Afghanistan
The Islamic State of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It
is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the
easternmost part of the country.
Until the nation has its first general election (projected for June 4,
2003), it continues to be referred to by the West as the Transitional
Islamic State of Afghanistan.
National motto:
Official
languages Pashtu, Dari
Capital Kabul
President Hamid Karzai
Area Ranked 40th
History Ê- Total 647,500 km²
Ê- % water 0%
Population Ranked 38th
Afghanistan, often called the Ê- Total (2002) 28,717,213
crossroads of Central Asia, has had a Ê- Density 43/km²
turbulent history. Through the ages, Independence From UK suzerainity
Afghanistan has been occupied by many -Date August 19, 1919
forces. A separate Afghan nation came Currency Afghani
into existence in 1746 as the Durrani
Empire, but control was ceded to the Time zone UTC+4:30
United Kingdom until King Amanullah National anthem Sououd-e-Melli
acceded to throne in 1919. Since then,
the country has known many governments Internet TLD .AF
and several civil wars. Calling Code 93
The ruler of Afghanistan belonged to the Abdali tribal group, whose name was
changed to Dorrani on the accession of Ahmad Shah. They belonged either to
the Saddozay segment of the Popalzay clan or to the Mohammadzay segment of
the Barakzay clan. The Mohammadzay furnished the Saddozay kings frequently
with top counselors, who served occasionally as regents, identified with the
epithet Mohammadzay.
The last period of stability in Afghanistan lay between 1933 and 1973, when
the country was under the rule of King Zahir Shah. Violence was limited and
the country became the main overland route between Australia and London for
travellers. However, in 1973, Zahir's brother-in-law, Sardar Mohammed Daoud
launched a bloodless coup. Daoud and his entire family was murdered in 1978
when the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan lauched a coup
and took over the government.
Opposition against the new Communist government was immense, and with the
government in danger of collapse, the Soviet Union invaded on December 24,
1979. Faced with mounting international pressure and losses of approximately
15,000 Soviet soldiers as a result of mujahadeen opposition trained by the
United States, Pakistan, and other foreign governments, the Soviets withdrew
ten years later in 1989.
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 90% of the country, aside
from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast. The Taliban
sought to impose an extreme interpretation of Islam--based in part upon
rural Pashtun tradition.
United States and allied military action in support of the opposition
following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's
downfall. In late 2001, major leaders from the Afghan opposition groups and
diaspora met in Bonn 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 December 2001. The AIA
held a nationwide Loya Jirga in June 2002, and Karzai was elected President.
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, rampant warlordism, a crumbling
infrastructure, and widespread land mines. Hamid Kazai was the target of an
unsuccessful assassination attempt in September 5, 2002.
In March 3 and 25 2002, a series of earthquakes struck Afghanistan, with a
loss of thousands of homes and over 1800 lives. Over 4000 more people were
injured. The earthquakes occurred at Samangan Province (March 3) and Baghlan
Province (March 25). The latter was the worse of the two, and incurred most
of the casualties. International authorites assisted the Afghan government
in dealing with the situation.
Politics
Currently, an interim government is in place, led by president Hamid Karzai,
with many elements from the Northern Alliance, and a mix from other regional
and ethnic groups formed from the transition government by the Loya jirga.
Former monarch Zahir Shah returned to the country, but was not re-instated
as king and only exercises limited ceremonial powers.
Troops and intelligence agencies from the United States and a number of
other countries are present, some to keep the peace, others assigned to hunt
for remnants the Taliban and al Qaeda. A United Nations peacekeeping force
operates in Kabul. Most of the country is under the control of warlords.
On March 27, 2003, Afghan deputy defense minister and powerful warlord
General Abdul Rashid Dostum created an office for the North Zone of
Afghanistan and appointed officials to it, defying interim president Hamid
Karzai's orders that there be no zones in Afghanistan.
Provinces
Afghanistan consists of 32 provinces, or velayat:
* Badakhshan province * Konar province
* Badghis province * Kondoz province
* Baghlan province * Laghman province
* Balkh province * Lowgar province
* Bamiyan province * Nangarhar province
* Farah province * Nimruz province
* Faryab province * Nurestan province
* Ghazni province * Oruzgan province
* Ghowr province * Paktia province
* Helmand province * Paktika province
* Herat province * Parvan province
* Jowzjan province * Samangan province
* Kabul province * Sar-e Pol province
* Kandahar province * Takhar province
* Kapisa province * Vardak province
* Khost province * Zabol province
Geography
Afghanistan is a mountainous country, although there are plains in the north
and southwest. The highest point in Afghanistan, Nowshak, is 7485 m above
sea level. Large parts of the country are dry, and fresh water supplies are
limited. Afghanistan has a land climate, with hot summers and cold winters.
The country is frequently subject to earthquakes.
Besides the capital city Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif and
Kandahar are the nation's major cities. See also Cities of Afghanistan.
Economy
Afghanistan is an extremely poor country, highly dependent on farming and
livestock raising. The economy has suffered greatly from the recent
political and military unrest, 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.
Demographics
The population of Afghanistan is divided in a large number of ethnic groups,
which adds to the political unrest. Pashtun form the largest group, with
about 44%, followed by Tajik (25%) and Hazara (10%). Minor groups include
small tribes as the Aimak, Turkmen, and Baloch make up 13% and Uzbeks (8%).
The spoken language differs accordingly, with Pashtu (35%) and Dari (50%)
being the main tongues. Others include Uzbek and Turkmen (11%). The
remaining 4% is made up of over 30 minor languages, primarily Balochi and
Pashai. Billingualism is common in Afghanistan.
Almost all Afghans are muslims.The majority are Sunni (84%), Shi'a Muslim
(15%) and 1% other.
Culture
Many of the country's historic monuments have been damaged in the wars in
recent years. The two famous statues of Buddha in the Bamiyan province were
destroyed by the Taliban as symbols of another religion.
Being renowned horsemen, Buzkashi is a popular sport in Afghanistan. Afghan
hounds, running dogs, originate from Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban gained power, the city of Kabul was home to many
musicians who were masters of both traditional and modern Afghan music.
Kabul in the middle part of the 20th century has been likened to Vienna
during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Education
In the spring of 2003, it was estimated that 30% of Afghanistan's 7,000
schools had been seriously damaged during more than two decades of Soviet
occupation, civil war and Taliban rule. Only half of the schools were
reported to have clean water, while less than an estimated 40% had adequate
sanitation. Education for boys was not a priority during the Taliban regime,
and girls were banished girls from schools outright.
In regards to the poverty and violence of their surroundings, a study in
2002 by the Save the Children aid group said Afghan children were resilient
and courageous. The study credited the strong family and sense of community.
Up to four million Afghan children, possibly the largest number ever, are
believed to have enrolled for class for the school year which began in March
of 2003.
Literacy of the entire population is estimated at 36%.
