AFGHANISTAN

Amanda Toth

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city in

Afghanistan. It’s population is about 3.3 million. It’s the 64th largest and the 5th fastest

growing city in the world.

Afghanistan’s Borders Afghanistan shares borders with Iran,

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai is the current president of

Afghanistan. He is the 12th president and took office

on December 7, 2004.

Imported Goods Afghanistan imports the most goods

from the United States at 29.1% The following are the next three: Pakistan- 23.3% India- 7.6% Russia- 4.5%

Language The two official languages of Afghanistan

are Pashto and Dari. Both are Indo-European languages from

the Iranian languages sub-family.

Afghan Women According to the Afghan Ministry of

Education, only 12% of Afghan women over the age of 15 can read and write.

Pastimes Many pastimes including flying kites,

listening to music, and girls’ education were outlawed by the Taliban

Kandahar The city of Kandahar is said to be

founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C.

It is the second largest city in Afghanistan.

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass is a crossing point

between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Khyber Pass was part of The Ancient

Silk Road and a major military supply route for NATO forces during the current Afghan war.

Paleo Paleo is a very popular National Afghan

dish. It is rice with meat and raisins.

Hazaras The Hazaras are a minority group in

Afghanistan that claim to be descendants of Ghengis Khan’s Mongolian soldiers.

They are mostly Shiite Muslims, which make up the 3rd largest ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Opium In 2006 Afghanistan was responsible for

92% of the world’s opium production

Pashtun Pashtun people follow a code of honor, called

Pashtunwali that requires them to support the poor and weak, fight evil, provide shelter to anyone who needs it.

The Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan at around 12.9 million people (48%).

Their code of honor includes 9 principles: Hospitality, asylum, justice, bravery, loyalty, righteousness, Trust in God, dignity, and Honor of women.

Soviet War The Soviets occupied Afghanistan from

December 1979 to February 1989. The Soviet War was part of the Cold War

and was fought between Soviet-led Afghan forces against multi-national insurgent groups called the Mujahideen.

Hindu Kush Hindu Kush is the mountain range that

spans from central Afghanistan to Pakistan.

It is the dividing line between Russian and British areas of influence during the Great Game.

Population The population of Afghanistan is about

31.1 million.

Location Afghanistan is located in Central Asia.

Size Afghanistan is about the same size as

Texas. It’s about 251,773 square miles.