Location:	Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Geographic coordinates:	33 00 N, 65 00 E
Area:	total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - compare:	slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:	total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Climate:	arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:	mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Natural resources:	natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:	arable land: 12% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 3% other: 39% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land:	30,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Environment - current issues:	soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification
Environment - international agreements:	party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:	landlocked