Afghanistan in Brief

Date: Nov 09, 2008
Land and People

General Facts and Statistics

Area: 647,500 sq. km. (249,935 sq. mi.), slightly smaller than Texas

Capital: Kabul, 2,000,000 (approx.)

Population: 29,863,000 (2005 est.)

Natural resources: Natural gas, petroleum, coal, cooper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Land use: Arable land 12% Permanent pastures 46% Forests and woodland 3% Other 39%

Literacy rate: 28.7 percent (UN Afghanistan Human Development Report of 2005)