE AND CIVIC CULTURE
- Afghanistan-Early Links with the Soviet Union
- Afghanistan-THE REIGN OF KING HABIBULLAH, 1901-1919
- Afghanistan-Politicized Islam
- Afghanistan-Islamic Expression in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Consolidation of the Modern State ABDUR RAHMAN KHAN, "THE IRON AMIR," 1880-1901
- Afghanistan-Mountains
- Afghanistan-THE PRE-ISLAMIC PERIOD
- Afghanistan-The Failure to Bring Peace
- Afghanistan-Its Social Basis, A Segmented Society THE AFGHAN RESISTANCE
- Afghanistan-The Islamic Youth Movement
- Afghanistan-The United Nations Plan for Political Accommodation
- Afghanistan-The Fall of Kabul, April 1992
- Afghanistan-Government Organization
- Afghanistan-Disinterest in Unity
- Afghanistan-Uzbek
- Afghanistan-The Ghilzai Factor
- Afghanistan-REFUGEES AND REPATRIATION
- Afghanistan-DAOUD'S REPUBLIC, JULY 1973- APRIL 1978
- Afghanistan-DAUD'S REPUBLIC: 1973-78
- Afghanistan-Ismailis
- Afghanistan-The Islamist Factor
- Afghanistan-Interethnic Relations Non-Muslims
- Afghanistan-The Shafiq Government: A Last Attempt at Reform
- Afghanistan-Central Asian and Sassanian Rule, ca - 150 B.C.-700 A.D.
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Internecine Violence
- Afghanistan-Expatriate Misperceptions
- Afghanistan-Sunni and Shia Islam
- Afghanistan-1995: A Changed Situation
- Afghanistan-Third Anglo-Afghan War and Independence THE REIGN OF KING AMANULLAH, 1919-29
- Afghanistan-The Pashtunistan Issue
- Afghanistan-The Demise of the Soviet Union, 1991 MUJAHIDIN VICTORY: THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN
- Afghanistan-AFGHANISTAN
- Afghanistan-ISLAMIC CONQUEST
- Afghanistan-The King Reigns: The Last Decade of the Monarchy, 1963-73
- Afghanistan-Mixed Subsistence Patterns
- Afghanistan-Alexander and Greek Rule, 330-ca - 150 B.C.
- Afghanistan-THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Pastoralism MODES OF SUBSISTENCE
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Sufis
- Afghanistan-Achaemenid Rule, ca - 550-331 B.C.
- Afghanistan-EDUCATION
- Afghanistan-CHAPTER 2 - THE SOCIETY AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
- Afghanistan-The Peshawar Accord, April 25, 1992
- Afghanistan-Pakistan's Attempt at a Political Solution, 1987-88
- Afghanistan-Mujahidin Attempts to Govern, 1992-95
- Afghanistan-Climate
- Afghanistan-Baluch
- Afghanistan-The Mujahidin Parties
- Afghanistan-Qizilbash
- Afghanistan-Najibullah's Leadership, 1986-92
- Afghanistan-AHMAD SHAH AND THE DURRANI EMPIRE
- Afghanistan-The Soviet Decision to Withdraw, 1986-88
- Afghanistan-Other Groups
- Afghanistan-Higher Education
- Afghanistan-TAJIK RULE, JANUARY-OCTOBER 1929
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-The April 1978 Coup d'etat and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan USURPATION, INVASION AND WAR: 1978-92
- Afghanistan-Brahui
- Afghanistan-The Decision to Accept Soviet Economic and Military Assistance
- Afghanistan-Experiment with Liberalized Politics
- Afghanistan-Hazara
- Afghanistan-Sufism
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Khalis and the Moderate Parties
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-Iran
- Afghanistan
- Afghanistan-The First Anglo-Afghan War
- Afghanistan-Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Background | | Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
|
Location | | Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 652,230 sq km land: 652,230 sq km water: 0 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 33 00 N, 65 00 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | 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(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
Climate | | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Noshak 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: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 27,200 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 65 cu km (1997)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%) per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)
|
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: 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
|
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)
|
Population | | 28.396 million (July 2009 est.) note: this is a significantly revised figure; the previous estimate of 33,609,937 was extrapolated from the last Afghan census held in 1979, which was never completed because of the Soviet invasion; a new Afghan census is scheduled to take place in 2010
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 44.5% (male 7,664,670/female 7,300,446) 15-64 years: 53% (male 9,147,846/female 8,679,800) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 394,572/female 422,603) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 17.6 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.6 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 2.629% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 45.46 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 19.18 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 24% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 151.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 156.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 147.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 44.64 years male: 44.47 years female: 44.81 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 6.53 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
|
Religions(%) | | Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
|
Languages(%) | | Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan
|
Government type | | Islamic republic
|
Capital | | 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)
|
Administrative divisions | | 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
|
Constitution | | new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004; ratified 26 January 2004
|
Legal system | | based on mixed civil and sharia law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President 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; former King ZAHIR Shah held the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presided symbolically over certain occasions but lacked any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary; King ZAHIR Shah died on 23 July 2007 head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Fahim KHAN (since 19 November 2009); Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004) cabinet: 25 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly elections: the president and two vice presidents are 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; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 20 August 2009 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Hamid KARZAI reelected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 49.67%, Abdullah ABDULLAH 30.59%, Ramazan BASHARDOST 10.46%, Ashraf GHANI 2.94%; other 6.34%
