Afghanistan

Country name	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Location	Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Capital:	Kabul
Population	30,419,928 (July 2012 est.)
Religions	Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Sex ratio: at birth	1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Nationality	Afghan(s)
National holiday	Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Independence	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
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%, much bilingualism, but Dari functions as the lingua franca note: the Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Balochi, Pashai, Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them
Geographic coordinates	33 00 N, 65 00 E
Map references	Asia
Area	total: 652,230 sq km land: 652,230 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries	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
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)
Climate	arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain	mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Noshak 7,485 m
Natural resources	natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use	arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005)
Irrigated land	31,990 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	65 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%) per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Environment - current issues	limited natural freshwater 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, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note	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)