Chapter III: Front Matter (3)

In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of Naval Intelligence - ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of the Office of Strategic Services - OSS) decided that a joint effort should be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April 1943 that recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study Publishing Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first interdepartmental basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of the US Government for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of strategic basic intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the board published 34 JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war effort, and numerous letters of commendation were received, including a statement from Adm. Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff, Pacific Ocean Areas, which said, "JANIS has become the indispensable reference work for the shore-based planners."

The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar world was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author on national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than in war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human activities - not just the enemy and his war production."

The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October 1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which authorized the National Intelligence Survey (NIS) program as a peacetime replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate NIS country sections could be produced, government agencies had to develop more comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the Interior produced the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps.

The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in 1955 that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable publication which provides the essential elements of basic intelligence on all areas of the world. There will always be a continuing requirement for keeping the Survey up-to-date." The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2006 marks the 59th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and the 63nd year of continuous basic intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its two predecessor programs.

This page was last updated on 28 November, 2006

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@Afghanistan

Introduction Afghanistan

Background:
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded
Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the
British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional
British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a
1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union
invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime,
but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by
internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil
war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of
the Communist regime. The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored
movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and
anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of
opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998. Following the 11
September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern
Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama
BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established
a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of
a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National
Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became
the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The
National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005.

Geography Afghanistan

Location:
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Geographic coordinates:
33 00 N, 65 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 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: Nowshak 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:
27,200 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding;
droughts

Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water 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
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)

People Afghanistan

Population:
31,056,997 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,095,117/female 6,763,759)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,436,716/female 8,008,463)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 366,642/female 386,300) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.6 years
female: 17.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.67% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
46.6 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
20.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 160.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 164.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 155.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 43.34 years
male: 43.16 years
female: 43.53 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.69 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.01% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk countrywide below 2,000
meters from March through November
animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups:
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%,
Baloch 2%, other 4%

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%

Languages:
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%,
Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor
languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 36%
male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.)

People - note:
of the estimated 4 million refugees in October 2001, 2.3 million
have returned

Government Afghanistan

Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan

Government type:
Islamic republic

Capital:
name: Kabul
geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 12 E
time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis,
Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr,
Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar,
Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan,
Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar,
Vardak, Zabol

Independence:
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Constitution:
new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16
January 2004

Legal system:
according to the new constitution, no law should be "contrary to
Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and progressive
society based on social justice, protection of human dignity,
protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and to ensure
national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and tribes; the
state shall abide by the UN charter, international treaties,
international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia
MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government; former
King ZAHIR Shah holds the honorific, "Father of the Country," and
presides symbolically over certain occasions, but lacks any
governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary
head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia
MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the
president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet: 27 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers
are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly
elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by
direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no
candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of
voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a
second round; a president can only be elected for two terms;
election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote -
Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANOONI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ
11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda
JALAL 1.2%

Legislative branch:
the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or
House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for
five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102
seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year
terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year
terms - provincial councils elected temporary members to fill these
seats until district councils are formed, and one-third presidential
appointees for five-year terms; the presidential appointees will
include 2 representatives of Kuchis and 2 representatives of the
disabled; half of the presidential appointees will be women)
note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga
(Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and
territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the
constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members
of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and
district councils
elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the
Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial
councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008)
election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system
used in the election did not make use of political party slates;
most candidates ran as independents

Judicial branch:
the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme
Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the
president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High
Courts and Appeals Courts (note - nine supreme court justices were
appointed in the interim in January 2005 pending National Assembly
selection of the constitutionally mandated justices); there is also
a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights
Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with
investigating human rights abuses and war crimes