|
Legislative branch | | the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms, and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next election expected in 2010) election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system used in the election did not make use of political party slates; most candidates ran as independents
|
Judicial branch | | the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | other: religious groups; tribal leaders; ethnically based groups; Taliban
|
International organization participation | | ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
|
Flag description | | 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
|
Economy - overview | | Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current level, among the lowest in the world. International pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $57 billion at three donors' conferences since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $3 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $22.32 billion (2008 est.) $21.58 billion (2007 est.) $19.25 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $11.71 billion (2008 est.)
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 3.4% (2008 est.) 12.1% (2007 est.) 8.2% (2006 est.)
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $800 (2008 est.) $800 (2007 est.) $700 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 31% industry: 26% services: 43% note: data exclude opium production (2008 est.)
|
Labor force | | 15 million (2004 est.)
|
Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 80% industry: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.)
|
Unemployment rate(%) | | 40% (2008 est.) 40% (2005 est.)
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 53% (2003)
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
|
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | NA% of GDP
|
Budget | | revenues: $890 million expenditures: $2.7 billion note: Afghanistan has also received $2.6 billion from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (2007 est.)
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 13% (2007 est.)
|
Stock of money | | $1.688 billion (31 December 2008) $1.426 billion (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of quasi money | | $1.219 billion (31 December 2008) $958.6 million (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of domestic credit | | $363.6 million (31 December 2008) $12.04 million (31 December 2007)
|
Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
|
Economic aid - recipient | | $2.775 billion (2005)
|
Public debt(% of GDP) | | NA% of GDP
|
Agriculture - products | | opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
|
Industries | | small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
|
Industrial production growth rate(%) | | NA%
|
Current account balance | | -$67 million (2007 est.)
|
Exports | | $327 million (2007) $274 million (2006); note - not including illicit exports or reexports
|
Exports - commodities(%) | | opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
|
Exports - partners(%) | | India 20.5%, Pakistan 18.5%, US 17.2%, Tajikistan 13.3%, Netherlands 7.2% (2008)
|
Imports | | $4.85 billion (2007) $3.823 billion (2006)
|
Imports - commodities(%) | | capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
|
Imports - partners(%) | | Pakistan 36.9%, US 9.5%, Germany 7.7%, India 5.2% (2008)
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $NA
|
Debt - external | | $8 billion (2004)
|
Exchange rates | | afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
|
Currency (code) | | afghani (AFA)
|
Telephones - main lines in use | | 460,000 (2008)
|
Telephones - mobile cellular | | 8.45 million (2008)
|
Telephone system | | general assessment: limited landline telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers, mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidly international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2007)
|
Internet country code | | .af
|
Internet users | | 500,000 (2008)
|
Airports | | 51 (2009)
|
Pipelines(km) | | gas 466 km (2008)
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 42,150 km paved: 12,350 km unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)
|
Ports and terminals | | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
|
Military branches | | Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan National Army Air Corps) (2009)
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)
|
Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 7,431,147 females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)
|
Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 4,371,193 females age 16-49: 4,072,945 (2009 est.)
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 382,720 female: 361,733 (2009 est.)
|
Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
|
Disputes - international | | Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border with Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to foreign terrorists and other illegal activities
|
Refugees and internally displaced persons | | IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2007)
|
Electricity - production(kWh) | | 839 million kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 36.3% hydro: 63.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 1.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 230 million kWh (2007 est.)
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 5,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 4,404 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.01% (2001 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | NA
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
|
Major infectious diseases | | 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)
|
Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 28.1% male: 43.1% female: 12.6% (2000 est.)
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 8 years male: 11 years female: 4 years (2004)
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | NA
|
|
|