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Afghanistan Index
Although Shariah courts existed in urban centers after Ahmad
Shah Durrani established an Afghan state in 1747, the primary
judicial basis for the society remained in the tribal code of the
Pushtunwali until the end of the nineteenth century.
Sporadic fatwas (formal legal opinions) were issued and
occasional jihads were called not so much to advance
Islamic ideology as to sanction the actions of specific
individuals against their political opponents so that power might
be consolidated.
The first systematic employment of Islam as an instrument for
state-building was introduced by Amir Abdur Rahman (1880-1901)
during his drive toward centralization. He decreed that all laws
must comply with Islamic law and thus elevated the
Shariah over customary laws embodied in the
Pushtunwali. The ulama were enlisted to
legitimize and sanction his state efforts as well as his central
authority. This enhanced the religious community on the one hand,
but as they were increasingly inducted into the bureaucracy as
servants of the state, the religious leadership was ultimately
weakened. Many economic privileges enjoyed by religious
personalities and institutions were restructured within the
framework of the state, the propagation of learning, once the
sole prerogative of the ulama, was closely supervised, and the
Amir became the supreme arbiter of justice.
His successors continued and expanded Amir Abdur Rahman's
policies as they increased the momentum of secularization. Islam
continued central to interactions, but the religious
establishment remained essentially non-political, functioning as
a moral rather than a political influence. Nevertheless, Islam
asserted itself in times of national crisis. And, when the
religious leadership considered themselves severely threatened,
charismatic religious personalities periodically employed Islam
to rally disparate groups in opposition to the state. They rose
up on several occasions against King Amanullah (1919-929), for
example, in protest against reforms they believed to be western
intrusions inimical to Islam.
Subsequent rulers, mindful of traditional attitudes
antithetical to secularization were careful to underline the
compatibility of Islam with modernization. Even so, and despite
its pivotal position within the society which continued to draw
no distinction between religion and state, the role of religion
in state affairs continued to decline.
The 1931 Constitution made the Hanafi Shariah the
state religion, while the 1964 Constitution simply prescribed
that the state should conduct its religious ritual according to
the Hanafi School. The 1977 Constitution, declared Islam the
religion of Afghanistan, but made no mention that the state
ritual should be Hanafi. The Penal Code (1976) and Civil Law
(1977), covering the entire field of social justice, represent
major attempts to cope with elements of secular law, based on,
but superseded by other systems. Courts, for instance, were
enjoined to consider cases first according to secular law,
resorting to the BCShariah in areas where secular law did not
exist. By 1978, the government of the Peoples Democratic Party of
Afghanistan (PDPA) openly expressed its aversion to the religious
establishment. This precipitated the fledgling Islamist Movement
into a national revolt; Islam moved from its passive stance on
the periphery to play an active role.
Politicized Islam in Afghanistan represents a break from
Afghan traditions. The Islamist Movement originated in 1958 among
faculties of Kabul University, particularly within the Faculty of
Islamic Law which had been formed in 1952 with the announced
purpose of raising the quality of religious teaching to
accommodate modern science and technology. The founders were
largely professors influenced by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood,
a party formed in the 1930s that was dedicated to Islamic
revivalism and social, economic, and political equity. Their
objective is to come to terms with the modern world through the
development of a political ideology based on Islam. The Afghan
leaders, while indebted to many of these concepts, did not forge
strong ties to similar movements in other countries.
The liberalization of government attitudes following the
passage of the 1964 Constitution ushered in a period of intense
activism among students at Kabul University. Professors and their
students set up the Muslim Youth Organization (Sazmani Jawanani
Musulman) in the mid-1960s at the same time that the leftists
were also forming many parties. Initially communist students
outnumbered the Muslim students, but by 1970 the Muslim Youth had
gained a majority in student elections. Their membership was
recruited from university faculties and from secondary schools in
several cities such as Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat. These professors
and students became the leaders of the Afghan Resistance in the
1980s.
