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Compare Afghanistan (2002) - Slovakia (2005)

Compare Afghanistan (2002) z Slovakia (2005)

 Afghanistan (2002)Slovakia (2005)
 AfghanistanSlovakia
Administrative divisions 32 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, and Zabol 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Age structure 0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291; female 5,706,542)


15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101; female 7,382,101)


65 years and over: 2.8% (male 410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 17.1% (male 475,263/female 453,340)


15-64 years: 71% (male 1,919,222/female 1,939,097)


65 years and over: 11.9% (male 241,610/female 402,831) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskin, and lambskin grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products
Airports 46 (2001) 34 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 10 10


over 3,047 m: 3 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 2


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 17


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 37 35


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 13


914 to 1,523 m: 14 4


under 914 m: 4 11 (2002)
total: 17


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Area total: 647,500 sq km


land: 647,500 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 48,845 sq km


land: 48,800 sq km


water: 45 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas about twice the size of New Hampshire
Background Afghanistan's recent history is characterized by war and civil unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, giving rise to a state of warlordism that eventually spawned the Taliban. Backed by foreign sponsors, the Taliban developed as a political force and eventually seized power. The Taliban were able to capture most of the country, aside from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast, until US and allied military action in support of the opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's downfall. In late 2001, major leaders from the Afghan opposition groups and diaspora met in Bonn, Germany and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001. The AIA held a nationwide Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) in June 2002, and KARZAI was elected President by secret ballot of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). The Transitional Authority has an 18-month mandate to hold a nationwide Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections. In December 2002, the TISA marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Taliban. In addition to occasionally violent political jockeying and ongoing military action to root out remaining terrorists and Taliban elements, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines. In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate 41.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 10.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
revenues: $15.44 billion


expenditures: $16.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Kabul Bratislava
Climate arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution the Bonn Agreement called for a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country; the basis for the next constitution is the 1963/64 Constitution, according to the Bonn Agreement ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
Country name conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan


conventional short form: Afghanistan


local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan


local short form: Afghanestan


former: Republic of Afghanistan
conventional long form: Slovak Republic


conventional short form: Slovakia


local long form: Slovenska Republika


local short form: Slovensko
Currency afghani (AFA) -
Death rate 17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 9.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $5.5 billion (1996 est.) $19.54 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in Kabul reopened 16 December 2001 following closure in January 1989


embassy: Great Masood Road, Kabul


mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180


telephone: [93] (2) 290002, 290005, 290154


FAX: 00932290153
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER


embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava


mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava


telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338


FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: ambassador Ishaq SHAHRYAR


chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: 202-483-6410


FAX: 202-483-6487


consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER


chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054


FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Disputes - international close ties with Pashtuns in Pakistan make long border difficult to control Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - recipient international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in January 2002 reached $4.5 billion through 2006, with $1.8 billion allocated for 2002; according to a joint preliminary assessment conducted by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the UN Development Program, rebuilding Afghanistan will cost roughly $15 billion over the next ten years $2.2 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)
Economy - overview Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during two decades of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in 1998-2001. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, problems exacerbated by military operations and political uncertainties. Inflation remains a serious problem. Following the US-led coalition war that led to the defeat of the Taliban in November 2001 and the formulation of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) resulting from the December 2001 Bonn Agreement, International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction in January 2002, when $4.5 billion was collected for a trust fund to be administered by the World Bank. Priority areas for reconstruction include the construction of education, health, and sanitation facilities, enhancement of administrative capacity, the development of the agricultural sector, and the rebuilding of road, energy, and telecommunication links. Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-04, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
Electricity - consumption 453.75 million kWh (2000) 28.89 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 8 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 105 million kWh (2000) 6 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 375 million kWh (2000) 31.15 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 36%


hydro: 64%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m


highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m


highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m
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 air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban


signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 13%, Uzbek 8% Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Exchange rates afghanis per US dollar - 4,700 (January 2000), 4,750 (February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996 koruny per US dollar - 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001), 46.035 (2000)
Executive branch note: following the Taliban's refusal to hand over Usama bin LADIN to the US for his suspected involvement in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, a US-led international coalition was formed; after several weeks of aerial bombardment by coalition forces and military action on the ground, including Afghan opposition forces, the Taliban was ousted from power on 17 November 2001; in December 2001 a number of prominent Afghans met under UN auspices in Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan for governing the country; as a result, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) - made up of 30 members, headed by a chairman - was inaugurated on 22 December 2001 with a six-month mandate to be followed by a two-year Transitional Authority (TA) after which elections are to be held; the structure of the follow-on TA was announced on 10 June 2002 when the Loya Jirga (grand assembly) convened establishing the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) which has an 18-month mandate to hold a Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections


chief of state: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government


head of government: President of the TISA, Hamad KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government


cabinet: the 30-member TISA


elections: NA
chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president


election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002


note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO
Exports $1.2 billion (2001 est.) NA
Exports - commodities opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4%% (2004 est.)
Exports - partners Pakistan 32%, India 8%, Belgium 7%, Germany 5%, Russia 5%, UAE 4% (1999) Germany 34.4%, Czech Republic 14.7%, Austria 8.2%, Italy 5.8%, Poland 5.3%, US 4.5%, Hungary 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year 21 March - 20 March calendar year
Flag description three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 60%


industry: 20%


services: 20% (1990 est.)
agriculture: 3.5%


industry: 30.1%


services: 66.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 5.3% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 33 00 N, 65 00 E 48 40 N, 19 30 E
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) landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys
Heliports 5 (2002) 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 21,000 km


paved: 2,793 km


unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 est.)
total: 42,970 km


paved: 37,698 km (including 302 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,272 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 5.1%


highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)
Illicit drugs world's largest producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy - used to make heroin - expanded to 30,750 hectares in 2002, despite eradication; potential opium production of 1,278 tons; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some government groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market
Imports $1.3 billion (2001 est.) NA
Imports - commodities capital goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)
Imports - partners Pakistan 19%, Japan 16%, Kenya 9%, South Korea 7%, India 6%, Turkmenistan 6% (1999) Germany 26.1%, Czech Republic 21.3%, Russia 9.1%, Austria 6.6%, Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.9% (2004)
Independence 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Industrial production growth rate - 5.1% (2004 est.)
Industries small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
Infant mortality rate 144.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 7.41 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 7.5% (2004 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC (suspended), IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 23,860 sq km (1998 est.) 1,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch the Bonn Agreement calls for the establishment of a Supreme Court Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council)
Labor force 10 million (2000 est.) 2.2 million (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (1990 est.) agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)
Land boundaries total: 5,529 km


border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
total: 1,524 km


border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
Land use arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 0.22%


other: 87.65% (1998 est.)
arable land: 30.16%


permanent crops: 2.62%


other: 67.22% (2001)
Languages Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Legal system the Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles, international standards, the rule of law, and Afghan legal traditions civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Legislative branch nonfunctioning as of June 1993 unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU 15.1%, Smer 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12), opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union 5, and independents 10)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 46.6 years


male: 47.32 years


female: 45.85 years (2002 est.)
total population: 74.5 years


male: 70.52 years


female: 78.68 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 36%


male: 51%


female: 21% (1999 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.6%


male: 99.7%


female: 99.6% (2001 est.)
Location Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran Central Europe, south of Poland
Map references Asia Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1


foreign-owned: 18 (Bulgaria 8, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Syria 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 1) (2005)
Military branches NA; note - the December 2001 Bonn Agreement calls for all militia forces to come under Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) control, but formation of a national army is likely to be a gradual process; Afghanistan's forces continue to be factionalized largely along ethnic lines Army of the Slovak Republic (Armady Slovenskej Republika): Land Command, Air Forces (Vozdushne Sily), Training and Support Command, Logistics Command (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 1.89% (2002)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 6,896,623 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 3,696,379 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 22 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 252,869 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 19 August (1919) Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)
Nationality noun: Afghan(s)


adjective: Afghan
noun: Slovak(s)


adjective: Slovak
Natural hazards damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts NA
Natural resources natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land
Net migration rate 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
People - note large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on neighboring states -
Pipelines natural gas 180 km


note: product pipelines from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have been in disrepair and disuse for years (2002)
gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders NA; note - political parties in Afghanistan are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new parties; the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) is headed by President Hamid Karzai; the TISA is a coalition government formed of leaders from across the Afghan political spectrum; there are also several "independent" groups Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA; note - ministries formed under the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) include former influential Afghans, diaspora members, and former political leaders Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG
Population 27,755,775 (July 2002 est.) 5,431,363 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA
Population growth rate 3.43%


note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)
0.15% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Kheyrabad, Shir Khan Bratislava, Komarno
Radio broadcast stations AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (1999) AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios 167,000 (1999) -
Railways total: 24.6 km


broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya (2001)
total: 3,662 km


broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge


standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2004)
Religions Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1% Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage NA; previously males 15-50 years of age 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service


domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were established between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through satellite and microwave systems


international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality


domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added


international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services
Telephones - main lines in use 29,000 (1998) 1,294,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 3,678,800 (2003)
Television broadcast stations at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 32 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998) 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south
Total fertility rate 5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 13.1% (31 December 2004 est.)
Waterways 1,200 km


note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
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