Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Ahmad Zia
MASOOD; Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December
2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; former King ZAHIR Shah held the honorific, "Father of
the Country," and presided symbolically over certain occasions but
lacked any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary;
King ZAHIR Shah died on 23 July 2007
head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); First Vice President Ahmad Zia
MASOOD; Second Vice President Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December
2004)
cabinet: 25 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 20 August 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Hamid KARZAI reelected president; percent of vote
- Hamid KARZAI 54.6%, Abdullah ABDULLAH 27.8%, Ramazan BASHARDOST
9.2%, Ashraf GHANI 2.7% (as reported by the Independent Election
Commission of Afghanistan on 16 September 2009)
note: on 2 November 2009, following the cancellation of the planned
7 November election runoff, the UN-backed Electoral Complaints
Commission officially declared Hamid KARZAI the winner of the 20
August presidential election
Legislative branch:
the bicameral National Assembly consists of 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, and one-third nominated by the
president for five-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga or House of
People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms
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 election expected in
2010)
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; 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:
Afghanistan Peoples' Treaty Party [Sayyed Amir TAHSEEN];
Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF];
Afghanistan's Islamic Nation Party [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad ZAI];
Afghanistan's National Islamic Party [Rohullah LOUDIN];
Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social
Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Afghan Society for the Call to
the Koran and Sunna [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Comprehensive
Movement of Democracy and Development of Afghanistan Party [Sher
Mohammad BAZGAR]; Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];
Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR]; Elites People
of Afghanistan Party [Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Freedom and Democracy
Movement of Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Freedom
Party of Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK]; Freedom Party of
Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq NEJRABEE]; Hizullah-e-Afghanistan
[Qari Ahmad ALI]; Human Rights Protection and Development Party of
Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATI]; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan
[Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad
Ali JAWID]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Mukhtar
MUFLEH]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI,
Abdul Hadi ARGHANDIWAL]; Islamic Party of the Afghan Land [Mohammad
Hassan FEROZKHEL]; Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan [Ilhaj
Said Hussain ANWARY]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad
RABBANI]; Islamic Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban
Ali URFANI]; Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim
KHALILI]; Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Ustad
Mohammad MOHAQQEQ]; Labor and Progress of Afghanistan Party
[Zulfiqar OMID]; Muslim People of Afghanistan Party [Besmellah
JOYAN]; Muslim Unity Movement Party of Afghanistan [Wazir Mohammad
WAHDAT]; National and Islamic Sovereignty Movement Party of
Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI]; National Congress Party of
Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM]; National Country Party [Ghulam
MOHAMMAD]; National Development Party of Afghanistan [Dr. Aref
BAKTASH]; National Freedom Seekers Party [Abdul Hadi DABEER];
National Independence Party of Afghanistan [Taj Mohammad WARDAK];
National Islamic Fighters Party of Afghanistan [Amanat NINGARHAREE];
National Islamic Front of Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE];
National Islamic Moderation Party of Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized
YAAR]; National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]
National Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE];
National Movement of Afghanistan [Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; National
Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid ARYAN]; National Patch of
Afghanistan Party [Sayed Kamal SADAT]; National Peace Islamic Party
of Afghanistan [Shah Mohammood Popal ZAI]; National Peace & Islamic
Party of the Tribes of Afghanistan [Abdul Qaher SHARIATEE]; National
Peace & Unity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Qader IMAMI]; National
Prosperity and Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman
SALEKZADA]; National Prosperity Party [Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE];
National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq
GAILANEE]; National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor
NADREEI]; National Sovereignty Party [Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI];
National Stability Party [Mohammad Same KHAROTI]; National Stance
Party [Habibullah JANEBDAR]; National Tribal Unity Islamic Party of
Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANI]; National United Front
[Burhanuddin RABBANI] (a coalition); National Unity Movement [Sultan
Mohammad GHAZI]; National Unity Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad
Nadir AATASH]; National Unity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid
JALILI]; New Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Yunis QANUNI]; Peace and
National Welfare Activists Society [Shamsul Haq Noor SHAMS]; Peace
Movement [Shahnawaz TANAI]; People's Aspirations Party of
Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE]; People's Freedom Seekers
Party of Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS]; People's Liberal Freedom
Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Ajmal SUHAIL]; People's Message Party
of Afghanistan [Noor Aqa WAINEE]; People's Movement of the National
Unity of Afghanistan [Abdul Hakim NOORZAI]; People's Party of
Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR]; People's Prosperity Party of
Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF]; People's Sovereignty Movement
of Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE]; People's Uprising Party of
Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir Qayed Omul BELADI]; People's Welfare Party
of Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ]; People's Welfare Party of
Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Progressive Democratic Party
of Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Republican Party [Sebghatullah SANJAR];
Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq NEMAT]; The
Afghanistan's Mujahid Nation's Islamic Unity Movement [Saeedullah
SAEED]; The People of Afghanistan's Democratic Movement [Sharif
NAZARI]; Tribes Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Zarif
NASERI]; Understanding and Democracy Party of Afghanistan [Ahamad
SHAHEEN]
United Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Wasil RAHIMEE]; United Islamic
Party of Afghanistan [Wahidullah SABAWOON]; Young Afghanistan's
Islamic Organization [Sayed Jawad HUSSINEE]; Youth Solidarity Party
of Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; note - includes only
political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: religious groups; tribal leaders; ethnically based groups
International organization participation:
ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO
(guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, 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 (vacant); Deputy Ambassador Francis J.
