Afghanistan

Afghanistan ( Pashtu / Dari-Persian : افغانستان, Afğānistān) is a country in Central Asia and is often included as a part of the Middle East . It is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the easternmost part of the country. It is among the poorest countries in the world. Between the fall of the Taliban after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 Loya jirga , Afghanistan was referred to by the West as the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan . Under its new constitution the country is now officially named the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan .

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South - Central Asia . It is variously described as being located within South Asia, Central Asia, and sometimes Western Asia (or the Middle East ). 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, and India claims a border with Afghanistan at Wakhan . The territories now comprising Afghanistan have been an ancient focal point of the Silk Road and human migration . The land is at an important geostrategic location, connecting East , South, West and Central Asia, and has been home to various peoples through the ages. The region has been a target of various invaders since antiquity, including by Alexander the Great , the Mauryan Empire , Muslim armies , and Genghis Khan , and has served as a source from which many kingdoms, such as the Greco-Bactrians , Kushans , Samanids , Ghaznavids , Ghurids , Timurids , and many others have risen to form empires of their own. The political history of Afghanistan begins in the 18th century with the rise of the Pashtun tribes (known as Afghans in Persian ), when in 1709 the Hotaki dynasty established its rule in Kandahar and, more specifically, when Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747 which became the forerunner of modern Afghanistan. Its capital was shifted in 1776 from Kandahar to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to neighboring empires by 1893. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in " The Great Game " between the British and Russian empires. On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war , the country regained independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs . Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has experienced a continuous state of civil war punctuated by foreign occupations in the forms of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the October 2001 US-led invasion that overthrew the Taliban government. In December 2001, the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to help maintain security and assist the Karzai administration . The country is being rebuilt slowly with support from the international community and dealing with a strong Taliban insurgency . Central Intelligence Agency . 13 December 2007 . University of Utah, Salt Lake City . Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India . Library of Congress Country Studies on Afghanistan . Columbia University. : External link in |title= ( help ) M. Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0 ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. : CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link ) Ahmad Shah Durrani , Britannica Concise.

Afghanistan / æ f ˈ ɡ æ n [invalid input: 'ɨ'] s t æ n / ( Pashto / Dari : افغانستان , Afġānistān ), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan , is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia . It has a population of approximately 31 million people, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. 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. Its territory covers 652,000 km (252,000 sq mi), making it the 41st largest country in the world. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era , and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. Through the ages the land has been home to various peoples and witnessed numerous military campaigns, notably by Alexander the Great , Muslim Arabs , Mongols , British , Soviet Russians , and in the modern-era by Western powers . The land also served as the source from which the Kushans , Hephthalites , Samanids , Saffarids , Ghaznavids , Ghorids , Khiljis , Mughals , Hotaks , Durranis , and others have risen to form major empires. The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the " Great Game " between British India and the Russian Empire . Following the 1919 Anglo-Afghan War , King Amanullah and King Mohammed Zahir Shah attempted modernization of the country. A series of coups in the 1970s was followed by a Soviet invasion and a series of civil wars that devastated much of the country. Library of Congress Country Studies on Afghanistan . Louis Dupree , Nancy Hatch Dupree and others . Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM v. 1.0 ed.). Koninklijke Brill NV. : CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link )