With the takeover of government by the PDPA in April 1978,
Islam became central to uniting the opposition against the
communist ideology of the new rulers. As a politico-religious
system, Islam is ideally suited to the needs of a diverse,
unorganized, often mutually antagonistic citizenry wishing to
forge a united front against a common enemy; and war permitted
various groups within the mujahidin to put into effect competing
concepts of organization.
The mujahidin leaders were charismatic figures with dyadic
ties to followers. In many cases military and political leaders
replaced the tribal leadership; at times the religious leadership
was strengthened; often the religious combined with the political
leadership. Followers selected their local leaders on the basis
of personal choice and precedence among regions, sects, ethnic
groups or tribes, but the major leaders rose to prominence
through their ties to outsiders who controlled the resources of
money and arms.
With the support of foreign aid, the mujahidin were ultimately
successful in their jihad to drive out the Soviet forces, but not
in their attempts to construct a political alternative to govern
Afghanistan after their victory. Throughout the war, the
mujahidin were never fully able to replace traditional structures
with a modern political system based on Islam. Most mujahidin
commanders either used traditional patterns of power, becoming
the new khans, or sought to adapt modern political
structures to the traditional society. In time the prominent
leaders accumulated wealth and power and, in contrast to the
past, wealth became a determining factor in the delineation of
power at all levels.
With the departure of foreign troops and the long sought
demise of Kabul's leftist government, The Islamic State of
Afghanistan finally came into being in April 1992. This
represented a distinct break with Afghan history, for religious
specialists had never before exercised state power. But the new
government failed to establish its legitimacy and, as much of its
financial support dissipated, local and middle range commanders
and their militia not only fought among themselves but resorted
to a host of unacceptable practices in their protracted scrambles
for power and profit. Throughout the nation the populous suffered
from harassment, extortion, kidnapping, burglary, hijacking and
acts dishonoring women. Drug trafficking increased alarmingly;
nowhere were the highways safe. The mujahidin had forfeited the
trust they once enjoyed.
In the fall of 1994 a Muslim "student militia" came forth
vowing to cleanse the nation of the excesses sullying the jihad.
Their avowed intention is to bring in a "pure" Islamic state
subject to their own strict interpretations of the Shariah. Many
of the leaders of this movement called the Taliban (seekers or
students of Islam) were one-time mujahidin themselves, but the
bulk of their forces are comprised of young Afghan refugees
trained in Pakistani madrassas (religious schools),
especially those run by the Jamiat-e Ulema-e Islam Pakistan, the
aggressively conservative Pakistani political religious party
headed by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, arch rival of Qazi Husain Ahmed,
leader of the equally conservative Jamaat-e-Islami and long time
supporter of the mujahidin.
Headquartered in Kandahar, initially almost entirely Pushtun,
predominantly from the rural areas, and from the top leadership
down to the fighting militia characteristically in their thirties
or forties and even younger, the Taliban swept the country. In
September 1996 they captured Kabul and ruled over two-thirds of
Afghanistan.
The meteoric take over went almost unchallenged. Arms were
collected and security was established. At the same time, acts
committed for the purpose of enforcing the Shariah included
public executions for murder, stoning for adultery, amputation
for theft, a bann on all forms of gambling such as kite flying,
chess and kawk (partridge) fighting, prohibition of
music and videos, proscriptions against pictures of humans and
animals, and an embargo on women's voices over the radio. Women
are to remain as invisible as possible, behind the veil, in
purdah in their homes, and dismissed from work or study outside
their homes. Like many before them, the Taliban wave the flag of
women's chasteness to prove their superior Muslimness.
Because of the strong religious sentiments that animate their
minds, rural Afghans are still mostly captivated by the Taliban
at the beginning of 1997. Others look on appalled at the rigidly
orthodox dictates of these self-proclaimed arbiters of Islamic
rectitude. To them Taliban interpretations of the Shariah are
foreign deviations alien to the Islam practiced in Afghan society
which has always stressed moderation, tolerance, dignity,
individual choice and egalitarianism.
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.
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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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