3 GeoFroggy

Country Name

Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Conventional short form: Afghanistan

Local long form: Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan

Local short form: Afghanistan

Former: Republic of Afghanistan

Administrative Divisions

34 provinces (welayat, singular - welayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

Independence

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Constitution

Legal System

mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law

International Law Organization Participation

Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: no

Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must have been born in - and continuously lived in - Afghanistan

Dual citizenship recognized: no

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai (since 29 September 2014); CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai (since 29 September 2014 ); CEO Abdullah ABDULLAH (since 29 September 2014); First Vice President Abdul Rashid DOSTAM (since 29 September 2014); Second Vice President Sarwar DANESH (since 29 September 2014)

Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 26 ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly

Elections:

Election results: percent of vote in first round - Abdullah ABDULLAH (National Coalition of Afghanistan) 45%, Ashraf GHANI (independent) 31.6%, Zalmai RASSOUL 11.4%, other 12%; percent of vote in second round - Ashraf GHANI 56.4%, Abdullah ABDULLAH 43.6%

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats; 34 members indirectly elected by district councils to serve 3-year terms, 34 indirectly elected by provincial councils to serve 4-year terms, and 34 nominated by the president of which 17 must be women, 2 must represent the disabled, and 2 must be Kuchi nomads; members serve 5-year terms) and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (249 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

Note: the constitution allows the government to convene a constitutional Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it consists of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils; no constitutional Loya Jirga has ever been held, and district councils have never been elected; the president appointed 34 members of the Meshrano Jirga that the district councils should have indirectly elected

Elections: Meshrano Jirga - last held 10 January 2015 (next to be held in 2018); Wolesi Jirga - last held on 18 September 2010 (next originally scheduled on 15 October 2016 but postponed to 7 July 2018)

Election results: Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Meshrano Jirga - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial Branch

Highest court(s): Supreme Court or Stera Mahkama (consists of the supreme court chief and 8 justices organized into criminal, public security, civil, and commercial divisions or dewans)

Judge selection and term of office: court chief and justices appointed by the president with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga; court chief and justices serve single 10-year terms

Subordinate courts: Appeals Courts; Primary Courts; Special Courts for issues including narcotics, security, property, family, and juveniles

Political Parties and Leaders

Note - the Ministry of Justice licensed 57 political parties as of September 2016

Political Pressure Groups and Leaders

Religious groups, tribal leaders, ethnically based groups, Taliban

Flag Description

Three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other 2 bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan; black signifies the past, red is for the blood shed for independence, and green can represent either hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam

National Symbols

Lion; national colors: red, green, black

National Anthem

Lyrics:

: undefined

Year

Government Type

  • Presidential Islamic republic

Capital

  • Name
    Kabul
  • Geographic Coordinates
    34 31 N, 69 11 E
  • Time Difference
    UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Diplomatic Representation in the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador Hamdullah MOHIB (since 17 September 2015)
  • Chancery
    2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  • Telephone
    [1] (202) 483-6410
  • FAX
    [1] (202) 483-6488
  • Consulate(s) General
    Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC

Diplomatic Representation from the US

  • Chief Of Mission
    Ambassador (vacant); Special Charge d'Affaires Hugo LLORENS (since December 2016)
  • Embassy
    Bibi Mahru, Kabul
  • Mailing Address
    U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806
  • Telephone
    [00 93] 0700 108 001
  • FAX
    [00 93] 0700 108 564

International Organization Participation

  • ADB
  • CICA
  • CP
  • ECO
  • EITI (candidate country)
  • FAO
  • G-77
  • IAEA
  • IBRD
  • ICAO
  • ICC (NGOs)
  • ICCt
  • ICRM
  • IDA
  • IDB
  • IFAD
  • IFC
  • IFRCS
  • ILO
  • IMF
  • Interpol
  • IOC
  • IOM
  • IPU
  • ISO (correspondent)
  • ITSO
  • ITU
  • ITUC (NGOs)
  • MIGA
  • NAM
  • OIC
  • OPCW
  • OSCE (partner)
  • SAARC
  • SACEP
  • SCO (dialogue member)
  • UN
  • UNAMA
  • UNCTAD
  • UNESCO
  • UNHCR
  • UNIDO
  • UNWTO
  • UPU
  • WCO
  • WFTU (NGOs)
  • WHO
  • WIPO
  • WMO
  • WTO