Afghanistan

Location

• Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
• 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)

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Kabul	4,434,550	Capital
Herāt	574,300
Mazār-e Sharīf	523,300
Kandahār	523,300
Jalālābād	271,900
Kunduz	161,902
Ghazni	141,000
Balkh	114,883
Baghlān	108,449
Gardez	103,601

Size

• 250,000 square miles
• 647,500 square kilometers
• almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas

History

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in increased democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. Internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels forced the USSR to withdraw in 1989. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US and Allied military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN. A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and he was reelected in 2009. Ashraf Ghani AHMADZAI succeeded him as president in 2014 following a disputed election. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.The Taliban established an all-male interim leadership structure dominated by Pashtun clerics under the leadership of Haivatrullah AKHUNDZADA. The Taliban issued numerous edicts that constrained women's mobility, ability to study and work, and access to education beyond primary school. To date, no country has recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

Climate

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Languages

Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, other <1% (2020 est.)major-language sample(s): کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari) د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pashaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them

Religions

Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)

Government

theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest ratified in 2004, but not currently enforced by the Taliban
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: the Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which is partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence and have enforced strict punishments; before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law (2021)
• Executive Branch: chief of state: Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada (since 15 August 2021)head of government: overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada is the [so-called] Amir-ul Momineen of the Taliban and is seen by them as a head of governmentcabinet: the Taliban have announced a “cabinet” for the “caretaker government,” including the “acting prime minister,” “acting deputy prime ministers,” and “ministers” who claim to represent 26 ministrieselection/appointment process: the 2004 Afghan constitution directed that the president should be elected by majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the Taliban have given no indication that they intend to reinstate elections or any other mechanism of democratic governancemost recent election date: 28 September 2019note: the United States has not yet made a decision whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): the Taliban are purported to have appointed clerics, including a "Chief Justice," to Afghanistan's Supreme Courtsubordinate courts: provincial courts, religious courts, and specialty courts
• Legislative Branch: note: Afghanistan’s bicameral National Assembly consisted of the House of Elders and House of the People but was dissolved after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• low-income South Asian economy; economy stable after major contraction due to Taliban takeover, but recovery remains fragile; widespread poverty and obstacles to human development; import-reliant for food, fuel, and machinery; ongoing sanctions, suspended development aid, and frozen reserve assets
• Budget: revenues: $9.093 billion (2017 est.)expenditures: $7.411 billion (2017 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land
• Industries: small-scale production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
• Agricultural Products: wheat, milk, grapes, watermelons, potatoes, cantaloupes/melons, vegetables, rice, onions, maize (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 58.7% (2022 est.)arable land: 12% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 46.4% (2022 est.)forest: 1.9% (2022 est.)other: 39.4% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: wheat flours, tobacco, palm oil, broadcasting equipment, synthetic fabric (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: UAE 28%, Pakistan 15%, China 15%, Uzbekistan 12%, Kazakhstan 9% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: coal, grapes, tropical fruits, gum resins, other nuts (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Pakistan 42%, India 40%, China 4%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports