Afghanistan — map and facts

About Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked republic in South-Central Asia with a population of approximately 41 million people. Kabul serves as the capital and largest city. Since August 2021, the country has been governed by the Taliban, who seized control following the withdrawal of United States and NATO forces after two decades of military presence. Afghanistan is one of the world's least developed countries, with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture, informal trade, and historically significant opium production. The country is home to a diverse population including Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, and other ethnic groups, speaking Dari and Pashto as official languages. Literacy rates remain low, particularly among women, who face severe restrictions on education, employment, and movement under Taliban governance. International humanitarian organizations report widespread food insecurity affecting tens of millions of people. Afghanistan borders Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China, occupying a strategically significant position along historic Silk Road trade routes.

Geography and Landscape

Afghanistan occupies approximately 652,000 square kilometres of rugged terrain dominated by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which runs northeast to southwest through the centre of the country. The Hindu Kush peaks reach elevations exceeding 7,400 metres, with Noshaq being the highest point at 7,492 metres. The northeastern Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of territory connecting Afghanistan to China. Major rivers include the Amu Darya forming the northern border, the Helmand River flowing southwest through arid desert regions, and the Kabul River draining eastward into Pakistan. The north features fertile plains around Mazar-i-Sharif, while the southwest Registan Desert is one of the most inhospitable regions in Asia. The climate varies dramatically: cold harsh winters with heavy snowfall in mountain areas and hot dry summers in the lowlands. The Fergana Valley extensions in the north support significant agricultural activity. Frequent earthquakes affect much of the country, particularly the northeast, due to active tectonic fault systems.

History

Human habitation in present-day Afghanistan dates back tens of thousands of years, with the region forming part of the ancient Bactrian civilisation. Alexander the Great conquered the territory around 330 BCE, founding Alexandria-on-the-Oxus. The region subsequently fell under Seleucid, Mauryan, Kushan, and Sassanid rule before Arab armies brought Islam in the 7th century. The Ghaznavid Empire, centred at Ghazni, became a major Islamic cultural power in the 10th and 11th centuries under Mahmud of Ghazni. Genghis Khan devastated the region in the 13th century. Ahmad Shah Durrani founded the modern Afghan state in 1747, establishing the Durrani Empire. The 19th century saw Afghanistan become a buffer state during the Anglo-Russian Great Game, fighting three Anglo-Afghan Wars between 1839 and 1919. Full independence from British influence came in 1919. A Soviet invasion in 1979 triggered a decade-long conflict, followed by civil war, Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, the US-led intervention after the September 2001 attacks, and Taliban return to power in 2021.