Afghanistan

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Afghanistan (officially called the Islamic republic of Afghanistan) means land of the Afghanis. Historically, Afghanistan has been a gateway for the silk road, which connected trade between the European continent to China. At present, Afghanistan is taking part in a similar project, the Belt and Road initiative, initiated by China.

Since its existence, Afghanistan has been subjected to governmental overthrows, coups and civil wars. The most recent of which is the military invasion of the United States as a response to the 9/11 attacks which were instigated by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national who was protected from extradition by the taliban.

Afghanistan is the 40th largest state in the world. The current size of Afghanistan is 655.491 km2 (253089 mi2) which makes it slightly larger than France. From the east to the west of Afghanistan spans a width of about 1300 kilometers (807 miles) and from the north to the south measures around 1000 kilometers (621 miles)

Below, the surface of Afghanistan is displayed

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

There is no data of Afghanistan having a significant amount of water that permanently resides within its border. The river Amu Dayra is the largest river in Afghanistan and also a demarcation for its border with Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. 

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

Afghanistan is a member of 13 international economic organizations. This ranks Afghanistan as the 41st of most economically internationally connected states. The international economic organizations of which Afghanistan is a member are:

• Alliance for Financial Inclusion   
• Asian Development Bank            
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank    
• International Development Law Organization     
• International Monetary Fund     
• Islamic Development Bank          

• World Bank Group          

• World Customs Organization      

• World Trade Organization           

• Economic Cooperation Organization       

• Energy Charter Treaty   

• International Renewable Energy Agency International Solar Alliance         

• Group of 77

With narcotics accounting for about half, the nominal GDP of 18.9 billion ranks Afghanistan as the 118th highest state internationally. In relative terms, Afghanistan represents 0.023% of the global GDP. Below, the GDP of all states is displayed.

The GDP representation above shows the total market value produced by a state. This is unfortunately only a representation of the market value within a specific territory. Since people are responsible for an increase of GDP, the more populous states are prone to have a higher GDP. The GDP per capita divides the nominal GDP by population count. Therefore, the GDP per capita gives a better representation of the economic value that individuals add within the state. 

The GDP per capita of Afghanistan is $517.54, which ranks it 186th globally. The map below shows the GDP per capita of every state.

Another interesting graph is the GDP that is produced per square kilometer or square mile of each state. A high GDP of states with a  large surface, as well as a low population, could be explained by the availability of a large amount of natural reserves as well as the means to extract these reserves. 

The GDP per square kilometer of Afghanistan is 28,878$ per square kilometer (74,793$ per square mile). Which ranks Afghanistan 180th of highest GDP per km2/mi2. 

The rest of the world is displayed below.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Afghanistan. 

Afghanistan is an ethnically mixed state. Due to this, the official languages Persian and Pashto are. Also, about a quarter of Afghanis live in Urban areas. Other demographics of Afghanistan are not up to date due to the absence of recent surveys amongst its population.

The demographics analyzed in this section are:

• Population
• Population per square kilometer
• Population per square mile
• Share of emigration

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

The life expectancy of Afghanistan is about 50 years for men and 53 years for women. Health is a difficult thing to measure. The quality of healthcare, genetics, and the environment are all factors that attribute to the health of a population. Based on these factors, Afghanistan is ranked 175th globally of the most healthy states globally.

Below, the global rank of each state is displayed

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Until the 7th century, Afghanistan was a multi religious state. From the 7th century onward, the spread of Islam has caused it to become a predominant Muslim state. Several attempts of secularization from the mid 20th century until the end of the 20th century have failed. Being a predominantly Muslim state, Afghanistan is one of the least multi religious states globally. With about ninety percent of Afghani inhabitants adhering to the Sunni branch of islam and about ten percent adhering to the Shia branch, little other religions exist within its borders. This ranks Afghanistan 189th of multi religious states.

Below, the global rate of mono or multi religious states is displayed. After that, the share of every major religion, remaining religious and non-religious inhabitants will be discussed.

Christianity, or the conversion to Christianity is not permitted for Afghan citizens. However, it is estimated that there are approximately 7000 Afghan Christians that practice their religion in hidden churches. Because of the ban on Christianity, many Afghan Christians practice their religion abroad.

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

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam is Afghanistan's official state religion.

Consisting almost fully of adherents of Islam, the Islamic population of Afghanistan is mainly made up of the Sunni branch of Islam (90%) and the Shia branch of Islam (10%).

On the left, the global spread of Islam is displayed per state.

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. 

• The relative Gross Domestic product per capita (in US$)
• Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity  (in US$)
• Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity per capita (in US$)
• The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchacing Power Parity (in US$)

• Share of immigration
• Literacy rate
• Health
• Religion

• 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 Mali.

Maldives 

Known for its exclusive holiday resorts as well as its iconic beaches on more than 1000 islands, the Maldives is among the most remote states in the world. Its first people arrived when sailors from India and Sri Lanka arrived there are around the fifth century BC. After coming in contact with Islam during the eighth century, Islam became the dominant religion during the 12th century. The Maldives were shortly occupied by the Portuguese during the 16th century, it became fully colonized by the British at the end of the 18th century. Since then, it has slowly gained independence when it became a self-governing protectorate at the end of the 19th century, an independent member of the British Commonwealth in 1953 and a fully independent state outside of the British Commonwealth in 1965. Since its independence, it has become a relatively stable Republic. .

 Located in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives consists of a large number of atolls and small island chains. The majority of its islands are flat, consists of sandy beaches as well as lightly forested areas. Because it is an island state, it does not border other states. 

During the dry season, the Maldives have an average temperature of 30.1 degrees Celsius or 86.2 degrees Fahrenheit. 

During the wet season, the average temperature is 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Because of its small size and geographical distance to other states, the Maldives has a heavy limitation in the diversifying its economy. Currently, the main export good is fish which is mainly exported to Thailand and Germany which combined represent nearly 50 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from China and the United Arab Emirates which combined represent more than 30 percent of all imports. Aside from the fishing industry, the Maldives is heavily reliant on the tourism sector which accounts for more than 25 percent of its GDP. 

Its GDP is the 158th highest in the world with US$5.2 billion. This represents 0.006 percent of total global GDP. 

At the end of the 20th century, the government of the Maldives had made a large investment into its educational system. This has led to a rapid increase for its literacy rate that has risen from 70 percent in 1980 to 98.5 percent. Despite its high percentage, the Maldives has not attained universal education. 

Healthcare in the Maldives has made great strides over the last three decades. Because of economic growth and continuous investment in its healthcare system, the Maldives has been able to reduce and eradicates certain communicable diseases. Currently, the leading cause of death are noncommunicable diseases. The average life expectancy is the 100th highest in the world with 79.9 years. Women reach an average age of 81.6 years while men reach an average age of 78.5 years. 

The state of the Maldives acknowledges Islam as its state religion. The expression of other religions is prohibited in public and can be fined with imprisonment. 

Islam was introduced during the eighth century when Muslim traders arrived to the Maldives. During this period, the Maldives was a Buddhist state which slowly converted to Islam with the last King converting at the end of the 12th century. Currently, 98.4 percent of the population adheres to Islam which makes it the eighth most Islamic state in the world. 

An estimated 0.6 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism. Even though Buddhism is banned from the Maldives, and its religious artifacts have been destroyed as well by the population. 

0.2 percent of the population adheres to Hinduism. These are mainly skilled laborers that are attracted to from India in order to work in the Maldives. 

There are no Jews residing in the Maldives.