Kabul365:: 10/31/10

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%

New Afghan National Army non-commissioned officer recruits train under the Turkish Army contingent here in Kabul. Half way through their coursework, they take an oath to their country and God. (Photos by G. A. Volb)

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