Political parties and leaders:
note - includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of
Justice: Afghan Millat [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; De Afghanistan De Solay
Ghorzang Gond [Shahnawaz TANAI]; De Afghanistan De Solay Mili Islami
Gond [Shah Mahmood Polal ZAI]; Harakat-e-Islami Afghanistan
[Mohammad Asif MOHSINEE]; Hezb-e-Aarman-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan
[Iihaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE]; Hezb-e-Aazadee Afghanistan [Abdul
MALIK]; Hezb-e-Adalat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Kabeer
MARZBAN]; Hezb-e-Afghanistan-e-Wahid [Mohammad Wasil RAHEEMEE];
Hezb-e-Afghan Watan Islami Gond; Hezb-e-Congra-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Latif PEDRAM]; Hezb-e-Falah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad
ZAREEF]; Hezb-e-Hambastagee Mili Jawanan-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad
Jamil KARZAI]; Hezb-e-Hamnbatagee-e-Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq
NEMAT]; Hezb-e-Harakat-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir
AATASH]; Hezb-e-Harak-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said
Hssain ANWARY]; Hezb-e-Ifazat Az Uqoq-e-Bashar Wa
Inkishaf-e-Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATEE];
Hezb-e-Istiqlal-e-Afghanistan [Dr. Gh. Farooq NIJZRABEE];
Hezb-e-Jamhoree Khwahan [Sibghatullah SANJAR]; Hezb-e-Kar Wa
Tawsiha-e-Afghanistan [Zulfiar OMID]; Hezb-e-Libral-e-Aazadee
Khwa-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ajmal SOHAIL]; Hezb-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Abdul Rasheed AARYAN]; Hezb-e-Mili Wahdat-e-Aqwam-e-Islami
Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANEE]; Hezb-e-Nuhzhat-e-Mili
Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOUD]; Hezb-e-Paiwand-e-Mili Afghanistan
[Said Mansoor NADIRI]; Hezb-e-Rastakhaiz-e-Islami
Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Said ZAHIR];
Hezb-e-Refah-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASEEQ];
Hezb-e-Risalat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Noor Aqa ROEEN];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ];
Hezb-e-Sahadat-e-Mili Wa Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Usman
SALIGZADA]; Hezb-e-Sulh-e-Mili Islami Aqwam-e-Afghanistan [Abdul
Qahir SHARYATEE]; Hezb-e-Sulh Wa Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul
Qadir IMAMEE]; Hezb-e-Tafahum-e-Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Ahamad
SHAHEEN]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim
KHALILI]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami Mardum-e-Afghanistan [Ustad
Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Hezb-e-Wahdat-e-Mili Afghanistan [Abdul Rasheed
JALILI]; Jamahat-ul-Dahwat ilal Qurhan-wa-Sunat-ul-Afghanistan
[Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Jombesh-e Milli [Abdul Rashid
DOSTAM]; Mahaz-e-Mili Islami Afghanistan [Said Ahmad GAILANEE];
Majmah-e-Mili Fahaleen-e-Sulh-e-Afghanistan [Shams ul Haq Noor
SHAMS]; Nuhzat-e-Aazadee Wa Democracy Afghanistan [Abdul Raqeeb
Jawid KUHISTANEE]; Nuhzat-e-Hambastagee Mili Afghanistan [Peer Said
Ishaq GAILANEE]; Sazman-e-Islami Afghanistan-e-Jawan [Siad Jawad
HUSSAINEE]; Tahreek Wahdat-e-Mili [Sultan Mahmood DHAZI] (30 Sep
2004)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Jamiat-e Islami (Society of Islam) [former President Burhanuddin
RABBANI]; Ittihad-e Islami (Islamic Union for the Liberation of
Afghanistan) [Abdul Rasul SAYYAF]; there are also small monarchist,
communist, and democratic groups

International organization participation:
AsDB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SACEP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD
chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] 202-483-6410
FAX: [1] 202-483-6488
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN
embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul
mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180
telephone: [00 93] (20) 230-0436
FAX: [00 93] (20) 230-1364

Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a
gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a
temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right
and by a bold Islamic inscription above

