Afghanistan

DOWNLOAD REFERAT

Preview referat: Afghanistan

Afghanistan has always been a very poor country; in fact the third-poorest country in the world. Needless to say the 20 years of war Afghanistan has faced didn't help that problem. They are so poor that Afghanistan's per capita income is one of the lowest in the world. Its infant mortality rate, 200 deaths per 1,000 infants, is among the world's highest. It also has the lowest literacy rate and life expectancy, and one of the lowest levels of per capita food availability in the world.

In May 2001, the World Food Program warned that more than 1 million Afghans were facing famine conditions. Then in September it reported that people were surviving by eating grass and locusts. Aid used to be stronger in Afghanistan but after the September 11 terrorist attacks, all the international aid workers left, which leaves only a few local UN workers to help.

Afghans have been fleeing from their country for years. At the end of last year, 3.6 million Afghans were living as refugees in other countries. Most were in Pakistan and Iran. Pakistan held 2 million while Iran held 1.48 million. There were also 38,000 living in other countries in the region. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 172,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan during the year, and 28,790 sought asylum in Europe. It's very hard to give an accurate amount of Afghans internally displaced because of conflict, but the U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) believed the figure to be 375,000. Another 140,000 Afghans were internally displaced in western (70,000) and southern (70,000) Afghanistan because of drought.

76,000 Afghans came back to Afghanistan from Pakistan during 2000. Over 133,600 returned from Iran under a UNHCR-assisted repatriation program. Another 50,000 Afghans returned from Iran without UNHCR assistance, although some were under pressure from the Iranian authorities. The UNCHR didn't assist those returning from Iran so it is believed some of the refugees returned against their will.
« mai multe referate din Geografie