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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Afghanistan (2001)
Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Afghanistan (2001)
| Western Sahara (2008) | Afghanistan (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | 30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note - there may be two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
42.2% (male 5,775,921; female 5,538,836) 15-64 years: 55.01% (male 7,644,242; female 7,106,568) 65 years and over: 2.79% (male 394,444; female 353,046) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish | opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, karakul pelts |
| Airports | 9 (2007) | 45 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (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 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
total:
35 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 12 (2000 est.) |
| Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | slightly smaller than Texas |
| Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. | Afghanistan was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union in 1979. The USSR 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, but the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban movement has been able to seize most of the country. In addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines. |
| Birth rate | NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 41.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
| Capital | none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Kabul |
| Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers |
| Coastline | 1,110 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Constitution | - | none |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form:
Islamic State of Afghanistan; note - the self-proclaimed Taliban government refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan |
| Currency | - | afghani (AFA) |
| Death rate | NA | 17.72 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $NA | $5.5 billion (1996 est.) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none | the US embassy in Kabul has been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none | none; note - embassy operations suspended 21 August 1997
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Disputes - international | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria | support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions; question over which group should hold Afghanistan's seat at the UN |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | US provided about $70 million in humanitarian assistance in 1997; US continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons |
| Economy - overview | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. | 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. In early 2000, 2 million Afghan refugees remained in Pakistan and about 1.4 million in Iran. 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 1998-2000. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem throughout the country. International aid can deal with only a fraction of the humanitarian problem, let alone promote economic development. In 1999-2000, internal civil strife continued, hampering both domestic economic policies and international aid efforts. Numerical data are likely to be either unavailable or unreliable. Afghanistan was by far the largest producer of opium poppies in 2000, and narcotics trafficking is a major source of revenue. |
| Electricity - consumption | 79.05 million kWh (2005) | 480.6 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 90 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 85 million kWh (2005) | 420 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
35.71% hydro: 64.29% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point:
Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m |
| Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 |
| Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 12%, Uzbek 6% |
| Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) | 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 |
| Executive branch | none | on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided among fighting factions
note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government of Afghanistan; however, the UN still recognizes the government of Burhanuddin RABBANI; the Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the ethnically diverse north |
| Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | $80 million (does not include opium) (1996 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems |
| Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 21 March - 20 March |
| Flag description | - | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars
note: the Taliban uses a plain white flag |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
agriculture:
53% industry: 28.5% services: 18.5% (1990) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
| Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 33 00 N, 65 00 E |
| Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | landlocked |
| Heliports | - | 3 (2000 est.) |
| Highways | - | total:
21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1998 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 illicit opium producer, surpassing Burma (potential production in 1999 - 1,670 metric tons; cultivation in 1999 - 51,500 hectares, a 23% increase over 1998); a major source of hashish; increasing number of heroin-processing laboratories being set up in the country; major political factions in the country profit from drug trade |
| Imports | 1,698 bbl/day (2004) | $150 million (1996 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | capital goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) | FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany |
| Independence | - | 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
| Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper |
| Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
147.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | NA% |
| International organization participation | none | AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA | 30,000 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Judicial branch | - | upper courts were non-functioning as of March 1995 (local Shari'a or Islamic law courts are functioning throughout the country) |
| Labor force | 12,000 | 10 million (2000 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
agriculture 70%, industry 15%, services 15% (1990 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 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: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
arable land:
12% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 3% other: 39% (1993 est.) |
| Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism |
| Legal system | - | a new legal system has not been adopted but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law) |
| Legislative branch | - | non-functioning as of June 1993 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population:
46.24 years male: 46.97 years female: 45.47 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | NA | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 31.5% male: 47.2% female: 15% (1999 est.) |
| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran |
| Map references | Africa | Asia |
| Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | none (landlocked) |
| Military branches | - | NA; note - the military does not exist on a national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized among the various groups |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
6,645,023 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
3,561,957 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 22 years of age |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
252,869 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | - | Independence Day, 19 August (1919) |
| Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun:
Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
| Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones |
| Net migration rate | - | 11.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km |
| Political parties and leaders | - | Taliban (Religious Students Movement) [Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman; Gen. Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - made up of 13 parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party), Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party), Jumaat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society), Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front), Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National Islamic Front) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | none | Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Mellat (Social Democratic Party) [leader NA]; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan or CUNUA [Ishaq GAILANI]; tribal elders represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan or WUFA [A. Rasul AMIN] |
| Population | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
26,813,057 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | NA | 3.48% (2001 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran |
| Ports and harbors | - | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pushtu, Dari, Urdu, and English) (1999) |
| 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 |
| Religions | Muslim | Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1% |
| Sex ratio | NA | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | NA; previously males 15-50 years of age |
| Telephone system | general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
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 |
| Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | 29,000 (1996)
note: there were 21,000 main lines in service in Kabul in 1998 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | NA | at least 10 (one government run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 30 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, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest |
| Total fertility rate | NA | 5.79 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
| Waterways | - | 1,200 km
note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels with DWT up to about 500 (2001) |
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