Economy Afghanistan

Economy - overview:
Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly since the
fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over
$8 billion in international assistance, recovery of the agricultural
sector and growth of the service sector, and the reestablishment of
market institutions. Real GDP growth is estimated to have slowed in
the last fiscal year primarily because adverse weather conditions
cut agricultural production, but is expected to rebound over 2005-06
because of foreign donor reconstruction and service sector growth.
Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan remains
extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid,
farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take
the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention
to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its
current status, among the lowest in the world. Much of the
population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean
water, electricity, medical care, and jobs, but the Afghan
government and international donors remain committed to improving
access to these basic necessities by prioritizing infrastructure
development, education, housing development, jobs programs, and
economic reform over the next year. Growing political stability and
continued international commitment to Afghan reconstruction create
an optimistic outlook for continuing improvements in the Afghan
economy in 2006. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium
trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's
most serious policy challenges. Other long-term challenges include:
boosting the supply of skilled labor, reducing vulnerability to
severe natural disasters, expanding health services, and rebuilding
a war torn infrastructure.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$21.5 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.095 billion

GDP - real growth rate:
14% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38%
industry: 24%
services: 38%
note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.)

Labor force:
15 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
53% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
16.3% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7
million
note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the
Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order
Trust Fund (FY04-05 budget est.)

Agriculture - products:
opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins

Industries:
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
905 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 36.3%
hydro: 63.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.042 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
200 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
50 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
50 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
99.96 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:
$471 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports
(2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

Exports - partners:
US 25.3%, Pakistan 20.9%, India 20.8%, Finland 4% (2005)

Imports:
$3.87 billion (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
Pakistan 23.9%, US 11.8%, Germany 6.8%, India 6.5%, Turkey 5.1%,
Turkmenistan 5%, Russia 4.7%, Kenya 4.4% (2005)

Debt - external:
$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has
$500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:
international pledges made by more than 60 countries and
international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference
for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for
2004-09

Currency (code):
afghani (AFA)

Currency code:
AFA

Exchange rates:
afghanis per US dollar - 541 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003), 41
(2002), 66 (2001)
note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized
at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the market rate
varied widely from the official rate

Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March

Communications Afghanistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
100,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.2 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service
domestic: telephone service is improving with the licensing of four
wireless telephone service providers by 2005; approximately 4 in 100
Afghans own a wireless telephone; telephone main lines remain
limited.
international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,
Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international
and domestic voice and data connectivity

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian
(Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003)

Radios:
167,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:
at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul
and regional stations in nine of the 34 provinces; the regional
stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a
station in Mazar-e-Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan
provinces) (1998)

Televisions:
100,000 (1999)

Internet country code:
.af

Internet hosts:
22 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
30,000 (2005)

Communications - note:
in March 2003, 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name;
Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public
"telekiosks" in Kabul (2002)

Transportation Afghanistan

Airports:
46 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 9 (2006)

Heliports:
9 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 466 km (2006)

Roadways:
total: 34,789 km
paved: 8,231 km
unpaved: 26,558 km (2003)

Waterways:
1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
(2005)

Ports and terminals:
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Military Afghanistan

Military branches:
Afghan National Army (includes Afghan Air Force) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year
term (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 22-49: 4,952,812
females age 22-49: 4,663,963 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 22-49: 2,662,946
females age 22-49: 2,508,574 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 275,362
females age 22-49: 259,935 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$122.4 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Afghanistan

Disputes - international:
most Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been repatriated, but
thousands still remain in Iran, many at their own choosing;
Coalition and Pakistani forces continue to patrol remote tribal
areas to control the borders and stem organized terrorist and other
illegal cross-border activities; regular meetings between Pakistani
and Coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of boundary
encroachments; regional conflicts over water-sharing arrangements
with Amu Darya and Helmand River states

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 200,000-300,000 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in
south and west due to drought and instability) (2005)

Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of opium; cultivation dropped 48% to
107,400 hectares in 2005; better weather and lack of widespread
disease returned opium yields to normal levels, meaning potential
opium production declined by only 10% to 4,475 metric tons; if the
entire poppy crop were processed, it is estimated that 526 metric
tons of heroin could be processed; source of hashish; many
narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source
of instability and some antigovernment groups profit from the trade;
80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium;
vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through informal financial
networks

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@Akrotiri

Introduction Akrotiri

Background:
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the
independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and
jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -
Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the
Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the
Western Sovereign Base Area.

