President: Francois Hollande Prime minister: Jean-Marc Ayrault
Population
30,419,928
65,630,692
Life Expectancy
49.720 years
81.460 years
Capital City
Kabul
Paris
Largest city
Kabul (population: 3,043,530)
Paris (population: 2,138,550)
Human Development Index
0
0.955
GDP per capita
$1,000 US
$35,600 US
Literacy Rate
28.1%
99%
Corruption Perception Index
1.5
6.9
Percentage of Women in Parliament
25.9%
19.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Bernard Arnault ($16.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
35.000%
9.300%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
Islamic republic
republic
Independence date
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan
Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois
Exports
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages
External Debt
$1,280,000,000 $
$5,633,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6799 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.900%
2.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
40
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
