Introduction:

Afghanistan was once well known for its supreme hospitality, picturesque landscapes and fantastic food. Things have changed, over 20 years of war have left the enchanting countryside peppered with heavy landmines and reduced many of the finest historical monuments and minaret’s to ruins. The country was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union in 1979. The USSR was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-communist Mujahidin forces trained by the Pakistan, US, Saudi Arabia, and others. Fighting continued among the various Mujahidin factions, but the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban movement, a militia group driven by an exceptionally severe orthodox interpretation of Sunni Islam, has been able to grab most of the country. In addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from massive poverty, a crumbling infrastructure and extensive land mines.


Geography :

Area :
Afghanistan is a totally landlocked country slightly larger than France, with an extremely rugged topography. It borders Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China and is strategically important to all.

Total: 5,529 km

Surrounding countries: Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Iran 936 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 and China 76 km.

Topography: Afghanistan’s terrain is mostly uneven rugged mountains, with plains in the north and southwest.

Climate: In general, Afghanistan has enormously cold winters and hot summers, typical of a semiarid steppe climate.

Natural resource: coal, copper, chromite, natural gas, petroleum, talc, lead, barites,zinc,sulfur,iron ore, precious-semiprecious stones and salt.

Arable land: 30,000 sq km

Environment- present issues: deforestation, desertification, overgrazing and soil degradation

Population: 26 million

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.37%

15-64-years: 54.86%

65 years and over: 2.77%

Rate of population growth: 3.54%

Birth rate: 41.82 /1,000 population

Death rate: 18.01 /1,000 population

Net migration rate: 11.54 migrant(s)

Infant mortality rate :
149.28 deaths/1,000 live births

Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.24 years

Male: 46.97 years

Female: 45.47 years

Nationality: Afghan

Ethnic structure: Pashtun (38%), Tajik (25%), Hazara (19%), Uzbek (6%), other (12%)

Religion: Sunni Muslim (84%), Shi'a Muslim (15%), Zoroastrian Jewish, Baha'i (1%)

Language: Afghan Persian (Dari; 50%), Pashtu (35%), Turkic (Uzbek and Turkmen; 11%); other (4%)

Literacy:(as per 1999 estimates)
Total population: 31.5 %
Male: 47.2%
Female: 15%


Government :

Country name: Islamic State of Afghanistan; the Taliban regime refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Short form: Afghanistan

Local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan

Government: Military theocracy, no central government, country ruled by factions. Mainly two factions, the Talibans, who control 90% of the country and the Northern Alliance controlling 10% area of northern Afghanistan. The Taliban government has not been recognized by any other government in the world except Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and U.A.E, but after the attacks on WTO and Pentagon in America, all countries have severed their diplomatic ties with the taliban except Pakistan.

Capital: Kabul

Provincial divisions: 30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kondoz, Kapisa, Konar Nangarhar, Laghman, Lowgar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Parvan, Samangan, Paktia, Paktika Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak and Zabol

Independence: 19 August 1919 from Britain

National holiday: Victory of the Muslim nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 may, Independence Day, 19 August.

Flag of Afghanistan: The official flag is three horizontal stripes of green, white, black with the coat of arms over all in the center. The arms are based on previous pre-communist models and contain a representation of a mosque within a wreath of wheat-ears. Above the wreath is the shahada, the Moslem confession of faith, and also (in very small letters) the slogan Allahu Aqbar (God is Great). Beneath is the date 1371 in the Islamic calendar (=1992 AD) and the name Islamic State of Afghanistan all in gold. Around all this are two curved sabres. The taliban uses the plain white flag.

Constitution: none

Legal system: a new legal system has not been implemented but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)

Administrative division: In 1996 the Taliban regime, which had been waging a guerilla war throughout Afghanistan since the Russians left, took over the capital, Kabul; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning central government and the country remains divided among different warring factions. The Taliban have declared themselves, as the legitimate government of Afghanistan but the United Nations does not recognize the undemocratic Taliban leadership, effectively isolating the country - and its citizens - from the global community. The U.N still recognizes the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the leader of the Northern Alliance .The Taliban still controls more then two-third of the country including the Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan, while the northern alliance have the stronghold in the ethnically diverse northern part of the country.

Judicial branch: upper courts are not functioning since March 1995 (local Shari'a or Islamic law courts are functioning throughout the country)

Legislative branch: non-functioning since June 1993

Major political parties and leaders: Taliban (Religious Students Movement) [Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman; Gen. Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - comprised of 13 parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party) Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party), Jumaat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society), Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front), Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National Islamic Front).