The climate is typical of an arid or semiarid steppe, with cold
winters and dry summers. The mountain regions of the northeast
are subarctic with dry and cold winters. In the mountains bordering
Pakistan, a divergent fringe effect of the monsoon, generally
coming from the southeast, brings tropical air masses that determine
the climate between July and September. At times, these air masses
advance into central and southern Afghanistan, bringing increased
humidity and some rain.
On the intermountain plateaus the winds do not blow very strongly,
but in the Sistan Basin there are severe blizzards that occur
during the winter, generally December through February. In the
western and southern regions a northerly wind, known as the "wind
of 120 days," blows during the summer months of June to September.
This wind is usually accompanied by intense heat, drought, and
sand storms, bringing much hardship to the inhabitants of the
desert and steppe lands. Dust and whirlwinds frequently occur
during the summer months on the flats in the southern part of
the country. Rising at midday or in the early afternoon, these
"dust winds" advance at velocities ranging between 97 and 177
kilometers per hour, raising high clouds of dust.
Temperature and precipitation are controlled by the exchange
of air masses. The highest temperatures and the lowest precipitation
prevail in the drought-ridden, poorly watered southern plateau
region, which extends over the boundaries with Iran and Pakistan.
The Central Mountains, with higher peaks ascending toward the
Pamir Knot, represent another distinct climatic region. From the
Koh-e Baba Range to the Pamir Knot, January temperatures may drop
to -15 C or lower in the highest mountain areas; July temperatures
vary between 0 and 26 C depending on altitude. In the mountains
the annual mean precipitation, much of which is snowfall, increases
eastward and is highest in the Koh-e Baba Range, the western part
of the Pamir Knot, and the Eastern Hindukush. Precipitation in
these regions and the eastern monsoon area is about forty centimeters
per year. The eastern monsoon area encompasses patches in the
eastern border area with Pakistan, in irregular areas in eastern
Afghanistan from north of Asmar to just north of Darkh-e Yahya,
and occasionally as far west as the Kabul Valley. The Wakhan Corridor,
however, which has temperatures ranging from 9 C in the summer
to below -21 C in the winter, receives fewer than ten centimeters
of rainfall annually. Permanent snow covers the highest mountain
peaks. In the mountainous region adjacent to northern Pakistan,
the snow is often more than two meters deep during the winter
months. Valleys often become snow traps as the high winds sweep
much of the snow from mountain peaks and ridges.
Precipitation generally fluctuates greatly during the course
of the year in all parts of the country. Surprise rainstorms often
transform the episodically flowing rivers and streams from puddles
to torrents; unwary invading armies have been trapped in such
flooding more than once in Afghanistan's history. Nomadic and
seminomadic Afghans have also succumbed to the sudden flooding
of their camps.
The climate of the Turkistan Plains, which extend northward from
the Northern Foothills, represents a transition between mountain
and steppe climates. Aridity increases and temperatures rise with
descending altitudes, becoming the highest along the lower Amu
Darya and in the western parts of the plains.
Country
name Afghanistan conventional long form Islamic State of
Afghanistan conventional short form Afghanistan local long
form Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form Afghanestan former Republic of Afghanistan
Area
- total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Terrain
- mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Climate
- arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Geography
- 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)
Waterways
- 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Natural hazards - damaging earthquakes
occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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