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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Afghanistan Index
Afghanistan has fine pastures permitting a considerable
portion of its population, perhaps 9 percent, to engage in
nomadic pastoralism. This entails annual migrations with large
flocks of sheep and goats from lowland winter settlements, where
they sow and reap crops and live in housing of a fairly permanent
nature, to highland summer pastures located above 1,000 meters;
sometimes as high as 3,500 meters. Here they occupy fixed grazing
grounds which they do not own but on which they have traditional
grazing rights. Sometimes they pay a fee. Other nomadic groups
practice various types of trading. Uniquely adapted to the
environment, pastoral nomads help maintain the nation's ecosystem
and contribute substantially to the national economy.
Estimates of nomadic populations are even more uncertain than
those for settled populations. The figure of 1.5 million given in
many official publications in 1996 is an average of 1970
estimates which varied from 800,00 to over 2.5 million. Again the
wide range results from differences in definition and from the
fact that changes brought about by displacement and war have yet
to be adequately analyzed. Fully nomadic groups were always rare.
Some groups are semi-nomadic. In their case, a majority of the
group moves annually from summer to winter pastures, while fewer
remain behind in permanent settlements. In semi-sedentary groups,
a minority participate in the migrations.
Nomadic groups are found among the Pushtun, Baluch, Aimaq,
Turkmen, Arab, Uzbek, and Kirghiz; perhaps over 80 percent are
Durrani and Ghilzai Pushtun, Within each of these groups,
however, the nomads form a minority.
Many differences between groups have been described by leading
social scientists noted in the bibliography. Yet a few patterns
may be noted. During the fall and winter, nomadic groups live in
permanent or temporary housing on steppes and plains; in the
spring they move to lush pastures in the central mountains. The
big herds that travel along high mountain trails are composed
largely of sheep, including a highly valuable breed called
karakul or Persian Lamb, a major export. Only 10-40
percent of the herds are goats because the market price for sheep
is usually twice that of goats.
The flocks belong to single nuclear families from different
segments of subtribes and each household will own an average of
about 100 animals. Typically 4-6 households will join together to
form herd units of optimum size consistent with the labor
capacities of individual families and prevailing conditions of
the pastures. Each herd unit is tended by a shepherd, who is paid
a share of the lambs and kids born under his care.
Nuclear households grouped again by tribal segments move along
lower routes more suitable for the heavily laden camels, horses
and donkeys carrying household goods, women, children and the
elderly. These groups, accompanied by smaller numbers of animals
and guarded by fierce mastiff-like herd dogs, follow traditional
routes with little variation, moving only five kilometers or so a
day when travelling through grassy regions, but up to 20
kilometers a day when the terrain is barren. For some, the
migration may be only a matter of a few kilometers; others move
up to 500 kilometers away from their winter headquarters.
Camp sites seldom include more than 100 single household
dwellings; often no more than five. These portable dwellings are
of distinct shapes, including several variants of the classic
rectangular black goat's hair tent predominately used by Pushtun
and Baluch.
The nomads neither move nor live in isolation for they
maintain relationships with both agriculturalists and merchants
to whom they sell pastoral products, mainly live animals, wool,
skins and dairy products, in exchange for agricultural produce,
primarily cereals, household and luxury items, including radios.
Poorer nomadic families may serve farmers as seasonal labor
during harvest periods while richer nomads who extend credit may
acquire land from farmers who, unable to pay their debts, become
their tenants. Nomads also act as disseminators of local news.
Large-scale trading, money lending and casual labor opportunities
are often more important than herding to the eastern Ghilzai
whose caravans once reached deep into India (later Pakistan) as
far as what is now Bangladesh, as well as north to Bokhara, east
to China, and west to Iran. These far-flung migrations which had
taken place since the eleventh century virtually came to a halt
after the 1930s when the Soviet Union and China sealed their
borders. They experienced further curtailment after Pakistan
closed its border in 1961 during the Pushtunistan dispute.
Internally, the effects of increases in population,
modernization, state interventions and abnormal climatic
conditions causing market prices to fall necessitated severe
adjustments. For many nomads by the end of the 1970s their
situation deteriorated to such an extent that they were obliged
to settle down. The war exacerbated these trends. The
indiscriminate dropping of mines from helicopters onto pastures
is but one example. Despite this, many nomadic groups acquired
significant political power because of their major roles in the
resistance, particularly in the transportation of arms. They
became one of the best armed groups in Afghanistan.
