Afghanistan

Extracted Attributes

• Capital

  Kabul

• GDP (PPP)

  81 billion USD

• Population

  41,454,761 (2021 estimate)

• Total Area

  652,864 square kilometers

• GDP (Nominal)

  20.1 billion USD (2020)

• Official Name

  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

• Primary Exports

  Cannabis resin, saffron, cashmere

• Geographic Coordinates

  33.0 N, 66.0 E

• Major Natural Resources

  Lithium, iron, zinc, copper, lapis lazuli

• Human Development Index Rank

  182nd

Timeline

• Inception of the modern Afghan state under the Hotak dynasty. (Source: Wikidata)

  1709-01-01

• Ahmad Shah Durrani founds the Durrani Empire. (Source: National Geographic Kids)

  1747-01-01

• Afghanistan gains independence from British political hegemony following the Third Anglo-Afghan War. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1919-08-19

• The independent Kingdom of Afghanistan is officially established. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1926-06-09

• Zahir Shah is overthrown in a coup, and the Republic of Afghanistan is established. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1973-07-17

• The Saur Revolution establishes a communist socialist state. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1978-04-27

• The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to support the communist government. (Source: Britannica)

  1979-12-24

• Soviet forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1989-02-15

• The Taliban takes control of Kabul and establishes the first Islamic Emirate. (Source: Britannica)

  1996-09-27

• A US-led coalition invades Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) following the September 11 attacks. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2001-10-07

• The Taliban captures Kabul, returning to power and ending the 20-year war. (Source: Freedom House)

  2021-08-15

• US President Joe Biden officially rescinds Afghanistan's status as a major non-NATO ally. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2022-07-01

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central 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 40 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 Empire in the 18th century under Ahmad Shah Durrani, 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. The mujahideen won against the Soviets in the Soviet–Afghan War, leading to the Soviets' withdrawal in 1989. The ensuing civil war overthrew the socialist republic and established the Islamic State of Afghanistan through the Peshawar Accord, which could not remain in force and resulted in a second civil war between mujahideen factions in 1992. 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. The Taliban government is widely unrecognized by the international community 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.

Web Search Results

• Afghanistan

  Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central 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 40 and 50 million. [...] At over 652,864 km2 (252,072 sq mi), Afghanistan is the world's 41st largest country. It is slightly bigger than France and smaller than Myanmar, and about the size of Texas in the United States. There is no coastline, as Afghanistan is landlocked. Afghanistan shares its longest land border (the Durand Line) with Pakistan to the east and south, followed by borders with Tajikistan to the northeast, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the north-west, Uzbekistan to the north, and China to the far northeast; India recognizes a border with Afghanistan through Pakistani-administered Kashmir. Clockwise from south-west, Afghanistan shares borders with the Sistan and Baluchestan Province, South Khorasan Province, and Razavi Khorasan Province of Iran; Ahal Region, Mary Region, and Lebap Region of [...] The present Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is currently partially recognized, but has had notable unofficial ties with China, Pakistan, and Qatar. Under the previous Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, it enjoyed cordial relations with a number of NATO and allied nations, particularly the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Turkey. In 2012, the United States and the then-republic in Afghanistan signed their Strategic Partnership Agreement in which Afghanistan became a major non-NATO ally. Such qualification was rescinded by US President Joe Biden in July 2022. ### Military Main article: Afghan Armed Forces

