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AFGHANISTAN

@Afghanistan:Geography

Location: Southern Asia, north of Pakistan

Map references: Asia

Area:
total area: 647,500 sq km
land area: 647,500 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries: total 5,529 km, 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

International disputes: periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water
rights; Iran supports clientsin country, private Pakistani and Saudi
sources also are active; power struggles among various groups for
control of Kabul, regional rivalries among emerging warlords,
traditional tribal disputes continue; support to Islamic fighters in
Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan (Durand Line);
support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions

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, talc,
barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and
semiprecious stones

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 15%
forest and woodland: 3%
other: 39%

Irrigated land: 26,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of
the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building
materials); desertification
natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding
international agreements: party to - 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
Note: landlocked

@Afghanistan:People

Population: 21,251,821 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (female 4,342,218; male 4,507,141)
15-64 years: 56% (female 5,406,675; male 6,443,734)
65 years and over: 2% (female 256,443; male 295,610) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 14.47% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 42.69 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 18.53 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 120.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 152.8 deaths/1,000 l