This laid the ground for potential tensions over settlement
rights in the future as evidenced by controversies between
nomadic and settled groups that arose when nomads occupied land
around Khost because their traditional movement patterns had been
disrupted. In resolving the issue, the Taliban were obliged to
sanction the nomad occupations because of their superior
strength.
Other groups have also been forced to abandon their nomadic
way of life. Numbers of nomads have purchased shops in provincial
centers such as Khost and Gardez. A major portion of the Kirghiz
have resettled in Turkey. Among nomadic groups forming part
of
refugee populations in Pakistan, few have been able to retain
their flocks and the assistance community has been unable to
address their special needs. Yet, among the refugees there are a
few who have accumulated fabulous riches and live opulently in
elite suburbs of Peshawar, Islamabad and Karachi.
Data as of 1997
Afghans have developed a number of different strategies to
wrest a living from their difficult, often marginal environment.
Some pastoralist or herdsmen groups live a seasonally nomadic
existence although other herding communities are sedentary. Often
groups combine animal husbandry with agriculture; some rely very
little on livestock. These subsistence patterns are to some
extent fluid, pastoralists often changing their degree of
reliance on cultivation, depending on ecological, economic, and
political factors.
Pastoralism
Afghanistan has fine pastures permitting a considerable
portion of its population, perhaps 9 percent, to engage in
nomadic pastoralism. This entails annual migrations with large
flocks of sheep and goats from lowland winter settlements, where
they sow and reap crops and live in housing of a fairly permanent
nature, to highland summer pastures located above 1,000 meters;
sometimes as high as 3,500 meters. Here they occupy fixed grazing
grounds which they do not own but on which they have traditional
grazing rights. Sometimes they pay a fee. Other nomadic groups
practice various types of trading. Uniquely adapted to the
environment, pastoral nomads help maintain the nation's ecosystem
and contribute substantially to the national economy.
Estimates of nomadic populations are even more uncertain than
those for settled populations. The figure of 1.5 million given in
many official publications in 1996 is an average of 1970
estimates which varied from 800,00 to over 2.5 million. Again the
wide range results from differences in definition and from the
fact that changes brought about by displacement and war have yet
to be adequately analyzed. Fully nomadic groups were always rare.
Some groups are semi-nomadic. In their case, a majority of the
group moves annually from summer to winter pastures, while fewer
remain behind in permanent settlements. In semi-sedentary groups,
a minority participate in the migrations.
Nomadic groups are found among the Pushtun, Baluch, Aimaq,
Turkmen, Arab, Uzbek, and Kirghiz; perhaps over 80 percent are
Durrani and Ghilzai Pushtun, Within each of these groups,
however, the nomads form a minority.
Many differences between groups have been described by leading
social scientists noted in the bibliography. Yet a few patterns
may be noted. During the fall and winter, nomadic groups live in
permanent or temporary housing on steppes and plains; in the
spring they move to lush pastures in the central mountains. The
big herds that travel along high mountain trails are composed
largely of sheep, including a highly valuable breed called
karakul or Persian Lamb, a major export. Only 10-40
percent of the herds are goats because the market price for sheep
is usually twice that of goats.
The flocks belong to single nuclear families from different
segments of subtribes and each household will own an average of
about 100 animals. Typically 4-6 households will join together to
form herd units of optimum size consistent with the labor
capacities of individual families and prevailing conditions of
the pastures. Each herd unit is tended by a shepherd, who is paid
a share of the lambs and kids born under his care.
Nuclear households grouped again by tribal segments move along
lower routes more suitable for the heavily laden camels, horses
and donkeys carrying household goods, women, children and the
elderly. These groups, accompanied by smaller numbers of animals
and guarded by fierce mastiff-like herd dogs, follow traditional
routes with little variation, moving only five kilometers or so a
day when travelling through grassy regions, but up to 20
kilometers a day when the terrain is barren. For some, the
migration may be only a matter of a few kilometers; others move
up to 500 kilometers away from their winter headquarters.
Camp sites seldom include more than 100 single household
dwellings; often no more than five. These portable dwellings are
of distinct shapes, including several variants of the classic
rectangular black goat's hair tent predominately used by Pushtun
and Baluch.
The nomads neither move nor live in isolation for they
maintain relationships with both agriculturalists and merchants
to whom they sell pastoral products, mainly live animals, wool,
skins and dairy products, in exchange for agricultural produce,
primarily cereals, household and luxury items, including radios.
Poorer nomadic families may serve farmers as seasonal labor
during harvest periods while richer nomads who extend credit may
acquire land from farmers who, unable to pay their debts, become
their tenants. Nomads also act as disseminators of local news.
