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Compare Pakistan (2007) - Afghanistan (2005)

Compare Pakistan (2007) z Afghanistan (2005)

 Pakistan (2007)Afghanistan (2005)
 PakistanAfghanistan
Administrative divisions 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh


note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas
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: 36.9% (male 31,264,576/female 29,507,174)


15-64 years: 58.8% (male 49,592,033/female 47,327,161)


65 years and over: 4.3% (male 3,342,650/female 3,708,330) (2007 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 cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Airports 146 (2007) 47 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 92


over 3,047 m: 16


2,438 to 3,047 m: 19


1,524 to 2,437 m: 29


914 to 1,523 m: 18


under 914 m: 10 (2007)
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: 54


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 24 (2007)
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: 803,940 sq km


land: 778,720 sq km


water: 25,220 sq km
total: 647,500 sq km


land: 647,500 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of California slightly smaller than Texas
Background The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal (Mongol) Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. 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 27.52 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 47.02 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $15.93 billion


expenditures: $25.31 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $300 million


expenditures: $609 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY04-05 budget)
Capital name: Islamabad


geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E


time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Kabul
Climate mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline 1,046 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007 new constitution drafted 14 December 2003 - 4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004
Country name conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan


conventional short form: Pakistan


local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan


local short form: Pakistan


former: West Pakistan
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
Death rate 8 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 20.75 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $36.24 billion (2006 est.) $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 Anne W. PATTERSON


embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad


mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200


telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000


FAX: [92] (51) 2276427


consulate(s) general: Karachi


consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar
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 Mahmud Ali DURRANI


chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500


FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)
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 various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities 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 $1.666 billion (2005) 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 Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However, IMF-approved government policies, bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets since 2001, have generated solid macroeconomic recovery the last five years. The government has made substantial macroeconomic reforms since 2000, most notably privatizing the banking sector. Poverty levels have decreased by 10% since 2001, and Islamabad has steadily raised development spending in recent years, including a 52% real increase in the budget allocation for development in FY07, a necessary step toward reversing the broad underdevelopment of its social sector. The fiscal deficit - the result of chronically low tax collection and increased spending, including reconstruction costs from the October 2005 earthquake - appears manageable for now. GDP growth, spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors, remained in the 6-8% range in 2004-06. Inflation remains the biggest threat to the economy, jumping to more than 9% in 2005 before easing to 7.9% in 2006. The central bank is pursuing tighter monetary policy - raising interest rates in 2006 - while trying to preserve growth. Foreign exchange reserves are bolstered by steady worker remittances, but a growing current account deficit - driven by a widening trade gap as import growth outstrips export expansion - could draw down reserves and dampen GDP growth in the medium term. 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 67.06 billion kWh (2005) 652.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 150 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 89.82 billion kWh (2005) 540 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m


highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Environment - current issues water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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 Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants) Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%
Exchange rates Pakistani rupees per US dollar - 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003), 59.724 (2002) 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: President Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 20 June 2001)


note: following an October 1999 military coup, General Pervez MUSHARRAF suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; in May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court validated the 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years following the coup; in June 2001, MUSHARRAF named himself president, replacing Mohammad Rafiq TARAR; an April 2002 referendum extended MUSHARRAF's presidency by five years


head of government: Prime Minister Shaukat AZIZ (since 28 August 2004)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister


elections: the president is elected by secret ballot (1,170 votes total) through an Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies for a five-year term; the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly


election results: MUSHARRAF reelected on 6 October 2007 (next election to be held in October 2012); MUSHARRAF 671 votes; Wajihuddin AHMED 8 votes; 6 votes invalid; AZIZ elected Prime Minister by the National Assembly on 27 August 2004
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 NA bbl/day NA
Exports - commodities textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners US 21%, UAE 9%, Afghanistan 7.7%, China 5.3%, UK 5.1% (2006) Pakistan 24%, India 21.3%, US 12.4%, Germany 5.5% (2004)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 21 March - 20 March
Flag description green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam 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 - composition by sector agriculture: 19.4%


