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Afghanistan
Main Page
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Afghanistan's
Geography
Location:
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Southern Asia,
north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
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Geographic
coordinates:
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33 00 N, 65 00
E
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Map
references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 652,230
sq km
country
comparison to the world: 41
land: 652,230
sq km
water: 0
sq km
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Area -
comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Texas
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Land
boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked)
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Maritime
claims:
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none
(landlocked)
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Climate:
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Current
Weather
arid to
semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged
mountains; plains in north and southwest
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Elevation
extremes:
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lowest point: Amu
Darya 258 m
highest point: Noshak
7,485 m
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Natural
resources:
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natural gas,
petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites,
sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and
semiprecious stones
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Land use:
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arable land: 12.13%
permanent
crops: 0.21%
other: 87.66%
(2005)
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Irrigated
land:
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27,200 sq km
(2003)
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Total
renewable water resources:
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65 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater
withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 23.26
cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)
per capita: 779
cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural
hazards:
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damaging
earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;
flooding; droughts
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Environment
- current issues:
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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
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Environment
- international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not
ratified: Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography -
note:
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landlocked; the
Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to
southwest divide the northern provinces from the
rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the
northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
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