RICCIARDONE, Jr.
embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul
mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806
telephone: [93] 0700 108 001
FAX: [93] 0700 108 564
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green,
with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and
slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the emblem
features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the
mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian
calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central
image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the
left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the
Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over
the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom
center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan
Economy ::Afghanistan
Economy - overview:
Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The
economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban
regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international
assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service
sector growth. Real GDP growth fell from the 10% level in 2006-07 to
a little more than 3% in 2008. Despite the progress of the past few
years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly
dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring
countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages
of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs.
Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan Government's inability to
extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to
future economic growth. 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 level, among the
lowest in the world. 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. While the international community remains
committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $57 billion at
three donors' conferences since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a
number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing
opium trade generate roughly $3 billion in illicit economic activity
and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other
long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation,
corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn
infrastructure.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$22.32 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
$21.58 billion (2007 est.)
$19.25 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.71 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
12.1% (2007 est.)
8.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$800 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 219
$800 (2007 est.)
$700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 31%
industry: 26%
services: 43%
note: data exclude opium production (2008 est.)
Labor force:
15 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
40% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
53% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $890 million
expenditures: $2.7 billion
note: Afghanistan has also received $2.6 billion from the
Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order
Trust Fund (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.92% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
18.14% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.688 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 73
$1.426 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.219 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 92
$958.6 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$363.6 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 119
$12.04 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
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:
839 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Electricity - consumption:
1.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
230 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
Oil - imports:
4,404 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Natural gas - production:
30 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Natural gas - consumption:
30 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 206
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
Natural gas - proved reserves:
49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
Current account balance:
-$67 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
Exports:
$327 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 173
$274 million (2006); note - not including illicit exports or
reexports
Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:
India 20.5%, Pakistan 18.5%, US 17.2%, Tajikistan 13.3%, Netherlands
7.2% (2008)
Imports:
$4.85 billion (2007)
country comparison to the world: 116
$3.823 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Pakistan 36.9%, US 9.5%, Germany 7.7%, India 5.2% (2008)
Debt - external:
$8 billion (2004)
country comparison to the world: 90
Exchange rates:
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48
(2004), 49 (2003)
Communications ::Afghanistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
460,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 100
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.45 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 69
Telephone system:
general assessment: limited landline telephone service; an
increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks
in major cities
domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers,
mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidly
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 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 5, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashto, Dari (Afghan
Persian), Urdu, and English) (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
at least 7 (1 government-run central television station in Kabul and
regional stations in 6 of the 34 provinces) (2006)
Internet country code:
.af
Internet hosts:
47 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 208
Internet users:
500,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 107
Communications - note:
Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public
"telekiosks" in Kabul (2005)
Transportation ::Afghanistan
Airports:
51 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 90
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Heliports:
11 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 466 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 42,150 km
country comparison to the world: 87
paved: 12,350 km
unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)
Waterways:
1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT)
(2008)
country comparison to the world: 59
Ports and terminals:
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Military ::Afghanistan
Military branches:
Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan
National Army Air Corps) (2009)
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 16-49: 7,431,147
females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,371,193
females age 16-49: 4,072,945 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 382,720
female: 361,733 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
Transnational Issues ::Afghanistan
Disputes - international:
Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border with
Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to foreign terrorists
and other illegal activities
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and
west due to drought and instability) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation decreased 22%
to 157,000 hectares in 2008 but remains at a historically high
level; less favorable growing conditions in 2008 reduced potential
opium production to 5,500 metric tons, down 31 percent from 2007; if
the entire opium crop were processed, 648 metric tons of pure heroin
potentially could be produced; the Taliban and other antigovernment
groups participate in and profit from the opiate trade, which is a
key source of revenue for the Taliban inside Afghanistan; widespread
corruption and instability impede counterdrug efforts; most of the
heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium;
vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial
networks; regional source of hashish (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Akrotiri (Europe)
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:
Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus
Geographic coordinates:
34 37 N, 32 58 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 123 sq km
country comparison to the world: 223
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:
hunting 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; of the Sovereign Base Area
(SBA) land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the
Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land
People ::Akrotiri
Population:
approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri
and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK-based
contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents
country comparison to the world: 218
Languages:
English, Greek
Government ::Akrotiri
Country name:
conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
conventional short form: Akrotiri
Dependency status:
a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an
administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus
Capital:
name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri
and 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, functions as a basic legal document
Legal system:
the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to
deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to the Cypriot
population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the
Republic of Cyprus
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Administrator Major General Jamie GORDON (since
October 2008); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense
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.
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827
note: on 1 January 2008 Akrotiri and Dhekelia adopted the euro along
with the rest of Cyprus
Communications ::Akrotiri
Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service
(BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia,
and Nicosia) (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (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
Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit
page last updated on July 2, 2009
======================================================================
@Albania (Europe)
Introduction ::Albania
Background: