Full Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Capital: Kabul
Area: 647,500 sq km
Ranking: 41st in the world.
Population: 31,889,923 (2007 Estimate)
Literacy: 28 per cent (World Bank)
Life Expectancy: 44.21 years
Religions: Sunni Muslims 80 per cent, Shi'a Muslims 19 per cent, Other 1 per cent.
Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50 per cent, Pashto (official) 35 per cent, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11 per cent, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4 per cent, much bilingualism
Ethnic Groups: Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and others.
Neighbour's: Afghanistan is bounded on the north by Turkmenistan (744km), Uzbekistan (137 km) and Tajikistan (1206 km), on the northeast by China(96 km), on the south and east by Pakistan (2412 km) and on the west by Iran (925 km).
Administrative Divisions: 34 Provinces and 397 Districts
Afghanistan is an arid, dusty land with few sources of water and low rainfall. The main source of water in the north is the Amu Darya, a river that divides Afghanistan and Central Asia. In the south, the main river is Helmand. Much of the country (almost three fourths), particularly the eastern and central parts, is dominated by mountains. The southern part is mainly desert and so are the parts bordering Iran and Turkmenistan.
Head of State and Head of Government: President
Head of Government: Hamid Karzai, (Elected on 7 February 2004 as the first democratically elected leader of Afghanistan.)
Vice President: Ahmad Zia Massoud
Vice President: Karim Khalili
Legislature: The National Assembly of Afghanistan comprises of two chambers: "The House of the People" (Wolesi Jirga), 249 seats. Last elections to the Wolesi Jirga was held on September 18, 2005. The upper house is known as "The House of the Elders" (Meshrano Jirga) and has 102 seats.
Islamic Society of Afghanistan (Jamiat-e-Islami, military/Massoud wing of the party, led by Fahim and Abdullah)
Islamic United Party of Afghanistan (Hezeb Wahdat Islami Afghanistan)
Islamic Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan led by Arghandiwal)
National Congress Party of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan led by Prof. Dr. Latīf Pedrām)
National Movement of Afghanistan (Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili Afghanistan)
National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan (Jumbish-i-Milli Islami Afghanistan led by Abdul Rashid Dostum)
United National Front (led by Burhanuddin Rabbani)
Esteqlal Party of Afghanistan (Hezbe Esteqlale Afghanistan) (Afghan Congress)
Afghan National Army (ANA):
Manpower: 57,000
Afghan National Air Corps: Afghan air force is currently being rebuilt after several decades of war. It has 14 helicopters and 8 fixed wing aircraft, as of 2006.
The Afghan economy has been severely effected by decades of war. It is one of the most poorest and least developed country in the world. The fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 has led to considerable improvement in the economy, due largely due to the large inflows of international assistance, investment and remittances from expats. Agriculture, which employs an estimated 85 per cent of the population, has shown signs of revival in recent years. Many parts of the country, however, remain deficient in food grains production. As of 2007, real GDP growth exceeded 7 per cent. Despite this progress, Afghanistan remains extremely poor and highly dependent on international aid. According to 2005 estimates, 40 per cent of the Afghan population is unemployed and 53 per cent live below the poverty line.
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) |
| Exchange rates | Afghanis per one US dollar ($1) - 49 (2006) |
| Fiscal year | 21 March - 20 March |
| GDP: (purchasing power parity) | $31.9 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP:( real growth rate) | 14% (2005 est. World Bank) |
| GDP (per capita) | $1,490 (2007 est.) |
| GDP by sector |
agriculture:38% industry: 24% services: 38% (2005) |
| Inflation (CPI) | 16.3% (2005) |
| Population below poverty line | 53% (2003) |
| Labour force | 15 million (2004) |
| Labor force by occupation | agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (2004) |
| Unemployment | 40% (2005) |
| Budget | revenues: $269 million expenditures: $561 million |
| Main industries | textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; hand woven rugs; natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper |
| Agriculture - products | opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts |
| Exports | $500 million |
| Exports (commodities) | opium, fruits and nuts, hand woven rugs, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems |
| Exports (partners) | United States 25.3%, Pakistan 20.9%, Iran 14.2%, India 7.8%, Finland 4 %. (2005) |
| Imports | $5 billion (2007) |
| Imports (commodities) | capital goods, food, textiles and petroleum products |
| Imports (partners) | Pakistan (26.9%), United States 11.8%, Germany 6.8 %, India 5.5%, Turkey 5.1%, Turkmenistan 5%, Russia 4.7%, Kenya 4.4% (2005) |
| Debt (External) | $1.23 billion to Russia and Multilateral Development Banks (2007) |
Pahjwok Afghan News Agency: This is the best online source of Afghan news. It has a wide network of reporters in the Afghan districts who cover pretty much everything there is.
President of the Republic of Afghanistan: This is the official website of the President and contains links to many useful resources.