Afghanistan is a country in Central Asia located inland, meaning it has no access to the sea. The area of Afghan territory is approximately 652,230 km2 and it is inhabited by about 32 million people. The Afghan people are mainly composed of Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.
What you need to know about Afghanistan
The largest urban area and also the capital of Afghanistan is Kabul, and the official language of the country is Pashto with 42% of speakers; the second most spoken language is Tajik (24%). The telephone code in Afghanistan is 93, that is 0093 or +93.
Which countries border Afghanistan?
The neighboring countries of Afghanistan are Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China.
Population of Afghanistan
Currently, the Afghan population numbers 38,928,346 inhabitants with an annual demographic growth rate of 2.34%. The birth rate in the country is 3.83% and the mortality rate is 1.37%.
The life expectancy at birth in the country is average at 60.5 years with a fertility rate of 5.33 births per woman, which is high. The male/female ratio in the country is 105%, with 103% for those under 15 years, 104% for those under 64 years, and 87% for those over 65 years.
The people of Afghanistan are called Afghans, and the main ethnic groups in the country are Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, and others. The official language of the Afghan people is Pashto and Dari, and the minority languages are Dari, Uzbek, and other languages.
What are the colors of the country?
The Afghan flag consists of 3 colors arranged in vertical stripes of equal size. From left to right, there is black, red, and green. In the center of the flag, there are the national emblems.
Black represents the darkness and the dark past of the nation. Green is a symbol of fortune and the Islamic religion, and red represents the blood shed for the country’s struggle for sovereignty.
What are the best cities to visit in Afghanistan
Kabul
Kabul is the capital of the country and the largest urban area of Afghanistan. It is also a very ancient city dating back over 3500 years. You can see several ancient sites there such as the Abdul-Rahman Mosque, the Afghan National Museum, the Historic Garden, and Babur’s parks.
The mosque in question is modern as it was consecrated in 2012, but its design follows the traditional Islamic structure, featuring 14 arches and two minarets.
Balkh
Balkh is a very ancient city and according to the Arabs, it is the mother of the cities of the East. Halfway between East Asia and the Middle East, the city of Balkh was an ancient Buddhist territory before the Arab incursion.
Moreover, the remains in the old city clearly show constructions that still reflect Buddhist architecture and Asian cultures. For example, there are the remains of the Green Mosque and the Nine Domes Mosque, which are magnificent places to visit. Furthermore, they are part of the world monuments under monitoring as they are endangered sites.
Kandahar
This city was formerly the city of Alexandria dating back to 329 BC. It is the second largest urban area in Afghanistan but also one of the oldest metropolises most diverse in terms of culture and history. You will see the Kandahar Friday Mosque, which was a place of worship considered the most admirable in the country.
Mazar-e Sharif
According to the city’s history, Mazar-e Sharif was formerly a sanctuary that was built in the center of the city before the surrounding infrastructures. Tourists come for the so-called Blue Mosque as well as the basilica of Hazrat Ali. The city is located in Balkh province but is also its capital. It is the cradle of many cultures as well as several ethnicities and a variety of colorful cultural differences.
Herat
Herat is a city located in the western part of Afghanistan, it still holds the country’s historical remains. Among them are the Herat Citadel, the tomb of Queen Goharshad, and the Friday Mosque. Currently, the said mosque is still active and most of its rooms are still functional; however, several objects and frameworks have been replaced by more recent works. After the main entrance, there are several artisan shops that work on facades and create mosaics.
Bamiyan
It is one of the smallest Afghan cities, also an ancient region of Buddhist occupation and a city located in the center of the country. Moreover, it is rich in cultures between the East and the West, which is the crossroads of Bamiyan archaeology and Turkic cultures.
There are also remains of exchanges made with Persians, Indians, and Chinese in ancient times. That is why there are several Buddha statues, some of which have only remained in good condition; there are also caves with mural frescoes dating from the 5th to the 9th century as well as the reclining Buddha.
Where the cities are located on the map of Afghanistan
Kabul
On the map of Afghanistan, the capital and largest city is located in the eastern part of the country, in the province of the same name. Geographic coordinates: 34°31’01’’N, 69°07’59’’E
Balkh
On the Afghan map, the city of Balkh is located in the central section of the country, slightly to the north in the province of the same name. It is crossed by the Balkh-Ab river. Geographic coordinates: 36°27’18’’N, 66°31’59’’E.
