Introduction
Flag:Flag of Afghanistan
* Flag of Afghanistan
Map/Still
The country of Afghanistan lies at the heart of Central Asia. In ancient times it was crossed by trade routes connecting lands to the east and west. More recently Afghanistan has been devastated by decades of nearly constant warfare. The capital is Kabul.
Geography
Afghanistan covers an area of 251,825 square miles (652,225 square kilometers) in south-central Asia. It borders Iran to the west, Pakistan to the east and south, and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north. The Amu Darya river forms a large part of the northern border. A narrow piece of land known as the Vakhan, or Wakhan Corridor, connects Afghanistan with China to the northeast.
Photograph:A few small lakes lie within the mountains of the western Hindu Kush, in Afghanistan. The country …
* A few small lakes lie within the mountains of the western Hindu Kush, in Afghanistan. The country …
Afghanistan is a mountainous country. The main range is the Hindu Kush, which stretches southwest from the Vakhan. The Hindu Kush and the smaller ranges that cover most of central Afghanistan are part of the Himalayas. The highest peak in the country is Mount Nowshak in the northeast, which rises 24,557 feet (7,485 meters). North of the central mountains are fertile plains and foothills. The southwestern part of the country consists mostly of deserts, the largest being the sandy Rigestan.
Afghanistan generally has a dry climate with very cold winters and hot summers. In the winter temperatures drop below 0° F (-18° C) in the windswept mountain regions. Summer temperatures in the desert reach as high as 115° F (46° C). Drought sometimes causes serious problems for the country's farmers. Dust storms and sandstorms are common.
Plants and animals
Southern Afghanistan has little vegetation because of the dry climate. The plant cover becomes denser toward the north, where rainfall is more plentiful. The high mountains have tall forests of pine and fir. Cedar, oak, walnut, alder, and ash trees grow at lower elevations.
Many of Afghanistan's wild animals roam the mountains. Among them are wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals, bears, and wild goats. Gazelles, wild dogs, and wild cats such as the snow leopard are widespread. The country's birds include vultures and eagles.
People and culture
Throughout history many different groups of people have migrated through or invaded the land that is now Afghanistan. Today the people of Afghanistan, known as Afghans, have a mixture of characteristics passed down from these groups. The largest ethnic group is the Pashtuns (or Pathans), who make up about half of the population. Tajiks are the second-largest group, making up about a fifth of the population. The country's other ethnic groups include the Hazaras, Uzbeks, Chahar Aimaks, and Turkmens. The language of the Pashtuns, called Pashto, is an official language of Afghanistan. The second official language is Dari, which is spoken by the Tajik, Hazara, and other groups. Uzbek and Turkmen are widely spoken in the north. Almost all Afghans follow the religion of Islam.
Afghanistan is a largely rural country. Only about one fifth of the population lives in cities. Kabul, the capital, is the largest city. It lies along the Kabul River south of the Hindu Kush range. Other cities in Afghanistan include Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e Sharif, and Jalalabad. The rural population is made up of farmers and nomads. The farmers live mainly in small villages along the rivers. The nomads live in tents while moving from place to place with their livestock and belongings. Few people live in the high central mountains or the deserts in the south and southwest. Millions of people fled Afghanistan for Pakistan and Iran during the fighting of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Economy
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Decades of warfare have devastated its economy and left many people in need of food, clothing, and medical care. The majority of the people are farmers who grow crops and raise animals for their own use. The main food crops are grains such as wheat, rice, barley, and corn (maize). Vegetables, fruits, and nuts are also grown. Sheep, goats, cattle, and other animals provide meat and dairy products as well as skins and wool for clothing. Opium poppies are grown and used to produce illegal drugs. The sale of opium is a major source of income for some farmers. The difficult living conditions of the farmers worsened during three years of severe drought that began in 1999.
Only a small percentage of Afghanistan's population works in manufacturing and mining. The main manufactured goods include processed foods, leather and fur, textiles, fertilizer, and cement. Afghanistan is known for its handwoven carpets and rugs, which have been exported worldwide. The country has a number of valuable minerals, the most important being natural gas. In the late 20th century, however, warfare severely limited the country's ability to process its mineral resources.
History
People have lived in what is now Afghanistan for tens of thousands of years. Because of the territory's central location in Asia, it was crossed by major trade routes thousands of years ago. The land was invaded repeatedly by nomads and conquering armies. During the 1st millennium BC its rulers included the Persians and Alexander the Great. In the 7th century AD Arab invaders conquered the region and introduced Islam. Genghis Khan invaded in 1219 and made the area part of his Mongol Empire. The empire collapsed after Genghis Khan's death in 1227, and local rulers took control of parts of Afghanistan. Beginning in the late 14th century a series of foreign powers invaded and ruled the area once again.
A great 18th-century Pashtun leader named Ahmad Shah Durrani is considered the founder of Afghanistan as a united country. After the Persian ruler of the region was killed in 1747, Durrani was crowned king. During his rule he created a unified country out of lands that had been controlled by local rulers.
Afghan Wars
During the 19th century Afghanistan became involved in a rivalry between the Russian and British empires. Russia was the great power to the north, and Britain controlled India to the east. As Russia expanded southward across Central Asia, Britain believed that its control over India was threatened. To stop the Russian advance, Britain tried to conquer Afghanistan. Britain fought wars in Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842 and from 1878 to 1880, winning some control over the country's affairs. In a third war, however, Afghanistan won independence from Britain in 1919.
A republic
After independence Afghanistan continued as a monarchy. From the 1930s into the 1970s the country was ruled by stable governments with a king as head of state. In 1973, however, political crises led to the overthrow of the king. The country's new leaders ended the monarchy and made Afghanistan a republic.
Soviet invasion
In 1978 a Communist political party supported by the Soviet Union seized control of Afghanistan's government. This move sparked rebellions throughout the country. The government asked the Soviet Union for military assistance. The Soviets took advantage of the situation and invaded Afghanistan in December 1979.
Most of the people of Afghanistan opposed the Soviet presence. For nearly a decade anti-Communist Islamic forces known as mujahideen fought the invaders. The United States and other anti-Soviet countries supported the mujahideen. The Soviet Army lost more than 10,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, and millions of Afghans left the country for Pakistan and Iran. In 1989 the Soviet Army withdrew the last of its troops.
The Taliban
After the Soviets left, various Afghan groups began fighting for control of the country. A very conservative Islamic group known as the Taliban emerged as the most powerful of these groups. By the late 1990s the Taliban had gained control over most of Afghanistan. Small groups continued to fight against the Taliban in the northern part of the country.
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan according to their strict version of Islamic law. People whom the Taliban believed violated these laws were given harsh public punishments. In addition, the Taliban severely restricted the rights of women. Because of such policies, most countries did not consider the Taliban to be the legitimate, or lawful, government of Afghanistan.
The Taliban also angered other countries by allowing suspected terrorists to live in Afghanistan. Among them were Osama bin Laden and members of his organization, al-Qaeda. In September 2001 the United States blamed bin Laden for terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. The Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden to the United States. In response, the United States and its allies launched a bombing campaign against the Taliban in October 2001. Within months the Taliban abandoned Kabul and a new government came to power, but fighting continued. Population (2001 estimate), 26,813,000.
