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World > Middle East >
Afghanistan > Geography (Facts)
Afghanistan - Geography (Facts) |
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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: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
27,200 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: |
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts |
Environment - current issues: |
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: |
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: |
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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