Iran vs. Afghanistan
Geography
| Iran | Afghanistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan | Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran |
| Geographic coordinates | 32 00 N, 53 00 E | 33 00 N, 65 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Asia |
| Area | total: 1,648,195 sq km land: 1,531,595 sq km water: 116,600 sq km | total: 652,230 sq km land: 652,230 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska | almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,894 km border countries (7): Afghanistan 921 km, Armenia 44 km, Azerbaijan 689 km, Iraq 1599 km, Pakistan 959 km, Turkey 534 km, Turkmenistan 1148 km | total: 5,987 km border countries (6): China 91 km, Iran 921 km, Pakistan 2670 km, Tajikistan 1357 km, Turkmenistan 804 km, Uzbekistan 144 km |
| Coastline | 2,440 km - note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast | arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers |
| Terrain | rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts | mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m mean elevation: 1,305 m | highest point: Noshak 7,492 m lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m mean elevation: 1,884 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur | natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 30.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 10.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.1% (2018 est.) forest: 6.8% (2018 est.) other: 63.1% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 58.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018) permanent crops: 0.3% (2018) permanent pasture: 46% (2018) forest: 1.85% (2018 est.) other: 40.1% (2018) |
| Irrigated land | 95,530 sq km (2012) | 32,080 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes | damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
| Environment - current issues | air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization | limited natural freshwater 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 in overcrowded urban areas |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport | 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) |
| Total renewable water resources | 137.045 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 65.33 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density | populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated |
Source: CIA Factbook
