Facts about Afghanistan
Population and Development facts
To see an interactive map of Afghanistan follow this link to Reuters Alertnet
Population size: 32,738,376
Ethnic groups: Pashtun (42%), Tajik (27%), Hazara (9%), Uzbek (9%), Aimak (4%), Turkmen (3%), Baloch (2%), other (4%)
Religions: Sunni Muslim (80%), Shi'a Muslim (19%), other (1%)
Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official - 50%), Pashto (official - 35%), Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen - 11%), 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai - 4%)
Age Structure: 0 -14 years: 44.6%
15 - 64 years: 53%
65 years and over: 2.4 %
Birth rate: 45.82 births/ 1,000 population
Death rate: 19.56 deaths/ 1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 257 deaths/ 1,000 live birth. Half of Afghan children less than five years old are underweight and 16.7 percent face acute malnutrition (United Nations' December 2010 Consolidated Appeal for Afghanistan).
Maternal mortality ratio: 1900 deaths per 100,000 population (2000)
Life expectancy at birth: 44.21 years
Total fertility rate: 6.58 children born/ women
Literacy (age 15 and over can read and write): Total Population - 28.1%
Male 43.1%
Female 12.6%
GDP per capita: $1000
Physical and geographical facts
Area size: 647,500 sq km
Border countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Climate: arid to semiarid: Cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains: plains in the north and southwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point - Amu Darya 258 m
highest point - Nowshak 7, 485 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Sources: World Health Organisation, CIA Factbook, World Bank