GENERAL
FACTS & LINKS |
|
| 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 |
| Geographic
Location - Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan,
east of Iran |
| Map
references - Asia
|
| Capital - Kabul |
| Border Countries - China
76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan
2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km,
Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan
137 km |
| Major
Cities - Kabul,
Majar-e-Sharief, Jalalabad |
| Independence - Independence Day, 19 August (1919) |
| National holiday - Independence Day, 19 August (1919) |
| Languages Spoken - Pushtu,
Dari Persian, other Turkic and minor languages |
| Weather
Forecast -
• Farah
• Faizabad
• Herat
• Jalalabad
• Jabul Saraj
• Mazar I Sharif
• Shindand
• Shebirghan
• Zebak
• Zaranj |
| Airports
- Kabul Airport |
| Ports - Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
|
Population - 27,755,775
(July 2002 est.) |
| Religion
- Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a
Muslim 15%, other 1% |
| Nationality
- Afghan(s) |
| Currency - Afghani |
| Currency Code - AFA |
| Internet
country code - .af |
| Mountains
& Peaks - Shah Fuladi |
| Lakes
- Helmand, Istada |
| Rivers
- Amudarya, Harirud, Helmand, Kabul |
| 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 |
| Natural
Resources - natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites,
sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones |
