What do you know about Afghanistan? What is there to know besides there’s a war going on”way over there” ?

Afghanistan is first on my list of countries in Asia.

Here are 25 facts about Afghanistan that everyone ought to know. Maybe you have a few facts to add.

1. Afghanistan has about 33 million people, less than the state of California (36M) or the entire country of Canada.

2. Afghanistan is about the size of California and Oregon combined.

3. Afghanistan has about 1/4 of its people in the city (1/3rd of them in Kabul) and the rest in the countryside.

4. Kabul,the capital, (2.9million) by population is about the size of Chicago, Madrid, Pyongyang, or Melbourne. It’s # 58 in the world in terms of population.

5. Half of the people in Afghanistan speak Persian, 1/3rd speak Pashto, 1/10th speak Uzbek or Turkmen.

6. Afghanistan is 99% Muslim (84% Sunni/15 Shia).

7. Afghanistan’s life expectancy is 44.2 years (44.4-women) 44 for men. Nearly one in six children die at birth. Nearly half (45%) of the population is less than 14 years old. The average age is 17.6 years. Each woman bears 6+ children.

Afghanis

8. There is only one doctor per every 5,000+ people.

9. One in five women can read. One in two men can read. There is only 6 years of compulsory education.

10. Afghan is friends with Pakistan, India, Finland, Germany and Belgium – where the country exports to, and Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, United States and Germany – where the country imports from.

11.  70% of the country’s power comes by hydroelectric source and 30% by thermal sources.

12. There is only one radio for every 8 people.

13. There is only one telephone for every 333 people

14. There is only one television for every 85 people. (They aren’t missing anything.)

15. There are no internet hosts. (They are missing a lot.)

16. There is about one car for every 500 people and only 1/4th of all roads are paved.

17. Afghanistan is 90% dependent on aid as it rebuilds.

18. Only 2 in 5 schools in Afghanistan have buildings.

Afghan School

19. Some 92% of the world’s heroin comes from poppies grown in Afghanistan.

20. Afghanistan is landlocked by Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan

21. Afghanistan has natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones.

22. Afghanistan is limited in natural fresh water and has inadequate potable water, is overgrazed, deforested, desertified and suffers from air and water pollution as well as earthquakes.

23. There is no AIDS in Afghanistan.

24. Afghanistan is older than the United States -founded in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani.

25. Afghanistan can only get better.

While you are here, Sign My Afghanistan Guestbook.

And if you feel so inclined, please Subscribe to PanAsianBiz and join me on my fact finding in Asia.

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