World Country Guide

General Information

Note
Very little reliable information is available relating to some of the following sections; much of the infrastructure and services have been destroyed or ceased to function in the months of fighting. Those that were there before were severely limited and old-fashioned due to the years of civil war and occupation that had gone before.

Area
652,225 sq km (251,773 sq miles).

Population
22,930,000 (UN estimate 2002, including nomads).

Population Density
35.2 per sq km.

Capital
Kabul. Population: 2,766,800 (official estimate 2000).

Geography
Afghanistan is a landlocked country, sharing its borders with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan to the north, China to the northeast, Pakistan to the east and south and Iran to the west. On the eastern tip of the Iranian plateau, central Afghanistan is made up of a tangled mass of mountain chains. The Hindu Kush is the highest range, rising to more than 7500m (24,600ft). The Bamian Valley separates the Hindu Kush from Koh-i-Baba, the central mountain range and source of the Helmand River. To the north and southwest of these mountains, alluvial plains provide fertile agricultural soil. To the northeast is Kabul, the capital. The other major cities are Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat.

Government
Republic. Civil war since 1992. Head of State: President Hamid Karzai since December 2001 (officially elected as president in October 2004).

Language
The principal languages are Pashtu and Dari Persian. Some English and Russian may also be spoken.

Religion
Islamic majority (mostly Sunni), with Shi’ite, Hindu and Sikh minorities.

Time
GMT + 4.5.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Supplies may be seriously affected and powercuts frequent for the foreseeable future.

Communications
At the time of writing, no telephone, fax, telex, telegram or postal services are generally available.

Telephone/Fax
No IDD. In general, there is normally a severe shortage of lines for operator-connected international calls.

Mobile telephone
Afghan Wireless (website: www.afghanwireless.com) operates a network covering cities like Kabul and Herat.

Telegram
Under normal circumstances, these could be sent from the Central Post Office, Kabul (closes at 2100).

Post
Prior to military action, airmail used to take one week to reach Europe.

Press
The Kabul New Times is the main English-language newspaper.

Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.