is and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
World
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Notes and Definitions
Appendixes
Appendix A: Abbreviations
Appendix B: United Nations System
Appendix C: International Organizations and Groups
Appendix D: Selected International Environmental Agreements
Appendix E: Weights and Measures
Appendix F: Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes
Appendix G: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Codes
Appendix H: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names
History
Contributors and Copyright Information
Purchase Information

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AFGHANISTAN

@Afghanistan:Geography

Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,529 km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km,
Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime 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, 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

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: 24,792,375 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 5,425,510; female 5,216,954)
15-64 years: 54% (male 6,978,549; female 6,494,253)
65 years and ov