Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Independence date
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
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 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Exports
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
10.000%
4.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
110
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Area
652,230 km sq
9,826,675 km sq
Coastline
0 km
19,924 km
Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
