Afghanistan

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

With its GDP of 19.006 million dollar, Afghanistan spends about 1.2% (228.4 million dollar) on its military branch. This ranks Afghanistan as the 119th largest military spender on a global scale. In relative terms, this means that Afghanistan represents 0.01% of the total global military expenditure.

Below, the absolute and relative military expenditure is displayed.

Known as the graveyard of empires, Afghanistan has been an internationally contested state that withstood total subversion from major empires throughout its existence. Its most recent encounters with other empires were the British empire (1839-1842) the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and the United States (2001-present). Factors that attribute to this are the fact that the mountains limit the accessibility through Afghanistan. Aside from this, inter tribal wars have  regularly occurred which led to  the creation of a hostile environment as well as physically defensive structures of each village. 

Military membership

Afghanistan is a member of four international military organizations. This ranks Afghanistan as the 95th most interconnected state globally. The military organizations of which Afghanistan is a member are:

• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons   
• Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 
• International Atomic Energy Agency 
• Non-Aligned Movement

The membership of military organizations of each state is displayed below.

Military membership

International wars

Since its foundation, Afghanistan has fought ten wars with other states. The most recent international wars were with the Soviet Union (1979-1989) and with the United States (2001-present). Other notable wars were the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842), Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), Afghanistan–Pakistan border clash 1949-present and the Civil war in Afghanistan 1996-2001.

Below, the amount of international wars of each state is displayed.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Afghanistan is a member of  ten political organizations. This ranks Afghanistan as the 127th most politically interconnected state globally. The political entities of which Afghanistan is a member are:

• Member state of the United Nations                    
• International Labour Organization                  
• Asia Cooperation Dialogue                                                                          
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation 
• Colombo Plan   

Below, the amount of political memberships of each state is displayed.

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Due to poverty, corruption and other undemocratic practices, the citizens of Afghanistan have a large amount of distrust toward the Afghan state. Aside from this, other fundamentalist groups within Afghanistan also threaten the democratic systems of the Afghan state. 

Globally, Afghanistan leans more towards a dictatorship rather than a democracy.  Based on its governmental structure, Afghanistan is ranked the 129th most democratic state globally.

The global rating of each state is displayed below.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of the modern Afghan state has mainly focused on a centralized government with a strong military. This, however, has not been the case. With several ethnic, religious and political groups in Afghanistan, the Afghan government has not been able to fully influence its inhabitants. Several civil wars have ensued due to interfactional fighting. This has crippled the power of the Afghan state. 

• International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property                          
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation                              
• International Criminal Court       
• Interpol         
• World Organization for Animal Health

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If you want to know more about other states, click on the flag on the right to discover Honduras.

Holy See 

Known for being the center of Catholicism, the world-famous paintings of Michelangelo as well as the smallest state in the world, Holy See or Vatican City has been the last remnants of the papal states. The papal states were present in parts of Italy from the eighth century when the decline of the Byzantine Empire gave way to sovereign rule of smaller states. The papal states grew when several kingdoms donated their land to the papal states as well as the expansion during the Renaissance. However, the papal states declined after the unification of Italy with only the church and square of St. Peter as well as the home and the garden of the Pope remains under control of the papal states by 1871. Territorial disputes between the papal states and Italy were settled by Benito Mussolini in 1929 when it was agreed upon that the remaining territories would be recognized as a new and sovereign state. .

 The Holy See is an enclave that is located inside the city of Rome, the capital of Italy. Its terrain is fully made out of buildings with the exception of the garden and is located on a low hill. As an enclave of Italy, it only borders Italy on all sides. 

It is the smallest state in the world and ranks 194th. It is only smaller than Monaco. 

It has a total water surface area of 0 square kilometers or 0 square miles. This makes the Holy See the smallest state in the world by water surface area.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Aside from several fountains, the Holy See does not have any permanent bodies of water. However, it is closely located near the Tiber River. 

Afghanistan's share of water, as well as the other states are displayed below.

The climate of the Holy See is a Mediterranean climate. This means that it has hot and dry summers and mild winters. The average temperature fluctuates heavily, but is on average 17.5 degrees Celsius or 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit which makes the Holy See the 172nd warmest state in the world. 

Its warmest temperature is between April and August and reaches 19.9 degrees Celsius or 67.8 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Its colder period is from November to March with an average temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius or 51.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the colder periods, the Vatican is regularly showered with rain as well as snow. On average, the Vatican receives 81.3 centimetres or 31 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 120th states with the highest amount of rainfall. 

The capital of the Holy See, Vatican City is a home to 859 people. The capital that is closest located to Vatican City is Rome Italy of which it is a part. The capital that is furthest removed from Vatican City is Wellington New Zealand with a distance of 18,579 kilometers or 11,545 miles. 

The economy of the Vatican is highly dependent on a few economic sources. The largest of these sources are donations from all over the world, the sale of coins and book publications and the entrance fee to its museum.  it is almost fully dependent on Italy for all of its imports and does not have a single large export partner. 

The Vatican is a member of three international economic organizations which makes it the 192nd most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

Its GDP is the 195th highest in the world and is estimated to be US$21 million which is the lowest in the world. 

However, its GDP per service area is the fifth highest in the world and stands at US$42.6 million per square kilometer or 110 million US dollars per square mile. 

Its GDP per capita is the 32nd highest in the world and is estimated to be US$29,315. 

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power however is the 120th highest in the world and is around US$10,745. 

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Because it is a city state it has a 100 percent urbanization rate and with its 859 people, the Vatican is the 195th most populous state in the world. 

It has the fifth highest population density in the world with 1450 people per square kilometer or 3750 people per square mile. 

There are no official statistics of emigration from the Holy See, but it is estimated that less than 100 people have migrated from the Holy See. This makes Vatican City the 194th highest in terms of migration. 

There are no official immigration statistics from the Holy See, but the only people that are legally allowed to live in Vatican City is the Pope and members of its Swiss guard. 

The Holy See has the second highest literacy rate in the world which is estimated to be 99.6 percent. It provides its education through more than 50 institutions that are located throughout Rome as well as providing education opportunities all around the world. 

Despite being an independent state, it does not have a health care system and is fully dependent on the Italian health care system. The average life expectancy is unclear, but it is estimated that women reach an average age of 81 years while men reach an average age of 74 years. 

The Pope, which is also the Bishop of Rome, is the head of the Holy See. The Holy See is considered to be a theocratic state which heads the Catholic church has more than 1.3 billion followers worldwide.

All of its followers are Christian Catholics which makes Vatican City the most Christian state in the world. 

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed 

There is no Islamic population in the Holy See. 

There is no Buddhist population in the Holy See. 

There is no Hindu population in the Holy See. 

There is no Judaic population in the Holy See. 

There is no other religious population in the Holy See. 

There is no irreligious population in the Holy See.