arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 0.22%
other: 87.65% (2001)

Irrigated land:
23,860 sq km (1998 est.)

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:
29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 6,842,857/female 6,524,485)
15-64 years: 52.9% (male 8,124,077/female 7,713,603)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 353,193/female 370,772) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.56 years
male: 17.55 years
female: 17.57 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
4.77%
note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and
its continuing impact (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
47.02 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
20.75 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
21.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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 (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 163.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 167.79 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 158.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 42.9 years
male: 42.71 years
female: 43.1 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
6.75 children born/woman (2005 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 dia