Due to the geographic heterogeneity of Afghanistan, the country has been divided into five regions:
1. The Hindukush region in the Northwest mainly consists of Badakhshan province, which also comprises the Wakhan area, including parts of the Pamir and Karakoram regions. It is the highest and most mountainous part of Afghanistan. It receives the highest amount of precipitation and is therefore a major water source, feeding important rivers like the Amu Darya.
2. The Northern Plains (North) have a mean altitude of around 600m and are covered mainly by grasslands. Though the region is rather dry, it is important for agriculture, especially the almond trees and sheep and goat grazing.
3. The Central Highlands in the middle of Afghanistan is characterized by deep valleys and mountain ranges up to 6400m.
4. The Eastern Slopes (East) are influenced by the moist air masses of the Indian monsoon which get trapped at the high mountain slopes and bring rain. Therefore, it is covered by forests and allows agriculture. The rains, however, also can cause flooding and land/mud slides.
5. The Southern Plateau (South) is the largest region and mainly covered by arid desert. Only along the rivers and in the marshlands is agriculture possible. The Helmand River divides the region and nourishes Lake Helmand. This region is also prone to sand and dust storms, mainly associated with northerly winds.
Such division is for the needs of UNEP's climate change research. Compared with the original dataset, the region centroid that are outside of the Afghanistan boundary is removed in this map.