Large-scale trading, money lending and casual labor opportunities
are often more important than herding to the eastern Ghilzai
whose caravans once reached deep into India (later Pakistan) as
far as what is now Bangladesh, as well as north to Bokhara, east
to China, and west to Iran. These far-flung migrations which had
taken place since the eleventh century virtually came to a halt
after the 1930s when the Soviet Union and China sealed their
borders. They experienced further curtailment after Pakistan
closed its border in 1961 during the Pushtunistan dispute.
Internally, the effects of increases in population,
modernization, state interventions and abnormal climatic
conditions causing market prices to fall necessitated severe
adjustments. For many nomads by the end of the 1970s their
situation deteriorated to such an extent that they were obliged
to settle down. The war exacerbated these trends. The
indiscriminate dropping of mines from helicopters onto pastures
is but one example. Despite this, many nomadic groups acquired
significant political power because of their major roles in the
resistance, particularly in the transportation of arms. They
became one of the best armed groups in Afghanistan.
This laid the ground for potential tensions over settlement
rights in the future as evidenced by controversies between
nomadic and settled groups that arose when nomads occupied land
around Khost because their traditional movement patterns had been
disrupted. In resolving the issue, the Taliban were obliged to
sanction the nomad occupations because of their superior
strength.
Other groups have also been forced to abandon their nomadic
way of life. Numbers of nomads have purchased shops in provincial
centers such as Khost and Gardez. A major portion of the Kirghiz
have resettled in Turkey. Among nomadic groups forming part
of
refugee populations in Pakistan, few have been able to retain
their flocks and the assistance community has been unable to
address their special needs. Yet, among the refugees there are a
few who have accumulated fabulous riches and live opulently in
elite suburbs of Peshawar, Islamabad and Karachi.
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
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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.
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Location | | Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
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Area(sq km) | | total: 652,230 sq km
land: 652,230 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 33 00 N, 65 00 E
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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
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Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
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Climate | | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Noshak 7,485 m
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Natural resources | | natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 87.66% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 27,200 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 65 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)
per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 17.6 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.6 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 2.629% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 45.46 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 19.18 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 24% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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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.)
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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.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 44.64 years
male: 44.47 years
female: 44.81 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 6.53 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
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Religions(%) | | Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
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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
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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
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Government type | | Islamic republic
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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)
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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
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Constitution | | new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004; ratified 26 January 2004
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Legal system | | based on mixed civil and sharia law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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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%
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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
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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
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | other: religious groups; tribal leaders; ethnically based groups; Taliban
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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)
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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
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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.
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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
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $11.71 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 3.4% (2008 est.)
12.1% (2007 est.)
8.2% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $800 (2008 est.)
$800 (2007 est.)
$700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 31%
industry: 26%
services: 43%
note: data exclude opium production (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 15 million (2004 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 40% (2008 est.)
40% (2005 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 53% (2003)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | NA% of GDP
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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.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 13% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $1.688 billion (31 December 2008)
$1.426 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $1.219 billion (31 December 2008)
$958.6 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $363.6 million (31 December 2008)
$12.04 million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
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Economic aid - recipient | | $2.775 billion (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | NA% of GDP
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Agriculture - products | | opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
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Industries | | small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | NA%
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Current account balance | | -$67 million (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $327 million (2007)
$274 million (2006); note - not including illicit exports or reexports
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Exports - commodities(%) | | opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
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Exports - partners(%) | | India 20.5%, Pakistan 18.5%, US 17.2%, Tajikistan 13.3%, Netherlands 7.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $4.85 billion (2007)
$3.823 billion (2006)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
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Imports - partners(%) | | Pakistan 36.9%, US 9.5%, Germany 7.7%, India 5.2% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $NA
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Debt - external | | $8 billion (2004)
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Exchange rates | | afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
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Currency (code) | | afghani (AFA)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 460,000 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 8.45 million (2008)
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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)
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Internet country code | | .af
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Internet users | | 500,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 51 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 466 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 42,150 km
paved: 12,350 km
unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)
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Ports and terminals | | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
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Military branches | | Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan National Army Air Corps) (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 7,431,147
females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 4,371,193
females age 16-49: 4,072,945 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 382,720
female: 361,733 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
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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
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 839 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 36.3%
hydro: 63.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 1.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 230 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 5,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 4,404 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.01% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
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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)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 28.1%
male: 43.1%
female: 12.6% (2000 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 8 years
male: 11 years
female: 4 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | NA
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