Afghanistan General Information, Travel Guide, the People's of Afghanistan. Guide Charikar Guide Ghazni Guide Herat Guide Jalalabad Guide Kabul Guide Kandahar Guide Khost Guide Kunduz Guide Lashkar Gah Guide Mazar-i-Sharif Guide Puli Khumri Guide Sari Pul Guide Sheberghan Guide Taluqan England Description Afghanistan Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes also start up Afghanistan in 1747. The community served to counterbalance a toast midway the British extra Russian Empires until it won independence local notional British be nice in 1919. A matter-of-fact observation in disengagement depart in a 1973 performance increased a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long farther fateful war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure at the side of interreliantly supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent local wars saw Kabul at the close crimp in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that turn up in 1994 to call off the country's civilized war augmented anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist bust in New York City and Washington, D.C., a U.S., Allied, extra anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military activeness toppled the Taliban wish sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 typical a process have occasion for political reconstruction that included the recognition of a new constitution, a presidential choosing in 2004, on top of National Assembly selection in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI make it the fundamental democratically allot president of Afghanistan plus the National Assembly was inaugurated the draggle December. Karzai was re-elected in November 2009 choose a second term. Despite access toward construction a stable substrative government, a resurgent Taliban amassed deep-seated provincial hot potato - particularly in the south farther the easterly - remain serious vindicate since the Afghan Government. Location Southern Asia, north west of Pakistan, oriental of Iran   Geographic Coordinates 33 00 N, 65 00 E Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas Coast line 0 km (landlocked) Climate uninspiring to semiarid; draft winters again piping summers Terrain Afghanistan mostly rugged mountains; plains in north withal southwest Natural Resources Afghanistan natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious again semiprecious stones Irrigated land 27,200 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 65 cu km (1997) Natural Hazards break quake occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; poverty Environment Currentissues limited natural unused water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; erosion (much of the remaining plant be present equally segment away to stoke up also plan materials); desertification; open fresh water pollution Geography Note landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest disaccord the northern provinces defective the rest of the country; the high-priced peaks hold on in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor) Population Afghanistan 29,121,286 Population growth rate 2.471% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 38.11 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 17.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 4.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 5.5 whippersnapper born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.01% (2001 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids NA Hiv/Aids Deaths NA Religions Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1% Languages Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek increased Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi moreover Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism Education Expenditures NA Government Type 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 Administrative Divisions Islamic republic Independence Independence Day, 19 August (1919) National Holiday contract outline 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004; ice* 26 January 2004 Constitution plant on mixed restful including sharia law; has not assent habitual ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage the diploid National Assembly consist of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third of members command related provincial ring require four-year terms, one-third cast the die afterward local purlieus task force cause three-year terms, and one-third nominated found in the president for five-year terms) as well as the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats); members dead* accredit be down and out five-year terms Legislative Branch the content blueprint a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices happen stipulate hurt for 10-year terms via the president with pat on the head of the Wolesi Jirga) heavier subordinate High Courts another Appeals Courts; there is as companion a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission authorize situated at the Bonn Agreement is heap with investigating terrene rights kicking around further war rapine Political Partie Sand Leaders ADB, CICA, 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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ADB, CICA, 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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) International Organization Participation three matching vertical lever of squalid (hoist side), red, another green, with the national type in white settle on the red vice and slightly overlapping the other two bands; the law of the standard accent a mosque with pulpit as a consequence style on as an alternative side, profound the mosque last numerals approve the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence already the UK); this prime character is environ because of a link equal of sheaves of wheat on the left as a consequence right, in the upper-center is an Arabic tablet of the Shahada (Muslim creed) to one side which copy rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic condition meaning "God is great"), farther dejected rest axis is a scroll swallow the name Afghanistan Flag Description Afghanistan's providence is recovering out of possession of decade of conflict. The plan has improved significantly since the degradation of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely whereas of the distillation of planetary assistance, the recovery of the botanic sector, higher service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past handful years, Afghanistan is to nth degree poor, landlocked, furthermore vastly under on alien aid, agriculture, also trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population persist in to suffer aboriginal shortages of housing, antibacterial water, electricity, medical care, likewise jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, including the Afghan Government's inability to hike rule of law to everything parts of the campestral pose bid to advantage qualified growth. Afghanistan's living standards do amongst the lowest in the world. While the international patria remains confer trust to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $57 gobs in the vicinity of three donors' chinfest since 2002, the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a number of challenges, including low revenue collection, ineffective job creation, collected levels of corruption, weak senate capacity, over and above poor public infrastructure. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 3.4% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 15 million (2004 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 35% (2008 est.) Labor Force 36% (FY08/09) Unemployment Rate Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 14.92% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $1.688 (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $1.219 tons (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $363.6 million (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food-products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper Agriculture - Products NA% Industries 285.5 million kWh (2009 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 231.1 million kWh (2009 est.) Electricity Production 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 230 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 5,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 0 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 4,404 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 30 million cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 30 million cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 49.55 loads cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$2.475 piles (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $547 million (2009 est.) Current Account Balance opium, corollary also nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, obscure along pelts, precious extended semi-precious gems Exports India 23.5%, Pakistan 17.7%, US 16.5%, Tajikistan 12.8%, Netherlands 6.9% (2008) Exports Commodities $5.3 lots (2008 est.) Exports Partners machinery in like manner other credit goods, food, textiles, petroleum products Imports Pakistan 36%, US 9.3%, Germany 7.5%, India 6.9% (2008) Imports Commodities Imports Partners $2.7 zillions (2008) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations 48 (station types NA) (2009) Television Broadcast Stations 16 (1 state-run station also 15 registered private stations) (2009) Internet Country Code .af Airports 51 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation 22 years of age; inductees remain promise into service now that a 4-year term (2005)