Location, Geography and Climate of Afghanistan and Tajikistan
Stephanie Angione and Susannah Gilbert
Afghanistan:
Located in Central Asia, on the Iranian plateau at a longitude of 33°00’N and a
latitude of 65°00’N. It is a mountainous country, including the Hindu Kush mountain
range in the south-western area of the country. The country is bordered by Waziristan,
Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China.
The Hindu Kush are the most rugged mountains of the region and the north and
southwest areas are mostly agricultural plains with sandy deserts in the south. The area
can be divided into three distinct regions; the Central Highlands, the Southern Plateau
and the Northern Plains.
The Central Highlands consist of an area of 16,000 square miles and have deep
narrow valleys and high mountains, including the Khyber Pass. This area has a relatively
dry climate with cold winters and warm summers. The Southern Plateau is a region that
consists of high plateaus and sandy deserts with several rivers passing through. The
elevation is about 3,000 ft. and the area is prone to sand storms and a dry climate. The
Northern Plains are fertile foothills which are supplied by the Amu River. This area is an
agricultural center and is rich in minerals and natural gas.
The climate of Afghanistan varies greatly depending on which area of the country
is being considered. The highlands of Afghanistan are similar to the climate of the lower
Himalaya and the range of average temperature from 50°-60° F. The average
temperatures vary greatly between the minimum temperatures in the north during cold
weather to the hottest temperatures in the southwest. Waves of intense cold occur and
sometimes temperatures drop below zero. In areas like Kabul, snow remains in the area
for 2 to 3 months and people remain inside to keep warm and endure the rigorous winter.
In warmer areas of the country the climate is more like that of India, with an
intense summer heat. The hot season is frequented by dust storms and strong winds. Low
land areas like Heart have a more temperate climate, but are still affected by the monsoon
season typical of India, during the winter months. In general the climate is relatively dry
with months of sunshine in the summer. The great variation because of elevation and
summer and winter cause great shifts in temperature and weather.
Tabulated Monthly Data:
mean
temp
range (°F)
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
13-45
15-50
22-60
32-71
37-81
46-90
49-94
47-89
40-80
33-68
25-55
18-48
mean
minimum
temp range
(°F)
-2-34
4-38
17-47
26-57
31-64
38-73
42-77
40-72
33-63
27-51
19-40
27-51
record
mean
minimum hours of
temp (°F) sunlight
snowfall
days*
rain days
-47+
-51+
-18
3
12
19
31
27
16
4
-3+
-31+
0-13
0-15
0-18
0-15
0-10
0-1
0
0
0-1
0-6
0-8
0-11
0-6
0-8
1-11
3-14
1-12
0-4
0-2
0-1
0-1
0-4
1-4
0-5
113-200
106-198
128-236
155-255
215-346
270-384
288-389
277-358
227-345
184-264
149-264
119-216
Data for record minimum temperature was recorded at the North Salang station except
for values followed by a +, which were collected at Chaghcharan.
* all highest snowfall values were collected at the North Salang station, and lowest values
(0) were collected in the southwest.
The stations which collected data include:
Feyzabad, elev. 3937 ft. 6
North Salang, elev. 11043 ft
Kabul, elev. 5876 ft
Chaghcharan, elev. 7162 ft
Qandahar, elev. 3314 ft
Herat, elev. 3163 ft
Farah, elev. 2297 ft
Tajikistan:
Tajikistan is another Central Asian country, located between Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, China and north of Afghanistan. 93 % of the country is covered in
mountains, including the Pamir and Alay ranges which have glacier fed streams and
rivers which are used for irrigation. The Tian Shan Mountains in northern Tajikistan
separate the populous areas in the lowlands of the south and north.
More than half of Tajikistan is above an elevation of 3,000 meters and the
lowlands of the Fergana Valley are significantly above sea-level. The highest elevations
of the range are on the Kyrgyzstan border and the Fergana Valley is the most densely
populated region in Central Asia which spreads across Tajikistan from Uzbekistan to
Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan has dense river network including the Syrdariva and the
Zarafshon, which stretches across the Valley. Other lakes and rivers are glacier fed and
reach high levels during the spring due to the rainy season and in the summer.
The climate of the region ranges from continental, subtropical and semi-arid, with
some desert areas. Like Afghanistan, the climate changes greatly with increasing
elevation. The lowlands are not subject to the Artic air that influences the mountainous
regions, but the temperatures still drop below freezing for more than 100 days a year. In
the lowlands, the climate is arid with average temperatures ranging from 23° to 30° in
July and -1° to 3° in January. The Eastern mountainous regions have colder temperatures,
with 5° to 10° C in July and -15° to -20° C in January. Precipitation averages are from
700 to 1600 mm and the heaviest precipitation in near the Fedchenko Glacier, and
lightest in the Pamirs. The winter and spring are generally the rainy and snowy seasons.