International disputes: periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; Iran supports clientsin country, private Pakistani and Saudi sources also are active; power struggles among various groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries among emerging warlords, traditional tribal disputes continue; support to Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan (Durand Line); support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions
Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 3% other: 39%
Irrigated land: 26,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of
the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building
materials); desertification
natural hazards: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding
international agreements: party to - 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
Note: landlocked
@Afghanistan:People
Population: 21,251,821 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (female 4,342,218; male 4,507,141)
15-64 years: 56% (female 5,406,675; male 6,443,734)
65 years and over: 2% (female 256,443; male 295,610) (July 1995 est.)