Geography Akrotiri

Location:
peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus

Geographic coordinates:
34 37 N, 32 58 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 123 sq km
note: includes a salt lake and wetlands

Area - comparative:
about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 47.4 km
border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km

Coastline:
56.3 km

Climate:
temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Environment - current issues:
shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead
and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on
the base

Geography - note:
British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small
off-post sites scattered across Cyprus

People Akrotiri

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,300 military personnel are on the base; there
are another 5,000 British citizens who are families of military
personnel or civilian staff on both Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Cyprus
citizens work on the base, but do not live there

Languages:
English, Greek

Government Akrotiri

Country name:
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri

Dependency status:
overseas territory of UK; administered by an administrator who is
also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Capital:
name: Episkopi Cantonment; also serves as capital of Dhekelia
geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Constitution:
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council
1960, effective 16 August 1960

Legal system:
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY
(since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of
Defence
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is
appointed by the monarch

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:
the flag of the UK is used

Economy Akrotiri

Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military
and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured
goods must be imported.

Communications Akrotiri

Radio broadcast stations:
FM 1
note: British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1
and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)

Television broadcast stations:
British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel
satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia (2006)

Military Akrotiri

Military - note:
Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on
Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

======================================================================

@Albania

Introduction Albania

Background:
Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic
Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The
transition has proven challenging as successive governments have
tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a
dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime
networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made
progress in its democratic development since first holding
multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International
observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the
restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid
schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party
and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime
and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size
of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition
of power, was considered an important step forward. Although
Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the
poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an
inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has
played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in
southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO
and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a
strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.

Geography Albania

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea,
between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

Geographic coordinates:
41 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172
km, Serbia 115 km

Coastline:
362 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers;
interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain:
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore,
nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

Land use:
arable land: 20.1%
permanent crops: 4.21%
other: 75.69% (2005)

Irrigated land:
3,530 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast;
floods; drought

Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and
domestic effluents

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to
Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

People Albania

Population:
3,581,655 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 464,954/female 423,003)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 1,214,942/female 1,158,562)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 148,028/female 172,166) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 28.9 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 29.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.52% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
15.11 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
5.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.75 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.43 years
male: 74.78 years
female: 80.34 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.03 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups:
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,
Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from
1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Religions:
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current
statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were
closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November
1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Languages:
Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach,
Romani, Slavic dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 93.3%
female: 79.5% (2003 est.)

Government Albania

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Albania
conventional short form: Albania
local long form: Republika e Shqiperise
local short form: Shqiperia
former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Government type:
emerging democracy

Capital:
name: Tirana (Tirane)
geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 19 50 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i
Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i
Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku
i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores

Independence:
28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

Constitution:
adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998

Legal system:
has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court for its citizens

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24
July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September
2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister,
nominated by the president, and approved by parliament
elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 24
June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly
vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 are elected by
direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD
56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the
People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and
district courts

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian
Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania
or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Neritan
CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement
Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan
STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or BNK [Adriatik
ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of
National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or
PDRN [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social
Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD
[Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir
META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for Human Rights
Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade
Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian
National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Erion
VELIAJ]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of
Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP,
SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA
chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942
FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES
embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana
mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles,
VA 20189-9510
telephone: [355] (4) 247285
FAX: [355] (4) 232222

Flag description:
red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Economy Albania

Economy - overview:
Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the
difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The
government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur
economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by annual
remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and
Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture,
which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held back because of
frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify
property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy
shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to
Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to
attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of
a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and
distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages.
Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national
road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic
growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003-05 and
inflation is not a problem.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.87 billion
note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50%
of official GDP (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$8.657 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2005 est.)