Kabul365:: 10/17/10

Inside Afghanistan

Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Area: 647,500 sq km land
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Climate: arid to semiarid, cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use: arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005)
Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Population: 32,738,376 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,474,394/female 7,121,145) 15-64 years: 53% (male 8,901,880/female 8,447,983) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 383,830/female 409,144) (2008 est.)
Median age: total: 17.6 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.626% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 45.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 19.56 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: 21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 44.21 years male: 44.04 years female: 44.39 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Major infectious diseases: high risk food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease
Nationality: noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Government: Islamic republic
Capital: Kabul
Suffrage: 18 years of age
Chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANUNI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2%

A young Afghan girl awaits school supplies from behind the safety of her classroom door. (Photo by G. A. Volb)

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