Ken and Erin Jensen - Afghanistan

Population: 29,929,000
Capital: Kabul; 2,956,000
Area: 652,090 square kilometers (251,773 square miles)
Religion: Islam 99%, Other (Hindu, Jewish, Christian) 1%
Currency: Afghani (1 Afghani (AF) = 100 puls)
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Main Exports: Natural Gas, Dried fruits and nuts, carpets, leather and crafts
Major Languages: Pashtu 42%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 43%, Turkic languages 11%, Minor languages 4%.
Life Expectancy: 44 years (78 years in USA)
Annual Household Income: $250 - $350 USD ($44,334 in USA)

The infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is among the higest in the world. Every day, 44 Afghan women die giving birth. The most significant constraints toward improving maternal health have been women’s unmet needs for skilled delivery care, and inadequate access to comprehensive emergency obstetric care arising out of the inadequate number of qualified female staff and equipped facilities.

In addition, the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan is 165 per 1,000 live births, compared to only 7 per 1,000 in the USA; and child mortality before age 5 is 257 deaths per 1,000, compared to 8 per 1,000 in the USA.

Overview: Afghanistan does not have any links to any ocean or sea, it is a landlocked country. The northern and eastern part of the country has high terrain and the lower south and southwest is mostly semi-deserts and plain lands.

Climate: Arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers (similar to Nebraska's climate).

Terrain: Mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest.

Environment: Earthquakes; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, war pollution.

Natural Resources: Natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious stones.

Boundary: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2430 km, Tajikistan 1206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Summary: Since Alexander the Great, invading armies and peaceful migrations have brought in diverse peoples to this Central Asian crossroads. As a result, Afghanistan is a country of ethnic minorities: Pashtun (38 percent), Tajik (25 percent), Hazara (19 percent), and Uzbek (6 percent). The towering Hindu Kush range dominates and divides Afghanistan. The northern plains and valleys are home to Tajiks and Uzbeks. Pashtuns inhabit the desert-dominated southern plateaus. Hazara live in the central highlands. Kabul, south of the Hindu Kush, is linked by narrow passes to the northern plains.

In 1989 the nine-year Soviet occupation ended, and Muslim rebels toppled the communist regime in 1992, after which rival groups vied for power. From among the various factions arose the Taliban ("students of religion"), a militant Islamic movement. The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and imposed Islamic punishments, including amputation and stoning, and banned women from working. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed giant Buddha statues at Bamian in defiance of international efforts to save them. Three weeks after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., the U.S. and Britain bombed terrorist camps in Afghanistan; by November 2001 Kabul fell to anti-Taliban forces.

One of the trade routes along the ancient "Silk Road" ran through Afghanistan.
The ancient kingdom of Bactria consisted of southern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan.
Balkh, one of the world's oldest cities, was the capital of the kingdom of Bactria.
Kabul is said to be over three and a half thousand years old and the city of Herat dates back over two and half thousand years.
The city of Kandahar (Qandahar) was founded by Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC.
The 65m Minaret of Jam, dating back to the twelfth century, is the world's second tallest minaret.
In 1504 Babur (from Fergana, Uzbekistan), the founder of the Moghul Empire, made Kabul his capital city.
During the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire in Central Asia and the British Empire in India vied for political supremacy in Asia, meeting in Afghanistan. This rivalry was known as the "Great Game".
During the nineteenth century the British Empire gained influence over Afghanistan's foreign policy. Afghanistan did not achieve independence until 1919.
In 1979 the USSR and other Warsaw Pact countries invaded Afghanistan to support the pro-Soviet government against Muslim uprisings in the country.
The Taliban, a militant Islamic organisation, seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 imposing fundamentalist Islamic law.
An earthquake in February 1998 killed over four thousand people and left thousands homeless.
In March 2001, the Taliban destroyed two giant Buddha statues although many members of the international community tried to prevent their destruction.
Attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 led to the downfall of the Taliban. Taliban leaders refused to extradite Osama Bin Laden, wanted in connection with the terrorist attacks, and the US, Canada, Britain and their Allies invaded Afghanistan.
Over two decades of wars have left a legacy of landmines that kill and maim many people each month.
Wars in Afghanistan have caused many Afghans to leave their country.
Following the war at the end of 2001, Hamid Karzai headed the provisional administration in Afghanistan.
Mohammed Zahir Shah, the former Afghan King, returned to Afghanistan from exile in March 2001.

Economy

Overview: Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 18 years of war, including the 10-year Soviet military occupation (December 27, 1979 - February 15, 1989). The economy of the country was completely destroyed by the war against the Red Army and the in the civil war since. Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries.

Though it acquired a new currency in October 2002, it has no effective banking system and its central government raises a pathetic amount of revenue.

War, earthquakes and drought have left its infrastructure in ruins and many Afghans (millions of whom have returned from abroad) dependent on foreign aid.

Agriculture is the largest sector of Afghanistan's economy and the source of livelihood for most of its population. In the late 1990s opium was its main export (the country was the world's largest producer). But the Taliban banned poppy growing in July 2000 with astonishing success, though cultivation has returned with a vengeance following their ouster. Afghanistan also has untapped hydrocarbon and mineral resources, but there has been little foreign investment. Rich countries have promised Afghanistan's government $4.5 billion to fund its rebuilding efforts. These bank on a surging private sector. A steady peace is required if the country is to continue to recover.

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