Afghanistan Geography Profile 2001

Location

Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Map references

Asia

Area

total: 647,500 sq km

land: 647,500 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries

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

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m

highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

Natural resources

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Land use

arable land: 12%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 46%

forests and woodland: 3%

other: 39% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

30,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

Environment - current issues

soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note

landlocked