Afghanistan

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Afghanistan
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(No Transcript)
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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 countys deposits of minerals and precious
  stones (and, illegally, opium)

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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
unemploymentabout 40 in 2005have resulted from
the general collapse of Afghanistan's
industry. What type of economy does Turkey have?
__________
Traditional
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The People
Because of continued wars and neglect of is
infrastructure, Afghanistan's living standards
are among the lowest in the world.
Infrastructure
Traditional
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Economy of Afghanistan 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
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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)
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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
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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.
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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.
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US Invasion of Afghanistan

• On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacked two
  targets in the US.
• Al-Qaeda is 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.