Afghanistan : a country profile

Following general information on Afghanistan"s customs and government, the report assesses the country"s disaster preparedness, covering Afghan, voluntary agency, and U.S. efforts and resources. The report then presents background information on Afghanistan"s population, health and nutrition status, hospitals, economics, agriculture, transportation and communication infrastructure, and physical geography. Included in the latter section is information on temperature, rainfall distribution, terrain, land use, rivers and ports, and mountain ranges. According to the report, agriculture accounts for half of Afghanistan"s GDP, supports 90% of rural population, and employs 60% of labor force. However, agricultural yields are generally low due to traditional cultivation methods, inadequacy of the water supply and lack of improved seed, fertilizer, pesticides.