Afghanistan
Afghanistan Pashto & Dari: افغانستان | |||||
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National information | |||||
National motto: | n/a | ||||
National anthem: | "Melli Soroud" Pashto "ملي سرود" | ||||
About the people | |||||
Official languages: | Pashto,Persian (Dari) | ||||
Population: (# of people) | |||||
- Total: | 28,717,213 (ranked 38) | ||||
- Density: | 43 per km² | ||||
Geography / Places | |||||
Here is the country on a map of the world. | |||||
Capital city: | Kabul | ||||
Largest city: | Kabul,Jalalabad,Kandahar,Khost,Gardiz,Mazar-e-sharifand Herat | ||||
Area | |||||
- Total: | 647,500 (ranked 40) | ||||
- Water: | 0 km² (0%) | ||||
Politics / Government | |||||
Established: | Independence from Britain in 1919 | ||||
Leaders: | President Hamid Karzai | ||||
Economy / Money | |||||
Currency: (Name of money) |
Afghani (Af) (AFA) | ||||
International information | |||||
Time zone: | +04:30 | ||||
Telephone dialing code: | 93 | ||||
Internet domain: | .AF |
Afghanistan (Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوريت)(Dari: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان) is a country located in South-Central Asia. It is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan in the north, and China in the northeast.[1]
Islam is the main religion. Pashto and Persian (Dari) are the main and formal languages. The population of Afghanistan is divided into many ethnic groups of which Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek and Baloch[2]. Although the name Afghan (in its original meaning) refers to Pashtuns only, under the constitution of Afghanistan, the word Afghan applies to every citizen of Afghanistan.[3] The name Afghanistan means the "Land of Afghans".
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan is ethnically and linguistically diverse. Or in other words, various ethnic groups live in the country. The main ethnic groups of Afghanistan are:[4]
- 39.4% Pashtun
- 33.7% Tajik, Farsiwan, and Qezelbash
- 8.0% Hazara
- 8.0% Uzbek
- 4.1% Aimak
- 3.3% Turkmen
- 1.6% Baloch
- 1.9% other
History Of Afghanistan
Afghanistan is in the path of important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East. Because of this, many empire builders have conquered the area. Signs that these conquerors were in the area can still be found in many parts of the country[5].
The modern country of Afghanistan was established in 1747. In 1919, the king of Afghanistan declared independence for the state (from United Kingdom control over Afghan foreign affairs) under the new name Afghanistan. The history of the land does not begin in 1747. Aryan (Indo-European people) tribes settled in the area around 4000 years ago and called their land Airiana vaejo means the "Land of Aryans"[6]. This name was mentioned in the Avesta, the old book of their religion, Zoroastrianism. The old Greek writers heard the word and called the land of these Aryan settlers Ariana[7].
By the middle of the sixth century BC, the Persians who were also Aryans included the area within its boundaries and created Persian Empire. Alexander the great conquered Persian Empire by fighting in 330 BC. After him Kushans, Parthians and Sassanians took over[8].
Other people took the region by fighting like the Arabs (7th century), Turks (10th century) and Mongols (13th century). The area which is now known as Afghanistan was then called Khorasan and it was a prosperous and important province of Persia, as it was the seat of most rulers.
In the 18th century, Khorasan was controlled between the Safavids of Persia (1502-1736) and Moghul rulers of India (1526–1858). They were cruel to Afghans (Pashtuns) who were living in the south eastern parts of Khorasan. Afghans then revolted and separated Khorasan from Persia and Mughal Empire of India in 1747.
The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from British control in 1919.
Wars in Afghanistan
In 1979, the Soviet Union attacked and occupied Afghanistan. The occupation led to the killings of at least 600,000 to 2 million Afghan civilians, and made many people become refugees. United States supported an Afghan Islamic uprising, called the Mujahideen (Arabic word, means “those who engage in jihad”) against Soviet occupation[9]. After the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, a series of civil wars continued.
In 1996, a hardline movement called the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The Taliban had emerged in 1994, and were sponsored by Pakistan. During the Taliban's rule, much of the Afghans experienced restrictions on their freedom and violations of their human rights. The civil wars and Taliban rule left Afghanistan in ruins.
Following the September 11 attacks, the United States overthrew the Taliban government for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden and several al-Qaida members who were also behind these attacks.
In December 2004, Hamid Karzai became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan[10].
References
- ↑ [CIA- The World Factbook, Afghanistan. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html]
- ↑ [CIA- The World Factbook, Afghanistan. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html]
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Iranica, AFḠĀN. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.encyclopediairanica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v2f4/v2f4a051.html]
- ↑ L. Dupree, "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy", in Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition 2006, (Iranica.com).
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Britannica, Afghanistan History. Retrieved on 26 January 2009 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7798/Afghanistan/129450/History#ref=ref261360]
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Iranica, ĒRĀN-WĒZ. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.encyclopediairanica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v2f4/v2f4a051.html]
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Iranica, ARIA. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 http://www.iranica.com/newsite/index.isc?Article=http://www.encyclopediairanica.com/newsite/articles/unicode/v2f4/v2f4a051.html]
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Britannica, ancient Iran. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/851961/ancient-Iran]
- ↑ [Encyclopedia Britannica, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Retrieved on 8 February 2009 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1499983/Soviet-invasion-of-Afghanistan]
- ↑ [CIA- The World Factbook, Afghanistan. Retrieved on 31 December 2008 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html]
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