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Read Ebook: The 1998 CIA World Factbook by United States Central Intelligence Agency
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Executive branch: on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided among fighting factions note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government of Afghanistan; the UN has deferred a decision on credentials and the Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the ethnically diverse north-General DOSTAM's National Islamic Movement controls several northcentral provinces and Commander MASOOD controls the ethnic Tajik majority areas of the northeast
Legislative branch: non-functioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch: non-functioning as of March 1995, although there are local Shari'a courts throughout the country
Political parties and leaders: Taliban , Mohammad OMAR; United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ; other smaller parties are Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin , Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction; Hizbi Islami-Khalis , Yunis KHALIS faction; Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan , Abdul Rasul SAYYAF; Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami , Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan , Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami , Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Hizbi Wahdat-Akbari faction , Mohammad Akbar AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami , Mohammed Asif MOHSENI
Political pressure groups and leaders: tribal elders represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan , Ishaq GAILANI; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan , A. Rasul AMIN; Mellat , leader NA
International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM , ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: note: embassy operations suspended 21 August 1997 chief of mission: Ambassador chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: 234-3770 FAX: 328-3516 consulate general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US embassy in Kabul has been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green , white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars note: the Taliban uses a plain white flag
@Afghanistan:Economy
Economy-overview: Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising . Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than 18 years of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation . During the war one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. Now, only 750,000 registered Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 1.2 million in Iran. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 18 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. Much of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem throughout the country, with one estimate putting the rate at 240% in Kabul in 1996. Numerical data are likely to be either unavailable or unreliable.
GDP: purchasing power parity-.3 billion
GDP-real growth rate: NA%
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-0
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 53% industry: 28.5% services: 18.5%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 240%
Labor force: total: 7.1 million by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7%
Unemployment rate: 8%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Electricity-capacity: 494,000 kW
Electricity-production: 655 million kWh
Electricity-consumption per capita: 37 kWh
Agriculture-products: wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton
Exports: total value: million commodities: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia
Imports: total value: 0 million commodities: food and petroleum products; most consumer goods partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany
Debt-external: .3 billion
Economic aid: recipient: ODA; about million in UN aid plus additional bilateral aid and aid in kind note: US provided 0 million in bilateral assistance ; US continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons
Exchange rates: afghanis per US-17,000 , 7,000 , 1,900 , 1,019 , 850 ; note-these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar on April 1996
Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March
Communications
Telephones: 31,200
Telephone system: domestic: very limited telephone and telegraph service international: satellite earth stations-1 Intelsat linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 0, shortwave 2
Radios: 1.8 million ; note-about 60% of families own a radio
Television broadcast stations: NA note: one television station run by Jumbesh faction provides intermittent service
Televisions: 100,000
@Afghanistan:Transportation
Railways: total: 24.6 km broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy to Towraghondi; 15 km 1,524-m gauge from Termiz to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
Highways: total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km
Waterways: 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT
Pipelines: petroleum products-Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports: 44
Airports-with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 2
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 33 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 10
Heliports: 3
@Afghanistan:Military
Military branches: NA; note-the military does not exist on a national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force , and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized among the various groups
Military manpower-military age: NA years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: NA
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