gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
49.98 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Exports:
$98 million (not including illicit exports) (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:
US 27%, France 17.5%, India 16.6%, Pakistan 13.3% (2003)
Imports:
$1.007 billion (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Pakistan 30.1%, South Korea 9.2%, Japan 7.6%, Germany 6.9%,
Turkmenistan 5.4%, Kenya 4.6%, US 4.5%, Russia 4% (2003)
Debt - external:
$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has
$500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
international pledges made by more than 60 countries and
international financial institutions at the Tokyo Donors Conference
for Afghan reconstruction in January 2002 reached $4.5 billion
through 2006, with $1.8 billion allocated for 2002; another $1.7
billion was pledged for 2003.
Currency:
afghani (AFA)
Currency code:
AFA
Exchange rates:
afghanis per US dollar - 50 (2003), 50 (2002), 3,000 (2001), 3,000
(2000), 3,000 (1999)
: note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency
stabilized at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the
market rate varied widely from the official rate
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Communications Afghanistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
33,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
15,000 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service
domestic: telephone service is improving with the establishment of
two mobile phone operators by 2003; telephone main lines remain weak
with only .1 line per 10 people
international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,
Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international
and domestic voice and data connectivity
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 21, FM 23, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian
(Dari), Urdu, and English) (2003)
Radios:
167,000 (1999)
Television broadcast stations: at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 32 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998)
Televisions:
100,000 (1999)
Internet country code:
.af
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1,000 (2002)
Communications - note:
in March 2003 'af' was established as Afghanistan's domain name;
Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public
"telekiosks" in Kabul that are part of a nationwide network proposed
by the Transitional Authority for Internet access (2002)
Transportation Afghanistan
Highways: total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 387 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports:
47 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 37 under 914 m: 11 (2004 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
Heliports: 5 (2003 est.)
Military Afghanistan
Military branches:
Afghan National Army, currently being trained by the US with the
assistance of the international community, is 7,000 strong; note -
the December 2001 Bonn Agreement called for all militia forces to
come under the authority of the central government, but regional
leaders have continued to retain their militias and the formation of
a national army remains a gradual process; Afghanistan's militia
forces continue to be factionalized, largely along ethnic lines
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
22 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 6,785,414 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 3,642,659 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 263,406 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$61 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1% (2003)
Transnational Issues Afghanistan
Disputes - international:
despite largely successful UN efforts at voluntary repatriation,
2–3 million Afghan refugees continue to reside in Iran and Pakistan,
many at their own choosing; Pakistan has sent troops into remote
tribal areas to control the border and stem organized terrorist and
other illegal cross-border activites; regular meetings between
Pakistani and coalition allies aim to resolve periodic claims of
boundary encroachments; occasional conflicts over water-sharing