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 Jordan.

Japan

Known as the land of the rising Sun because of its eastern location on the Asian continent, Japan has developed into one of the most advanced economies of the continent. Since its existence, Japan was contested by many clans until the fourth century when the Yamato clan managed to take control over all of Japan. Its first contacts with the Europeans was with Portuguese explorers and was soon followed by the Dutch. After the discovery of Portuguese involvement in a Japanese uprising, Japan closed its borders to the world. After forcefully opening up to trade with the United States in 1868, Japan transformed its economic system from a feudal one to a highly technological one. This has led to rapid technological advancement for the Japanese military which led to many successful military campaigns in China as well as Japan being the first Asian state to defeat a European power, Russia. After annexing the Korean Peninsula in 1910, Japan entered the periods of extreme nationalism which led to the expansion of Japanese territory into China. During the second world war, Japan annexed the French colonial powers and expanded its territory to the south occupying the Dutch East Indies. In 1941, the Japanese attacked the United States which soon started its military campaign against Japan. After the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a result of two atomic bombs, the Japanese surrendered to the United States. Since 1950, Japan has vowed to maintain its military for defensive purposes and transformed its economy into one of the most developed economies in the world.  .

 Japan consists of more than 6000 different islands with the island Honshu being home to the majority of its population. As an island state, it does not border other states, but is located on several seas such as the sea of Ochotsk, the Pacific Ocean, the sea of the Philippines, the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. Most of its territory is located on tectonic plates and is heavily influenced by the volcanoes, earthquakes as well as tsunamis. Its landscape is mainly characterized as mountainous and densely forested with a small exception to some low-lying coastal planes of which the Tokyo prefecture is the largest. 

With a total landmass of 379,865 square kilometers or 184,667 square miles, Japan is the 62nd largest state in the world being larger than Germany and smaller than Norway. 

It is the 39th state with the highest amount of surface water which is 13,497 square kilometers or 5216 square miles. 

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

The vast majority of water in Japan comes from its surface water which comes down from its mountains and is largely collected through reservoirs and dams which covers approximately 3.5 percent of Japan's total surface. 

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

The climate of Japan varies heavily depending on its latitude. Its most northern part is considered to be sub-Arctic while its most southern part is considered to be subtropical. On average, Japan is the 141st warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 12.5 degrees Celsius or 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During its summer period, from June to August, the average temperature is 17.5 degrees Celsius or 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During winter, from December to February, the average temperature drops down to 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During summer, Japan experience most of its rainfalls when the cold winds from the north mcollide with the warm winds from the south. With an average rainfall of 171 centimetres or 67.6 inches, Japan is the 43rd state with the highest amount of rainfall. 

The capital of Japan, Tokyo, is home to approximately 15 million people. This makes Tokyo the second most populous capital in the world. The capital that is closest located to Tokyo is Seoul South Korea with a distance of 1176 kilometers or 730 miles. The capital that is furthest for from Tokyo is Montevideo Uruguay with a distance of 18,597 kilometers or 11,555 miles. 

After the second world war, Japan had a rapid economic growth as a result of a high work ethic as well as a low allocation of funds towards its own military. This has led to a high diversification of its economy and at the turn of the 21st century, Japan had its economy in the top three. Most of its export consists of electronics, chemicals as well as trains and vehicles of which Japan is among the leading exporters. These are mainly exported to China and the United States which combined represent 40 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and United States as well which combined represent 35 percent of all imports. Despite high economic developments, Japan lacks a solid agricultural base which leads Japan to import most of its food and leaves it vulnerable to global food shortages. 

Japan is a member of 17 international economic organizations making it the 28th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations: 

With a GDP of nearly US$5 trillion, or nearly 6 percent of total global GDP, the Japanese economy is the third highest in the world. 

Its GDP per square kilometer is US$13.1 million or US$34 million per square mile making it the 18th highest in the world. 

Its GDP per capita is the 27th highest in the world and stands at US$39,222. 

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 is the 29th highest in the world with US$42,524. 

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

Japan is considered to be one of the least diverse states in the world. Approximately 92.6 percent of its population lives in urban areas which makes Japan the 15th most urbanized state in the world. Its total population, which is more than 127 million people, is the 11th highest in the world. 

It is also the 27th most densely populated state in the world with 334 people per square kilometer or 864 people per square mile. 

Emigration from Japan is represented by 0.6 percent of its population, or just over 800,000 people. Around 35 percent of all emigrants have gone to the United States which is the largest recipient of the Japanese emigrants. One notable thing is that the second largest recipient of emigrants is Brazil which houses an entire district of Japanese citizens in São Paulo. 

Immigration to Japan is heavily monitored and legally heavily restricted. This has also led to a low acceptance of refugees that applied for citizenship in Japan. Currently, around 1.8 percent of the population, or 2.3 million people have migrated to Japan which ranks it as the 23rd state with the highest number of emigrants. Nearly half of all emigrants originate from China and is followed by South Korea. 

The Japanese schooling system is based on the American schooling system which has a kindergarten, primary school and a junior high school. These years of schooling are free and compulsory and with 98.3 percent, Japan is 54th most literate state in the world. 

The Japanese diet is considered to be among the healthiest in the world due to its low saturated fats and one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. On average, the life expectancy is 85.1 years with women reaching 88.1 years and men reaching 81.9 years. This life expectancy is the fifth highest in the world. 

Before the second world war, Shinto was the main religion in Japan and was considered to be the central religion that was taught in school. However, after the second world war, Japan drafted a new constitution which allowed freedom towards all religions as well as the ability to not partake in other religious activities. 

With 1.7 percent of the population, Japan is the 179th most Christian state in the world. It was first introduced with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries which attempted to convert the Japanese people to Catholicism. Currently, Catholicism is still the largest Christian denomination in Japan followed by Protestantism. 

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

Around 0.2 percent of the population adheres to Islam making Japan the 150th most Islamic state in the world. As a result of the terrorist attacks in the United States, the majority of Japanese hold a negative view towards people that practice Islam. 

Buddhism is practiced by 36.2 percent of the population and has been present in Japan from the fourth century. Currently, the largest denominations are Nichiren Buddhism and Amidist Buddhism. 

 Hinduism is practiced by 0.07 percent of the population and mainly consists of immigrants that come from India, China and Nepal. 

Judaism is represented by 0.03 percent of the population and mainly consist Jews that left to Europe after the second world war. Currently, more than 25,000 Jews residing in Japan. 

Other religions are the Ryukyu religions and is mainly found on the island of Okinawa and is considered to be one of the indigenous beliefs. The main take away of this religion is the prominent role of women as well as ancestor worshiping. 

Around 38.19 percent of the population is considered to be irreligious. However, the majority of irreligious people still practice some elements of other religions such as Shintoism and Buddhism.