Plant life in Afghanistan is sparse but diverse.
Common trees in the mountains are evergreens, oaks, poplars, wild
hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios. The plains of the north are largely
dry, treeless steppes, and those of the southwestern corner are nearly
uninhabitable deserts. Common plants in the arid regions include camel
thorn, locoweed, spiny restharrow, mimosa, and wormwood, a variety of
sagebrush. The wild animals of Afghanistan include more than 100 mammal
species, some of which are nearing extinction.
The most seriously
endangered are the goitered gazelle, leopard, snow leopard, markor goat,
and Bactrian deer. Other wild animals of Afghanistan include Marco Polo
sheep, urials, ibex, bears, wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals, and mongooses.
Wild boar, hedgehogs, shrews, hares, mouse hares, bats, and various
rodents also occur. More than 380 bird species are found in Afghanistan,
with more than 200 breeding there. Flamingo and other aquatic fowl breed
in the lake areas south and east of Ghazni. Ducks and partridges are also
common, but all birds are hunted widely and many are becoming uncommon,
including the endangered Siberian crane.
