ly
in the northeast, until US and allied military action in support of the
opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the
group's downfall. The four largest Afghan opposition groups met in Bonn,
Germany, in late 2001 and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new
government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI
as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001.
In addition to occasionally violent political jockeying and ongoing
military action to root out remaining terrorists and Taliban elements,
the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure,
and widespread land mines.

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 water: 0 sq km land: 647,500 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% permanent crops: 0% other: 88% (1998 est.)

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: Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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