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Compare Bahrain (2001) - Afghanistan (2005)

Compare Bahrain (2001) z Afghanistan (2005)

 Bahrain (2001)Afghanistan (2005)
 BahrainAfghanistan
Administrative divisions 12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah

note:
all municipalities administered from Manama
34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, and Zabol
Age structure 0-14 years:
29.6% (male 96,697; female 94,330)

15-64 years:
67.43% (male 257,360; female 177,839)

65 years and over:
2.97% (male 9,721; female 9,414) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 6,842,857/female 6,524,485)


15-64 years: 52.9% (male 8,124,077/female 7,713,603)


65 years and over: 2.4% (male 353,193/female 370,772) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Airports 3 (2000 est.) 47 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

over 3,047 m:
2 (2000 est.)
total: 10


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 37


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.)
Area total:
620 sq km

land:
620 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 647,500 sq km


land: 647,500 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Texas
Background Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Possessing minimal oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining, and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir is pushing economic and political reforms, and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In 2001, the International Court of Justice awarded the Hawar Islands, long disputed with Qatar, to Bahrain. Afghanistan's recent history is a story of war and civil unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979, but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces. The Communist regime in Kabul collapsed in 1992. Fighting that subsequently erupted among the various mujahidin factions eventually helped to spawn the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that fought to end the warlordism and civil war that gripped the country. The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and were able to capture most of the country outside of Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that ultimately resulted in the adoption of a new constitution and presidential election in 2004. On 9 October 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The new Afghan government's next task is to hold National Assembly elections, tentatively scheduled for April 2005.
Birth rate 20.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 47.02 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues:
$1.8 billion

expenditures:
$2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
revenues: $300 million


expenditures: $609 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY04-05 budget)
Capital Manama Kabul
Climate arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline 161 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution adopted late December 2000 (new constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary) new constitution drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004
Country name conventional long form:
State of Bahrain

conventional short form:
Bahrain

local long form:
Dawlat al Bahrayn

local short form:
Al Bahrayn

former:
Dilmun
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
Currency Bahraini dinar (BHD) -
Death rate 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 20.75 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $2.7 billion (2000) $8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Johnny YOUNG

embassy:
#979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321, Zinj District, Manama

mailing address:
American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama

telephone:
[973] 273-300

FAX:
[973] 272-594
chief of mission: Ambassador Zalmay KHALILZAD


embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul


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


telephone: [00] (2) 230-0436


FAX: [0093] (2) 230-1364
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant)

chancery:
3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 342-0741

FAX:
[1] (202) 362-2192

consulate(s) general:
New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD


chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] 202-483-6410


FAX: [1] 202-483-6488


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Disputes - international in March of 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Hawar Islands to Bahrain and also adjusted Bahrain's maritime boundary with Qatar the UN has been able to repatriate over two million Afghan refugees but several million more continue to reside in Iran and Pakistan in camps and elsewhere, many at their own choosing; Coalition and Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal areas to control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between Pakistani and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary encroachments; occasional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements with Amu Darya and Helmand River states
Economic aid - recipient $48.4 million (1995) international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09
Economy - overview In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over $2 billion in international assistance, recovery of the agricultural sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Agriculture boomed in 2003 with the end of a four-year drought, but drought conditions returned for the southern half of the country in 2004. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan remains extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to raise Afghanistan's living standards up from its current status among the lowest in the world. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors remain committed to improving access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year. Growing political stability and continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction create an optimistic outlook for maintaining improvements in the Afghan economy in 2005. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges.
Electricity - consumption 5.752 billion kWh (1999) 652.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 150 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 6.185 billion kWh (1999) 540 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point:
Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m


highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Environment - current issues desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; no natural fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water are the only sources for all water needs 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping


signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8% Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
Exchange rates Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) afghanis per US dollar - 3,000 (2004), 3,000 (2003), 3,000 (2002), 3,000 (2001), 3,000 (2000)


note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the market rate varied widely from the official rate
Executive branch chief of state:
Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969)

head of government:
Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since NA 1971)

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the monarch

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary


head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government


cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly


elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a five-year term; if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANOONI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2%
Exports $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000) NA
Exports - commodities petroleum and petroleum products 61%, aluminum 7% opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners India 14%, Saudi Arabia 5%, US 5%, UAE 5%, Japan 4%, South Korea 4% (1999) Pakistan 24%, India 21.3%, US 12.4%, Germany 5.5% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 21 March - 20 March
Flag description red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $10.1 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
1%

industry:
46%

services:
53% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 60%


industry: 20%


services: 20% (1990 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $15,900 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2000 est.) 7.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 26 00 N, 50 33 E 33 00 N, 65 00 E
Geography - note close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean 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)
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) 5 (2004 est.)
Highways total:
3,164 km

paved:
2,433 km

unpaved:
731 km

note:
there is a paved causeway connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia (1997)
total: 21,000 km


paved: 2,793 km


unpaved: 18,207 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs - world's largest producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy reached unprecedented level of 206,700 hectares in 2004; counterdrug efforts largely unsuccessful; potential opium production of 4,950 metric tons; potential heroin production of 582 metric tons if all opium was processed; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal financial networks
Imports $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) NA
Imports - commodities nonoil 59%, crude oil 41% capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners France 20%, US 14%, UK 8%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Japan 5% (1999) Pakistan 25.5%, US 8.7%, India 8.5%, Germany 6.5%, Turkmenistan 5.3%, Kenya 4.7%, South Korea 4.2%, Russia 4.2% (2004)
Independence 15 August 1971 (from UK) 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Industrial production growth rate 2% (2000 est.) NA
Industries petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Infant mortality rate 19.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 163.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 167.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 158.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2000 est.) 10.3% (2003)
International organization participation ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 10 sq km (1993 est.) 23,860 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch High Civil Appeals Court the new constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a Minister of Justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes
Labor force 295,000 (1998 est.)

