Afghanistan

Afghanistan Afghanistan is east of Iran and north of Pakistan. Mountains cover most of the country. The climate of Afghanistan is harsh. Summer temperatures are very hot and winters are extremely cold. The climate and the landscape make farming very difficult. Much of the economy in Afghanistan is based on the county’s deposits of minerals and precious stones (and, illegally, opium)

Economy Agriculture is the main occupation, although less than 10% of the land is cultivated; a large percentage of the arable land was damaged by warfare during the 1980s and 90s. Largely subsistence crops include wheat and other grains, fruits, and nuts. The opium poppy, grown mainly for the international illegal drug trade, is the most important cash crop, and the country is the world's largest producer of opium. Grazing is also of great importance in the economy. The fat-tailed sheep are a staple of Afghan life, supplying skins and wool for clothing and meat and fat for food. Extremely high levels of unemployment—about 40% in 2005—have resulted from the general collapse of Afghanistan's industry. What type of economy does Turkey have? __________ Traditional

The People Traditional Because of continued wars and neglect of is infrastructure, Afghanistan's living standards are among the lowest in the world. Infrastructure: Traditional

Economy of Afghanistan Currency Afghani (AFA) GDP (purchasing power parity): $35 billion (2007 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,000 (2007 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industries: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.) Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 53% (2003) Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 28.1% male: 43.1% female: 12.6% (2000 est.) Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; hand woven carpets natural gas, coal, copper

Government Afghanistan is governed under the constitution of 2004. The president, who is both head of state and of government, is popularly elected for a five-year term and may serve a second term. The president appoints a cabinet, the members of which must be approved by the legislature. The bicameral legislature is called the National Assembly. The lower house, the House of the People (Wolesi Jirga), who are directly elected to five-year terms. The upper house, the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga)

Type of Government Afghanistan has a ____________________ form of government. What does that mean? The president holds_____________ power. Islamic Republic A means that the political power is held by an elected president representing the people but following Islamic Law Executive Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai

From the 1930s the country had a stable monarchy, which was overthrown in the 1970s. Marxist reforms sparked rebellion, and Soviet troops invaded. Afghan guerrillas prevailed, and the Soviets withdrew in 1989. In 1992 rebel factions overthrew the government and established an Islamic republic.

In 1996 the Taliban militia took power in Kabul and enforced a harsh Islamic order. The militia's unwillingness to extradite extremist leader Osama bin Laden and members of his al-Qaeda militant organization following the September 11 attacks in 2001 led to military conflict with the U.S. and allied nations, the overthrow of the Taliban, and the establishment of an interim government.

US Invasion of Afghanistan On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacked two targets in the US. Al-Qaeda us a group of radical Islamic terrorists based largely in Afghanistan. They Hijacked four airplanes and crashed two of then into the World Trade Center in New York. The third airplane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia, and the fourth crashed in rural Pennsylvania, before reaching its intended target of the White House or US Capital. These terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

Investigations into the attack have named Osama bin Laden as its organizer. US President Bush called on other countries to help wage war on terrorism. The first goal of those nations that joined the US was to find bin Laden, whom they believed to be in Afghanistan, even though most of the people carrying out the attacks were from Saudi Arabia or the UAE. So far bin Laden has not been captured

In October 2001, US and British troops invaded Afghanistan in search of bin Laden. They bombed places where bin Laden was known to be. Millions of people from Afghanistan were homeless because of the many wars that have taken place in their country. After the invasion, more than 3 million refugees returned to their homes. The US-led forces still struggle to control portions of the country.