Kandahar
On the map of Afghanistan, the city of Kandahar is located within Afghan territory, slightly in the southern section of the country. It is a city located at the confluence of the Arghandab, which is a river abundant in water. Geographic coordinates: 31°37’01’’ north, 65°43’01’’ east
Mazar-e Sharif
The city of Mazar-e-Sharif is located in the north-central part of Afghanistan; it is the capital of Balkh province. Geographic coordinates: 36°43’ north, 67°07’ east
Herat
This city is the closest to Iranian and Turkmenistan territory; it is located in the western section of the country and is the capital of the province of the same name. Geographic coordinates: 34°34’01’’ north, 62°19’59’’ east
Bamiyan
The small city of Bamiyan is located in the central section of Afghanistan and in the province of the same name. Geographic coordinates: 34°49’ north and 67°49’ east
Afghanistan Climate Map
The climate of Afghanistan is divided into 4 distinct periods corresponding to summer, spring, autumn, and winter. The entire Afghan territory experiences scorching summers and chilly winters, characteristic of a dry continental climate.
The lower elevation areas of the territory show an average temperature of 20°C in winter and over 48°C in summer; associated with such heat, the summer season is very dry.
The higher altitude areas have colder winter temperatures around -25°C, while summer temperatures hover around 38°C. In mountainous parts, long snowfalls often occur, lasting up to 4 months.
The winter period usually takes place between April and October, but this period may vary according to altitude. The rainy season and autumn are often confused, and rainfall during these seasons ranges between 1000 and 1500 mm annually.
Afghanistan Economic Map
Due to heavy immigration, Afghanistan has recently experienced waves of GDP deflation. Currently, several investors originally from the country but living abroad have returned, and the country’s economy has significantly improved.
Gradually, road infrastructures were built, and the country now has more commercial roads with its neighboring countries.
Recently, the country also received financial aid from international organizations of which it is a member, notably NATO. Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product currently amounts to 70 billion USD with more than 20 billion USD in exchange rates.
The country’s GDP per capita is 2000 USD with more than 6 billion USD spent on imported goods. However, exports are very low and mainly consist of fruits and nuts.
This indicates that the country’s trade balance is negative. The country also has more than 1 million dollars in mineral deposits, but these are currently unexploited. This is partly due to the country’s political instability but also because of its 23% unemployment rate and low industrialization. Here are some economic indicators for the country:
- Official currency: Afghan Afghani (AFN)
- GDP in nominal parity: 19.01 billion USD
- GDP in PPP: 78.88 billion USD
- GDP rank: 113th nominal and 96th in purchasing power parity.
- Annual GDP growth rate: 1.8%
- GDP per capita in nominal terms: 499.4 USD
- GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Parity: 2070 USD.
- Inflation rate: 4.5%
- Unemployment rate as % of active population: 23.9%
Administrative and Demolinguistic Data
Administrative subdivisions
Afghanistan is divided into 35 provinces as follows:
- Badakhchan
- Bâdghîs
- Baghlan
- Balkh
- Bamiyan
- Deykandi
- Djozdjan
- Farâh
- Fâryâb
- Ghazni
- Ghor
- Helmand
- Hérat
- Kaboul
- Kandahar
- Kapisa
- Khost
- Kounar
- Kondôz
- Laghman
- Lôgar
- Nangarhâr
- Nimroz
- Nouristan
- Oruzgan
- Paktiya
- Paktika
- Pandjchir
- Parwan
- Samangan
- Sar-e Pol
- Takhar
- Wardak
- Zabol
Demolinguistic data
The Afghan population is composed of several ethnic groups and different speakers. The languages used in the country are mainly Pashto and Dari or Persian. These are the two Indo-European and official Afghan languages. There is a dialectal variety of Persian also called Dari. It is mainly spoken by the ethnic minorities Tajik, Ḥazāra, Chahar Aimak, and Kizilbash.
There are also Persian dialects including Dari and Tajik. The speakers of these languages are spoken in Tajikistan. The last Afghan dialect is Pashtun, which is spoken in small urban areas. It is also a variation of Persian.
