Population: 25.59 million

Capital: Kabul

Official languages: Pashto and Dari

Area: 652,090 square kilometres

Currency: the Afghani (AFA) of 100 puls

Religion: 84 per cent Sunni Moslems and 15 per cent Shi'ites. There are also small pockets of Sikhs, Hindus and Jews.

Location: Afghanistan is in Central Asia, bounded in the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in the east by China, south by Pakistan and in the west by Iran.

Topography: Afghanistan is known for its mountainous terrain. The huge Hindu Kush Mountains form a barrier between the northern provinces and the rest of the country.

Recent history: For much of the 19th century Afghanistan was part of the power struggle between Britain, as the dominant power in India, and the Russian Empire. Gaining independence after the First World War, tribal wars and banditry restricted its development. In the 40 years of Zahir Shah's rule stability was achieved, and in 1964 a parliamentary democracy was set up. A military coup in 1973, preceded a rocky political period before the Soviets invaded in December 1979, provoking continuous unrest between government and rebel Moslem forces. Soviet troops began to withdraw in early 1988 following UN negotiations. In 1994 a newly formed militant Islamic movement, 'Taliban', the 'students of religion' took Kabul, apparently with Pakistani support, and despite government retaliation they eventually gained control of 90 per cent of the country. Only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recognise the Taliban as the legal government. Civil war between the Taliban and the forces of the Northern Alliance continues to rage, the situation worsened by a shattered economy and chronic drought.

Civil war and the refugee crisis: In the past 20 years Afghanistan has lost a third of its population. Some 1.5 million people are estimated to have died as a direct result of the civil war, with a further 2.7 million fleeing to neighbouring countries. Internal displacement is also a major problem, exacerbated by the worst drought in 30 years that started in the summer of 2000, and the recent closing of neighbouring inter national borders. In the final months of 2000 the population of the city of Herat swelled by about 55,000 as refugees flocked to its six camps. Due to renewed fighting, agencies' efforts to provide aid and food are being hampered. Medecins Sans Frontieres says it has dealt with outbreaks of typhoid, hepatitus and meningitis. Earlier this year Tajikistan turned down an appeal by a United Nations body to allow entry to thousands of refugees who were stranded on islets in the Pyanj river that divides the two countries.

Literacy: in 1995 adult literacy was 31.5 per cent. Afghanistan has the biggest difference in literacy rates between the sexes in favour of males of any country outside Africa

Life expectancy: 43 for men and 44 for women (one of the world's lowest). The infant mortality rate is 200 per 1,000 live births

Industry: major industries include natural gas, fertilisers, cement, coal mining, carpet weaving, leather tanning, sugar manufacturing, clothing and footwear, opium & heroin manufacture

Osama bin Laden: The terrorist linked to the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa, bin Laden came to the country to fight the Soviet invaders in 1980 and is now leader of an Islamic revolutionary army

Human rights: Thousands have been killed, detained and tortured or suffered sexual abuse by Taliban guards, according to Amnesty International
 
 

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Geographical Magazine, Mar2001, Vol. 73 Issue 3, p43, 1p.