note:
44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
11.8 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation industry, commerce, and service 79%, government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.) agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 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
Land use arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
6%

forests and woodland:
0%

other:
92% (1993 est.)
arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 0.22%


other: 87.65% (2001)
Languages Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Legal system based on Islamic law and English common law according to the new constitution, no law should be "contrary to Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive society based on social justice, protection of human dignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties, international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet; appointed Advisory Council established 16 December 1992; the National Action Charter created a bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum of 14 February 2001 nonfunctioning as of January 2004; government is empowered by the constitution to issue legislation by decree until the new assembly is seated; under the new constitution, the bicameral National Assembly will consist of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for a five-year term, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one third elected from provincial councils for a four-year term, one third elected from local district councils for a three-year term, and one third presidential appointees for a five-year term; the presidential appointees will include two representatives of Kuchis and two representatives of the disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women)


note: on rare occasions the government may convene the Loya Jirga on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils


elections: scheduled for spring 2005
Life expectancy at birth total population:
73.2 years

male:
70.81 years

female:
75.67 years (2001 est.)
total population: 42.9 years


male: 42.71 years


female: 43.1 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
85.2%

male:
89.1%

female:
79.4% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 36%


male: 51%


female: 21% (1999 est.)
Location Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Map references Middle East Asia
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
extending to boundaries to be determined

territorial sea:
12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 175,609 GRT/207,652 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 2, cargo 3, container 2 (2000 est.)
-
Military branches Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Police Force Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force), Afghan Militia Force (AMF) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $318 million (FY99) $188.4 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 5.2% (FY99) 2.6% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
222,141 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
121,833 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 15 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
5,926 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Nationality noun:
Bahraini(s)

adjective:
Bahraini
noun: Afghan(s)


adjective: Afghan
Natural hazards periodic droughts; dust storms damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Natural resources oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Net migration rate 1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 21.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
People - note - of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million have returned
Pipelines crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km gas 387 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders political parties prohibited note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice: Afghan Millat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Mili Islami Gond [Shah Mahmood Polal ZAI]; Harakat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Asif MOHSINEE]; Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Iihaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE]; Hezb-e-Aazadee Afghanistan [Abdul MALIK]; Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabeer MARZBAN]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil RAHEEMEE]; Hezb-e-Afghan Watan Islami Gond [leader NA]; Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan [Latif PEDRAM]; Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad ZAREEF]; Hezb-e-Libral-e-Aazadee Khwa-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal SOHAIL]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hamnbatagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq NEMAT]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; Hezb-e-Harak-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hssain ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqoq-e-Bashar Wa Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATEE]; Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Gh. Farooq NIJZRABEE]; Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahan [Sibghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Kar Wa Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiar OMID]; Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed AARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANEE]; Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOUD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand-e-Mili Afghanistan [Said Mansoor NADIRI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Said ZAHIR]; Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASEEQ]; Hezb-e-Risalat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEEN]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Wa Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Usman SALIGZADA]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Qahir SHARYATEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Qadir IMAMEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum-e-Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Ahamad SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed Jalili]; Jamahat-ul-Dahwat ilal Qurhan-wa-Sunat-ul-Afghanistan [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Jombesh-e Milli [Abdul Rashid DOSTAM]; Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan [Said Ahmad GAILANEE]; Majmah-e-Mili Fahaleen-e-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shams ul Haq Noor SHAMS]; Nuhzat-e-Aazadee Wa democracy Afghanistan [Abdul Raqeeb Jawid KUHISTANEE]; Nuhzat-e-Hambastagee Mili Afghanistan [Peer Said Ishaq GAILANEE]; Sazman-e-Islami Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Siad Jawad HUSSAINEE]; Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili [Sultan Mahmood DHAZI] (30 Sep 2004)
Political pressure groups and leaders Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active Jamiat-e Islami (Society of Islam) [former President Burhanuddin RABBANI]; Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan), [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also small monarchist, communist, and democratic groups
Population 645,361

note:
includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2001 est.)
29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 53% (2003)
Population growth rate 1.73% (2001 est.) 4.77%


note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003)
Radios 338,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km -
Religions Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30% Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.29 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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: 0.95 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage none 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
modern system

domestic:
modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones

international:
tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997)
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service


domestic: telephone service improving with the establishment of two mobile phone operators by 2003; telephone main lines remain weak with only 0.1 line per 10 people


international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity
Telephones - main lines in use 152,000 (1997) 33,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 58,543 (1997) 15,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1997) 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)
Terrain mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Total fertility rate 2.79 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% (1998 est.) NA
Waterways none 1,200 km


note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2004)
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