Location: Afghanistan borders Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east. Other neighbouring countries are Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan (to the north) and China.

Area:

652,000 sq. km.

Capital:

Kabul. Other major cities are Kandahar in the south, Herat in the northwest, Mazar-e-Sharif in the north and Jalalabad in the east.

Politics:

At the moment, Afghanistan is being ruled by an interim government under President Hamid Karzai.

Ethnic Groups:

The main cultural groups in this multi-ethnic nation are Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Baloch, Uzbek.

Religions:

99% of Afghans are Muslims, 84% of these are Sunni and 15% Shi'a. 1% are Sikh and Hindu.

Main Languages:

Pashtu and Dari.

Population:

According to recent estimates, there are between 15 and 24 million people living in Afghanistan. Precise figures are not available at the moment as population in the country has never been counted.

Refugees:

There are some 4.5 million Afghan refugees living outside the country, approximately 1.5 million in Iran and roughly 3 million in Pakistan.

Standard of Living:

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Hardship and suffering have gone from bad to worse in over 20 years of wars and civil strife. Generations of children have never been to school. The illiteracy rate is estimated at approximately 90%.

Life Expectancy:

46 years. The level of child mortality is particularly high. 257 of 1000 children die before the age of 5.

Economy:

Afghanistan is mainly an agricultural nation as there are practically no industries. The country was one of the main recipients of development aid, even before the armed conflict began. Germany, which has enjoyed friendly ties with Afghanistan for over 100 years, has always been one of the main donor countries, particularly in the field of education. A German secondary school has existed in Kabul since 1920. Several German academics have also taught at the university in Kabul.

(Latest information: June 2003)