Species,
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

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)

People Afghanistan

Population:
28,513,677 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 6,525,929; female 6,222,497)
15-64 years: 52.9% (male 7,733,707; female 7,346,226)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,427; female 350,891) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.5 years
female: 17.6 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
4.92%
note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and
its continuing impact (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
47.27 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
21.12 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
23.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
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: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 165.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 160.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 170.85 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.46 years
male: 42.27 years
female: 42.66 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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:
Pashtu (official) 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, 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
female: 21% (1999 est.)
total population: 36%
male: 51%

People - note:
of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million
have returned

Government Afghanistan

Country name:
conventiona