Afghanistan
Conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (prior to 15 August 2021); current country name disputed
Conventional short form: Afghanistan
Nationality: noun: Afghan(s), adjective: Afghan
Etymology: the name “Afghan” originally referred to the Pashtun people (today it is understood to include all the country’s ethnic groups), while the suffix “-stan” means “place of” or “country”; so Afghanistan literally means the “Land of the Afghans”
Table of Contents
Continent
Asia
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran (33 00 N, 65 00 E)
Capital
Kabul
Named for the Kabul River, but the river’s name is of unknown origin
(34 31 N, 69 11 E)
Government Type
Theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government
Area
Land: (652,230 sq km) + Water: (0 sq km) = Total: (652,230)
Landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Natural resources
Natural gas, Petroleum, Coal, Copper, Chromite, Talc, Barites, Sulfur, Lead, Zinc, Iron ore, Salt, Precious and semiprecious stones, Arable land
Languges
Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%
Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, Other <1% (2020 est.)
کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari)
د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto)
Exports - commodities
Coal, Cotton, Grapes, Gum resins, Nuts
Top five export commodities based on value in dollars (2022)
Geography
Border countries (6):
- China 91 km;
- Iran 921 km;
- Pakistan 2,670 km;
- Tajikistan 1,357 km;
- Turkmenistan 804 km;
- Uzbekistan 144 km
Landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Government
Religions
Sources:
The World Factbook 2024. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2024.