Country in Central and South Asia For other uses, see Afghanistan (disambiguation) . Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia . Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south , Iran to the west , Turkmenistan to the northwest , Uzbekistan to the north , Tajikistan to the northeast , and China to the northeast and east . Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest , which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital. As of 2021 , Afghanistan's population is 40.2 million (officially estimated to be 32.9 million). Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's strategic location along the historic Silk Road has led it to being described, picturesquely, as the 'roundabout of the ancient world'. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires , the land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns , including those by the Persians , Alexander the Great , the Maurya Empire , Arab Muslims , the Mongols , the British , the Soviet Union , and most recently by a US-led coalition . Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals , amongst others, rose to form major empires. The various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres made the area a center for Zoroastrianism , Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam throughout history. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani dynasty in the 18th century, with the Durrani Afghan Empire being formed by Ahmad Shah Durrani . The Durrani Empire led conquests in which, at its peak, encompassed land that spanned from eastern Iran to northern India . However, Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state . Following the Durrani Empire's decline and the death of Ahmad Shah Durrani and Timur Shah , a succession crisis occurred between Zaman Shah Durrani , Mahmud Shah Durrani , and Shah Shuja Durrani . Under the rule of Mahmud Shah, the execution of Fateh Khan Barakzai led to the overthrow of the Durrani dynasty , leading it to be divided into multiple smaller independent kingdoms, including but not limited to Herat , Kandahar , and Kabul . Afghanistan would be reunited in the 19th century after seven decades of civil war from 1793 to 1863, with wars of unification led by Dost Mohammad Khan from 1823 to 1863, where he conquered the independent principalities of Afghanistan under the Emirate of Kabul. Dost Mohammad died in 1863, days after his last campaign to unite Afghanistan , and Afghanistan was consequently thrown back into civil war with fighting amongst his successors. During this time, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire (in British-ruled India ) and the Russian Empire . From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War . However, the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory and the successful establishment of British political influence over Afghanistan. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under Amanullah Khan . This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973 , following which the Republic of Afghanistan was established. Since the late 1970s, Afghanistan's history has been dominated by extensive warfare, including coups, invasions, insurgencies, and civil wars . The conflict began in 1978 when a communist revolution established a socialist state , and subsequent infighting prompted the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan in 1979. Mujahideen fought against the Soviets in the Soviet–Afghan War and continued fighting amongst themselves following the Soviets' withdrawal in 1989 . The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban controlled most of the country by 1996, but their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan received little international recognition before its overthrow in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan . The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after capturing Kabul and overthrowing the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan , thus bringing an end to the 2001–2021 war . In September 2021 the Taliban re-established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with an interim government made up entirely of Taliban members. The Taliban government remains internationally unrecognized. Afghanistan is rich in natural resources, including lithium , iron , zinc , and copper . It is also the world's largest producer of opium , second largest producer of cannabis resin , and third largest of both saffron and cashmere . The country is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and a founding member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation . Due to the effects of war in recent decades, the country has dealt with high levels of terrorism , poverty , and child malnutrition . Afghanistan remains among the world's least developed countries , ranking 180th in the Human Development Index . Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) is $81 billion by purchasing power parity and $20.1 billion by nominal values. Per capita, its GDP is amongst the lowest of any country as of 2020 . The Times of India . "Distribution of Afghan population by ethnic group 2020" . reliefweb.int (14 August 2011). Afghanistan is now controlled by a militant group that operates out of a totalitarian ideology. In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully. The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime. As with any other ideological movement, the Taliban's Islamic government is transformative and totalitarian in nature. In the Taliban's totalitarian Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, there is no meaningful political inclusivity or representation for Hazaras at any level. "Afghanistan dispatch: Taliban leaders issue new orders on law-making process, enforcement of court orders from previous government" . [Akhundzada] has not convened the Taliban's Leadership Council (a 'politburo' of top leaders and commanders) for several months. Instead, he relies on the narrower Kandahar Council of Clerics for legal advice. The World Factbook (2022 ed.). The Business of Fashion . 25 August 2021 . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Country in Central and South Asia For other uses, see Afghanistan (disambiguation) . Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia . It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south , Iran to the west , Turkmenistan to the northwest , Uzbekistan to the north , Tajikistan to the northeast , and China to the northeast and east . Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest , which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 36 and 50 million. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires , the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns , including those by the Persians , Alexander the Great , the Maurya Empire , Arab Muslims , the Mongols , the British , the Soviet Union , and a US-led coalition . Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the Mughals , among others, rose to form major empires. Because of the various conquests and periods in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres, the area was a center for Zoroastrianism , Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam. The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani Afghan Empire in the 18th century, although Dost Mohammad Khan is sometimes considered to be the founder of the first modern Afghan state . Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire . From India, the British attempted to subjugate Afghanistan but were repelled in the First Anglo-Afghan War ; the Second Anglo-Afghan War saw a British victory. Following the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, Afghanistan became free of foreign political hegemony, and emerged as the independent Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1926. This monarchy lasted almost half a century, until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973 , following which the Republic of Afghanistan was established. Since the late 1970s, Afghanistan's history has been dominated by extensive warfare, including coups, invasions, insurgencies, and civil wars . The conflict began in 1978 when a communist revolution established a socialist state (itself a response to the dictatorship established following a coup d'état in 1973 ), and subsequent infighting prompted the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan in 1979. Mujahideen fought against the Soviets in the Soviet–Afghan War and continued fighting among themselves following the Soviets' withdrawal in 1989 . The Taliban controlled most of the country by 1996, but their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan received little international recognition before its overthrow in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan . The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after capturing Kabul , ending the 2001–2021 war . As of March 2025 , the Taliban government remains internationally unrecognized due to reported violations of human rights in Afghanistan , particularly regarding the rights of women in Afghanistan and the treatment of women by the Taliban . Afghanistan is rich in natural resources, including lithium , iron, zinc , and copper. It is the second-largest producer of cannabis resin , and third largest of both saffron and cashmere . The country is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and a founding member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation . Due to the effects of war in recent decades, the country has dealt with high levels of terrorism, poverty , and child malnutrition. Afghanistan remains among the world's least developed countries , ranking 182nd on the Human Development Index . Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) is $81 billion by purchasing power parity and $20.1 billion by nominal values. Per capita, its GDP is among the lowest of any country as of 2020 . The Association of Religion Data Archives . European Union Agency for Asylum . "Taliban's Opposition to Islamic Sects; Nadeem: "All Afghans Are Followers of the Hanafi Denomination" " . Afghanistan is now controlled by a militant group that operates out of a totalitarian ideology. In other words, the centralized political and governance institutions of the former republic were unaccountable enough that they now comfortably accommodate the totalitarian objectives of the Taliban without giving the people any chance to resist peacefully. The Taliban government currently installed in Afghanistan is not simply another dictatorship. By all standards, it is a totalitarian regime. As with any other ideological movement, the Taliban's Islamic government is transformative and totalitarian in nature. In the Taliban's totalitarian Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, there is no meaningful political inclusivity or representation for Hazaras at any level. "Afghanistan dispatch: Taliban leaders issue new orders on law-making process, enforcement of court orders from previous government" . [Akhundzada] has not convened the Taliban's Leadership Council (a 'politburo' of top leaders and commanders) for several months. Instead, he relies on the narrower Kandahar Council of Clerics for legal advice. International Monetary Fund . 22 October 2024 . National Statistics and Information Authority . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).