Afghanistan and its Economy
Afghanistan is a country located in the central Asian region. Pakistan is situated south, and Iran is located to its west. China and Pakistan flank their eastern border. Northern neighbours are Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Afghanistan is a mountainous country. Mountain ranges divide this country into three regions: a northern plain, central highland, and southern plateau. The Amu River system forms Northern Plain. A flood plain is formed along the course of the Amu River. This region is the major food-producing region of Afghanistan. The Central Highland region has high mountains, narrow valleys and deep gorges. This region is usually dry and rugged. Winter is very cold in this region. The Southern Plateau region has high plateaus, sandy deserts and rugged terrain. The soil of this region is infertile. Sandstorms are common in this region.
Afghanistan has an arid to semi-arid climate. Summer is dry and hot. Winter is frigid. The mountain region of northeast Afghanistan has Sub Arctic climate with dry and cold winter. Border region with Pakistan, get Indian Monsoon rain. Rainfall takes place between December to April. Summer months are hot and dry, with significantly less cloud formation. The Eastern part of Afghanistan gets maximum rainfall. Salang pass of Hindukush Mountain receives the highest rainfall beyond 1350 mm. Farah area of western Afghanistan recorded rainfall as low as 75 mm. Snowfall happens in the mountain and high land regions between December to March. Snowfall and severe cold are due to the cold air rush in winter from the north and northwestern direction. The central high land region has desert-steppe and meadow--steppe type soil. The northern plain has fertile alluvial soil. Southern and Southwestern part have desert soil. Soil erosion is a major problem in major parts of Afghanistan.
Vegetation is sparse in south, southwestern and western parts of the country. Trees are found sparsely in most parts of the country. Grasses and herbs cover major parts of the country. The northern plain has luxuriant vegetation due to fertile soil and good precipitation. Jalalabad has good foliage due good Monsoon rainfall. Pine and Fir trees are found on mountain slopes. Cedar, Oak, Walnut, Alder and Juniper species are also found along hill slopes.
Wild lives are found in forests areas. Tigers and Leopards were reported in the past in the Jalalabad region and in some border regions of Pakistan. But Tiger is no more found in those areas. Wolves, Foxes, Striped Hyenas, Jackals, Gazelles, Wild Dogs and Wild Cats are found in forest areas. Snow Leopards are reported from high altitude areas. Wild goats like Markhor and Ibex are found in plateaus and hill ranges. Varieties of Kangaroo rats are found in some places. Birds of prey like Vultures and Eagles are found in most parts of Afghanistan. Common Crows are found closer to human habitats. Pheasants, Quals, Cranes, Pelicans, Snipes and Partridges are also found in Afghanistan.
Major drainage systems of Afghanistan are the Amu Darya, Helmand, Kabul and Harrid. River Amu Darya is 2540 km long. It originates from a glacier in the Pamir plateau in Afghanistan's north and northeastern part. This river acts as the border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Kowkcheh and Kunduz are two important tributaries of the river Amu Darya. River Kowkcheh rises in the mountain region of Badakhshan province. Kunduz river rises from the mountain region of Kunduz province. River Amu Darya became navigable after the confluence of Kowkcheh to the west of Fayzabad. Another vital river system is the Kabul river system. It originates along slopes of the Paghman range. Lowgar river is the major tributary of the Kabul river. The river system of the southwest region is the Helmand River. It originates in the Baba mountain region. Its origin point is around 80 km west of Kabul. It has a length of about 1150 km. Its main tributary is the Arghandab River. It flows in southern Afghanistan. It passes through the Margow desert. It joins the saline lake in Sistan along the Iran-Afghanistan border region. The Harirud river dominates the northwestern drainage system. It originates on the western slopes of the Baba mountain ranges. Harirud river flows west and crosses Herat valley. It then turns north and forms the border between Iran and Afghanistan. Then enters Turkmenistan and disappears in the Karakoram desert. Some lakes are there in Afghanistan. Saberi is a saline lake located in the southwestern region. Istadeh-e-Maqur is a saline lake located in the Ghazni province. Amir lake is situated in a valley in the Baba mountain ranges. The watercolour varies from milky white to dark green due to the colour of underlying bedrocks. There are four more lakes in the Baba mountain ranges region in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is inhabited by tribes like Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, and Uzbek. Pashtun constitutes 42% of the total population. Tajik constitutes 27% of the population. Hazara and Uzbek constitute 9% of the total population of Afghanistan. Other communities are Chahar Aimak, Turkmen, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist. The majority of people practice Islam. Many dynasties ruled various parts of Afghanistan in the past. These are Greco--Bactrian, Indo-Scythians, Kushans, Kidarites, Hephthalites, Alkhons, Nezoks, Zunbils, Turk Shahis, Hindu Shahis, Lawiks, Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Khalijis, Kartids, Lodhis, Surs, Mughals, Hotaks and Duranis. The monarchy system is no more present in Afghanistan. The last King was Zahir Shah. Communists ruled Afghanistan for some years with support from the Soviet Union. Islamic groups followed it. Democracy was tried for some time under the protection of US and NATO forces. Again it was taken over by an Islamic fundamentalist group.
