(Persian: Jamhūrī-ye
Islāmī-ye
Afġānistān )
د
افغانستان
اسلامي
جمهوریت
(Pashto:
De
Afġānistān
Islāmī
Jomhoriyat )
Islamic
Republic
of
Afghanistan
|
|
 |
 |
|
Flag |
Coat of arms |
|
|
Anthem: Milli
Tharana |
|
|
Capital
(and largest
city) |
Kabul
 34°31′N,
69°08′E |
|
Official
languages |
Dari
(Persian)
and
Pashto[1] |
|
Demonym |
Afghan[2] |
|
Government |
Islamic
presidential
republic |
|
- |
President |
Hamid Karzai |
|
- |
Vice
President |
Ahmad Zia
Massoud |
|
- |
Vice
President |
Karim
Khalili |
|
Establishment |
|
- |
First Afghan
state[3] |
October,
1747 |
|
- |
Independence
from the
United
Kingdom |
August 19,
1919 |
|
Area |
|
- |
Total |
647,500 km² (41st)
251,772 sq mi |
|
- |
Water (%) |
0 |
|
|
Population |
|
- |
2007 estimate |
31,889,923 (37th) |
|
- |
1979 census |
13,051,358 |
|
- |
Density |
46/km² (150th)
119/sq mi |
|
GDP (PPP) |
2007 estimate |
|
- |
Total |
$19.84
billion (114th) |
|
- |
Per capita |
$724 (172nd) |
|
HDI (1993) |
0.229 (n/a) (unranked) |
|
Currency |
Afghani
(AFN) |
|
Time zone |
(UTC+4:30) |
|
- |
Summer (DST) |
(UTC+4:30) |
|
Internet TLD |
.af |
|
Calling code |
+93 |
|
Afghanistan
/æfˈgænɪstæn/[4],
officially the
Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan (Pashto:
د افغانستان اسلامي
جمهوریت, Persian:
جمهوری اسلامی
افغانستان), is a
landlocked country
that is located
approximately in the
center of Asia. It
is variously
designated as
geographically
located within
Central Asia,[5][6]
South Asia,[7][8]
and the Middle
East.[9][10][11] It
has religious,
ethno-linguistic,
and geographic links
with most of its
neighboring states.
It is bordered by
Pakistan in the
south and east, Iran
in the west,
Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan in the
north, and China in
the far northeast.
The name Afghanistan
means the "Land of
Afghans."
Afghanistan is a
culturally mixed
nation, a crossroads
between the East and
the West, and has
been an ancient
focal point of trade
and migration. It
has an important
geostrategical
location, connecting
South, Central and
Southwest Asia.
During its long
history, the land
has seen various
invaders and
conquerors, while on
the other hand,
local entities
invaded the
surrounding vast
regions to form
their own empires.
Ahmad Shah Durrani
created the Durrani
Empire in 1747, with
its capital at
Kandahar.[12]
Subsequently, the
capital was shifted
to Kabul and most of
its territories
ceded to former
neighboring
countries. In the
late 19th century,
Afghanistan became a
buffer state in "The
Great Game" played
between the British
Indian Empire and
Russian Empire.[13]
On August 19, 1919,
following the third
Anglo-Afghan war,
the country regained
full independence
from the United
Kingdom over its
foreign affairs.
Since the late 1970s
Afghanistan has
suffered continuous
and brutal civil
war, which included
foreign
interventions in the
form of the 1979
Soviet invasion and
the recent 2001
US-led invasion that
toppled the Taliban
government. In late
2001 the United
Nations Security
Council authorized
the creation of an
International
Security Assistance
Force (ISAF). This
force is composed of
NATO troops that are
involved in
assisting the
government of
President Hamid
Karzai in
establishing the
writ of law as well
as rebuilding key
infrastructures in
the nation. In 2005,
the United States
and Afghanistan
signed a strategic
partnership
agreement committing
both nations to a
long-term
relationship. In the
meantime,
multi-billion US
dollars have also
been provided by the
international
community for the
reconstruction of
the country.
