Location Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Geographic coordinates 33 00 N, 65 00 E

Map references Asia

Area
total: 647,500 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 647,500 sq km

Area - comparative slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries
total: 5,529 km
border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Coastline 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims none (landlocked)

Climate arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m
highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

Natural resources natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Land use
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 88% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 23,860 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

Environment - current issues limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution

Environment - international agreements
party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

NOTE: The information regarding Afghanistan on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Afghanistan Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Afghanistan Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.