time claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m

highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

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%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 46%

forests and woodland: 3%

other: 39% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding; droughts

Environment - current issues: soil degradation; overgrazing;
deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for
fuel and building materials); desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note: landlocked

Afghanistan People

Population: 26,813,057 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.2% (male 5,775,921; female 5,538,836)

15-64 years: 55.01% (male 7,644,242; female 7,106,568)

65 years and over: 2.79% (male 394,444; female 353,046) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.48% (2001 est.)

note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran

Birth rate: 41.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 17.72 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 11.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 147.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.24 years

male: 46.97 years

female: 45.47 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Afghan(s)

adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic
groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, a