The 2010 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

land: 12.13%

      permanent crops: 0.21%

      other: 87.66% (2005)

      Irrigated land:

      27,200 sq km (2003)

      Total renewable water resources:

      65 cu km (1997)

      Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

      total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)

      per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)

      Natural hazards:

      damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

      Environment - current issues:

      limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution

      Environment - international agreements:

      party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection

      signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

      Geography - note:

      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)

      People ::Afghanistan

      Population:

      29,121,286 country comparison to the world: 41 note: this is a significantly revised figure; the previous estimate of 33,609,937 was extrapolated from the last Afghan census held in 1979, which was never completed because of the Soviet invasion; a new Afghan census is scheduled to take place in 2010 (July 2010 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 43.6% (male 6,343,611/female 6,036,673)

      15–64 years: 54% (male 7,864,422/female 7,470,617)

      65 years and over: 2.4% (male 326,873/female 353,520) (2010 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 18 years

      male: 17.9 years

      female: 18 years (2010 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      2.471% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33

      Birth rate:

      38.11 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 19

      Death rate:

      17.65 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 3

      Net migration rate:

      4.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 23

      Urbanization:

      urban population: 24% of total population (2008)

      rate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

      under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

      15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

      65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female

      total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 151.5 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 2 male: 155.15 deaths/1,000 live births

      female: 147.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 44.65 years country comparison to the world: 221 male: 44.45 years

      female: 44.87 years (2010 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      5.5 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 13

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      0.01% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 168

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      NA

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      NA

      Major infectious diseases:

      degree of risk: high

      food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

      vectorborne disease: malaria

      animal contact disease: rabies

      note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

      Nationality:

      noun: Afghan(s)

      adjective: Afghan

      Ethnic groups:

      Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%,

       Baloch 2%, other 4%

      Religions:

      Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%

      Languages:

      Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

      Literacy:

      definition: age 15 and over can read and write

      total population: 28.1%

      male: 43.1%

      female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 8 years

      male: 11 years

      female: 5 years (2004)

      Education expenditures:

      NA

      Government ::Afghanistan

      Country name:

      conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

      conventional short form: Afghanistan

      local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan

      local short form: Afghanestan

      former: Republic of Afghanistan

      Government type:

      Islamic republic

      Capital:

      name: Kabul

      geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E

      time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

      Administrative divisions:

      34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis,

       Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor,

       Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar,

       Kunduz, Laghman, Logar,