Afghanistan Geography
actual Travel Guide > Facts > Afghanistan > Geography
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).
Total renewable water resources:
65 cu km (1997).
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)
per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000).
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).
This page was last updated on May 15, 2008
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Afghanistan Geography 2008 |
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