| Geography | Afghanistan |
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Location:
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Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran |
Geographic coordinates:
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33 00 N, 65 00 E |
Map references:
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Asia |
Area:
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total: 647,500 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Texas |
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 |
Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
Climate:
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arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers |
Terrain:
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mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m |
Natural resources:
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natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones |
Land use:
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arable land: 12.13%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 87.66% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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27,200 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources:
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65 cu km (1997) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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1,934 cubic meters per capita |
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) |
Natural hazards:
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damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
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 |
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 |
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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