19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
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
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Exports
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
External Debt
$1,280,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Area
652,230 km sq
71,740 km sq
Coastline
0 km
402 km
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