The area of Afghanistan is around 652864 sq km. It is divided into 34 provinces for administration. Kabul is the capital city and major trading center of Afghanistan. Other important cities are Mazar-e-Shariff, Kandahar, Herat and Jalalabad. The population of Afghanistan is around 38 million as per the last census. The nominal GDP of Afghanistan is about 22 billion US Dollars. The currency of Afghanistan is called Afghani. It exports precious metals, gemstones, nuts, citrus fruits, tubers, roots, and dry fruits. Afghanistan had significant trade in the past with UAE, India and Pakistan. It had also trade relationships with Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It had minor business with China, the USA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Russia, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, UK, Germany and France. It has lagged in economic progress due to tribal clan conflicts, weak governance, militancy, drug trafficking, corruption and terrorism.
Mountain ranges, plateaus and valleys of Afghanistan are storehouses of varieties of mineral resources. US Geological Survey estimated that Afghanistan has mineral resources worth more than one trillion US Dollars. US Geological Survey helped Afghanistan Geological Survey and conducted a detailed geological survey from 2010. The joint survey conducted survey work in all 34 provinces, Around 24 areas of interest were identified, and mineral exploration activities were carried out there. The survey work was carried out to find metal reserves, building material reserves, industrial mineral reserves, oil and gas reserves. Afghanistan has an estimated reserve of 2.2 billion tonnes of Iron ore. Out of that 1.7 billion tonnes are proved reserve.
High-grade Iron ore deposits of 63-69 % grade are reported from Hajigak iron ore mines in Bamyan province. The mining site is located around 130 km west of Kabul city. Around 183 million tonnes of Bauxite reserves are found in Badakhshan and Kandahar province. Around 12.4 million tonnes of Copper ore deposits are found in Helmand, Kandahar, Herat, Zabul and Ghazni province. Deposits of Gold are exploited in Helmand, Kandahar, Herat, Zabul, Ghazni, Kabul, Faryab, Badakhshan and Maidan Wardak. The reserves estimated near Kabul is around 2648 KG of Gold. Afghanistan has lead and zinc reserves of 243900 tonnes. These reserves are located in Ghor and Herat province. Mercury reserves of 32234 tonnes are located in Ghor province. Rare Earth minerals are found in Nimroz and Helmand province. Estimated reserves of Rare Earth minerals are around 1.4 million tonnes. Chromite deposits of 200000 tonnes are also located in Afghanistan. Uranium, Cobalt, Lithium, Tin and Tungsten deposits are located in Afghanistan.
Oil and Gas and reserves are found in Herat, Balkh and Faryab province. A silver deposit is located in Panjshir valley. Deposits of Barite, Limestone, Dolomite, Argonite, Sandstone, Glass sand and Marble are plenty in Afghanistan. Barite deposits are found in Herat province. Around 1.3 billion tonnes of high-quality Marble deposits are found in Nangarhar province along with the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. More than 500 million tonnes of Limestone deposits are located in Badakhshan, Herat and Baghlan province. Deposits of Potash, Fluorite, China Clay, Sulfur, Graphite. Lazurite and Brick Clay are found in plenty in Afghanistan. Varieties of Gemstones are mined from various parts of the country. China imports a major portion of minerals and gemstones from Afghanistan. India was interested in developing mineral deposits in some provinces. But Pakistan did not allow the safe export of minerals from Afghanistan to India. If peace returns to Afghanistan, it can prosper after developing its mineral resources in the long term. India can be a major destination of mineral products from Afghanistan in future.