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 Japan.

Known for its alcoholic beverages as well as being the birthplace of reggae, Jamaica has only been independent since 1962. Before contact with Europeans, Jamaica was inhabited by the Arawak people. After its first contact by Christopher Columbus at the end of the 15th century, Jamaica became a part of the Spanish Empire. During the second half of the 17th century, the island was taken over by the British Empire. During this time, the Arawak population was decimated by disease which led to large shipments of African slaves to Jamaica where they were put into work in banana and sugar cane plantations. After the abolishment of slavery in 1838, Jamaica still remained a part of the British Empire. Between 1838 and 1962, riots and protests demanding Jamaican independence were rigidly put down by the British. In 1962, Jamaica proclaimed its independence, but still remained a part of the British Commonwealth. Since then, Jamaica has seen some economic downturn but has remained stable compared to other states that gained their independence from the British Empire. .

It is the 136th state with the highest amount of surface water which is 161 square kilometers or 62 square miles. 

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

The Jamaican limestone plane serves as a natural aquifer that provides most of the water supply for its agriculture. With slight treatment, the same water is used as drinking water. 

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

As the 53rd warmest state in the world, Jamaica has an average temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius or 77.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of its location near the equator, Jamaica experiences a tropical climate with hot and oppressive temperatures all year round. 

During the wet season, Jamaica experiences an average temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius or 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the dry season, the average temperature is 22.3 degrees Celsius or 72.1 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The wet season occurs between July and October. With 135 centimetres, or 53.1 inches of annual rainfall, Jamaica ranks 63rd. 

Its GDP, with US$15.3 billion is the 123rd highest in the world. 

Its GDP per service area is US$1.3 million per square kilometer or US$3.5 million per square mile which makes it the 57th highest in the world. 

Its GDP per capita is US$5.276 which is the 102nd highest in the world. 

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, with US$9.872 is the 124th highest in the world. 

Jamaica has the 38th highest population density in the world with 262 people per square kilometer or 679 people per square mile. 

Around 40 percent of the population, or just over 1 million people have migrated to other states. The main reason for migration is economic opportunities abroad. Despite being a former British colony, the United Kingdom only houses 15 percent of all migrants while the United States and Canada house the remaining 85 percent. 

Immigration to Jamaica has been limited due to government regulations as well as a lack of facilitation for migration. Most of the 20.000 migrants consist of people that have re-migrated back to Jamaica from north America. The total amount of immigrants represents 0.7 percent of the total population. 

With a literacy rate of 88 percent, Jamaica is the 119th most literate state in the world. This is despite six years of free and compulsory education that is in the form of primary school. 

Despite having the 55th highest life expectancy in the world with an average age of 74.9 years, there are serious health risks to the Jamaican population. Some of these are easily preventable such as the transmission of communicable diseases such as HIV AIDS and tuberculosis as well as a high murder rate and traffic incidents. Other health risks to the Jamaican population are mainly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. These are mostly treated in public facilities that are provided for free by the Jamaican government. 

The Jamaican government provides freedom of religion towards most religions. Some exceptions are made towards the voodoo religion which has been declared illegal by the Jamaican government. Its schooling system provides religious education which has not been tailored towards a specific religion, with the exception of religious schools. 

As the 70th most Christian state in the world, Christianity is represented by 75.2 percent of the population. 

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

With a representation of 0.1 percent of the population, Jamaica is the 160th most Islamic state in the world and represents less than 5.000 people. Islam was introduced to Jamaica with the introduction of African slaves. Today, a large part of the Muslims is represented by Indian immigrants that arrived in Jamaica after the abolishment of slavery in order to work on its sugar plantations. 

There are no official Buddhist organizations in Jamaica. 

Jamaica is home to less than 5.000 Hindus, or approximately 0.06 percent of the population. Until the 1950s, the hindu population represented around two percent of the population. However, due to high amounts of conversion to Christianity, this number rapidly decreased. 

The first Jews arrived in Jamaica as a result of the Spanish Inquisition. These were mainly refugees from Portugal and Spain. For more than 300 years, Jews did not enjoy the same rights as Jamaican citizens. Today, around 0.04 percent of the Jamaican population is Jewish and are mainly located in and around Kingston. 

One of the more known religions in Jamaica is the Rastafari movement which is represented by 3.68 percent of the population. Jamaica is the birthplace of Rastafarianism which started in 1930 when the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie is considered to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. 

Irreligion is followed by 11.52 percent of the population which is mainly the result of the decline of the Christian church.