industry: 27.2%


services: 53.4% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 60%


industry: 20%


services: 20% (1990 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.6% (2006 est.) 7.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 30 00 N, 70 00 E 33 00 N, 65 00 E
Geography - note controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent 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 18 (2007) 5 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 21,000 km


paved: 2,793 km


unpaved: 18,207 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 4%


highest 10%: 26.3% (2002)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 800 hectares in 2005 yielding a potential production of 4 metric tons of pure heroin; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that force eradication - fines and arrests will take place if the ban on poppy cultivation is not observed; key transit point for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Western markets, the Gulf States, and Africa; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems 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 NA bbl/day NA
Imports - commodities petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners China 13.8%, Saudi Arabia 10.5%, UAE 9.7%, US 6.5%, Japan 5.7%, Kuwait 4.7%, Germany 4.1% (2006) 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 14 August 1947 (from UK) 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Industrial production growth rate 6% (2006 est.) NA
Industries textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Infant mortality rate total: 68.84 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 68.94 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 68.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 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) 7.9% (2006 est.) 10.3% (2003)
International organization participation ARF, AsDB, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO 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
Irrigated land 182,300 sq km (2003) 23,860 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a 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 47.87 million


note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2006 est.)
11.8 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 42%


industry: 20%


services: 38% (2004 est.)
agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries total: 6,774 km


border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 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: 24.44%


permanent crops: 0.84%


other: 74.72% (2005)
arable land: 12.13%


permanent crops: 0.22%


other: 87.65% (2001)
Languages Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8% 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 English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations 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 bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives in the National Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every three years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; to serve five-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 10 October 2002 (next to be held in January 2008)


election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 39, MMA 18, PPPP 9, MQM 6, PML/N 4, PkMAP 3, PPP/S 3, ANP 2, BNP/A 1, BNP/M 1, JWP 1, PML/F 1, independents 12; National Assembly results - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63, PML/N 19, MQM 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP/A 1, JWP 1, PAT 1, PkMAP 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, independents 4
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: 63.75 years


male: 62.73 years


female: 64.83 years (2007 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: 49.9%


male: 63%


female: 36% (2005 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 36%


male: 51%


female: 21% (1999 est.)
Location Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Map references Asia Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total: 14 ships (1000 GRT or over) 325,254 GRT/536,876 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 3


registered in other countries: 12 (Comoros 2, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 1, Malta 2, Panama 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
-
Military branches Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2007) Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force), Afghan Militia Force (AMF) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $188.4 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.2% (2006; 3% 2007 est.) 2.6% (2004)
National holiday Republic Day, 23 March (1956) Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Nationality noun: Pakistani(s)


adjective: Pakistani
noun: Afghan(s)


adjective: Afghan
Natural hazards frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August) damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Natural resources land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Net migration rate -1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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 gas 10,257 km; oil 2,001 km (2006) gas 387 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National Party/Hayee Group or BNP/H [Dr. Hayee BALUCH]; Baluch National Party/Awami or BNP/A [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Baluch National Party-Mengal or BNP/M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat-i-Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami ul-HAQ faction or JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; National Alliance or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PkMAP [Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; note - as of May 2004, the PML/Q changed its name to PML and absorbed the PML/J, PML/Z, and NA; Pakistan People's Party or PPP/S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians or PPPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN]; Tehrik-i-Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]


note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently
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 military remains most important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential 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 164,741,924 (July 2007 est.) 29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 24% (FY05/06 est.) 53% (2003)
Population growth rate 1.828% (2007 est.) 4.77%


note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Radio broadcast stations AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006) AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003)
Railways total: 8,163 km


broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
-
Religions Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3% Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.048 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.901 male(s)/female


total population: 1.045 male(s)/female (2007 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 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: the telecom infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, approaching 50 million in late 2006, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas.


domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks


international: country code - 92; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2006)
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 5.24 million (2006) 33,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 63.16 million (2007) 15,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite channels) (2006) 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 flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Total fertility rate 3.71 children born/woman (2007 est.) 6.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.5% plus substantial underemployment (2006 est.) NA
Waterways - 1,200 km


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