• Afghanistan | History, Map, Flag, Capital, Population, & Languages

  Afghanistan, multiethnic landlocked country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen to ruin. The country’s forbidding landscape of deserts and mountains has laid many imperial ambitions to rest, as has the tireless resistance of its fiercely independent peoples—so independent that the country has failed to coalesce into a nation but has instead long endured as a patchwork of contending ethnic factions and ever-shifting alliances. [...] parties and warlords and established a theocratic regime (1996–2001) that soon fell under the influence of a group of well-funded Islamists led by an exiled Saudi Arabian, Osama bin Laden. The Taliban regime collapsed in December 2001 in the wake of a sustained U.S.-dominated military campaign aimed at the Taliban and fighters of bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization. Soon thereafter, anti-Taliban forces agreed to a period of transitional leadership and an administration that would lead to a new constitution and the establishment of a democratically elected government. [...] The modern boundaries of Afghanistan were established in the late 19th century in the context of a rivalry between imperial Britain and tsarist Russia that Rudyard Kipling termed the “Great Game.” Modern Afghanistan became a pawn in struggles over political ideology and commercial influence. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Afghanistan suffered the ruinous effects of civil war greatly exacerbated by a military invasion and occupation by the Soviet Union (1979–89). In subsequent armed struggles, a surviving Afghan communist regime held out against Islamic insurgents (1989–92), and, following a brief rule by mujahideen groups, an austere movement of religious students—the Taliban—rose up against the country’s governing parties and warlords and established a theocratic regime

• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

  The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with an invasion by a United States–led coalition under the name Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11 attacks carried out by the Taliban-allied and Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda. The Taliban were expelled from major population centers by American-led forces supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, thus toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)"). Three years later, the American-sponsored Islamic Republic was established, but by then the Taliban, led by founder Mullah Omar, had reorganized and begun an insurgency against the Afghan government and coalition forces. The conflict ended almost twenty years later as the 2021 Taliban [...] ਪੰਜਾਬੀ "ਅਫਗਾਨਿਸਤਾਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਯੁੱਧ (2001–14) – Punjabi") Polski "Wojna w Afganistanie (2001–2021) – Polish") پنجابی "افغانستان وچ جنگ (۲۰۰۱ء – ۲۰۲۱ء) – Western Punjabi") پښتو "د افغانستان جګړه (۲۰۰۱- ۲۰۲۱) – Pashto") Português "Guerra do Afeganistão (2001–2021) – Portuguese") Română "Războiul din Afganistan (2001–2021) – Romanian") Русский "Война в Афганистане (2001—2021) – Russian") Sardu "Gherra de Afganistàn (2001-sighende) – Sardinian") Sicilianu "Guerra nti l'Afganistan (2001-2021) – Sicilian") Scots "War in Afghanistan (2001–present) – Scots") Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски "Rat u Afganistanu (2001–2021) – Serbo-Croatian") Simple English "War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) – Simple English") Slovenčina "Vojna v Afganistane (2001 – 2021) – Slovak") [...] This twenty-year armed conflict (2001–2021) is referred to as the war in Afghanistan( in order to distinguish it from Afghanistan's various other wars,( notably the ongoing Afghan conflict of which it was a part,( and the Soviet–Afghan War.( From the perspective of the West, the war is divided between 2001 and 2014 (the ISAF mission), when most combat operations were performed by coalition forces, and 2015 to 2021 (the Resolute Support Mission), when the Afghan armed forces did most of the fighting against the Taliban. The war was named Operation Enduring Freedom from 2001 to 2014( and as Operation Freedom's Sentinel from 2015 to 2021 by the US.( Alternatively, it has been called the US war in Afghanistan.( In Afghanistan itself, the war is known as simply the "war in Afghanistan" (Dari:

• Afghanistan: Country Profile | Freedom House

  Afghanistan is controlled by an armed Islamist movement, the Taliban, which has operated the Afghan state as an emirate since overthrowing an elected republican administration in August 2021. In the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban leader exercises unlimited political authority and rules by decree in the absence of a constitution. The Taliban’s administration is not internationally recognized. Some laws inherited from the republican period are applied, selectively. The Taliban has suspended all political and civic rights, abolished representative bodies, and prohibit any criticism of the regime. Women and religious and ethnic minority groups have faced the most severe curbs on freedoms, while journalists are restricted by harsh edicts and the threat of violence. Meanwhile, the [...] by harsh edicts and the threat of violence. Meanwhile, the population is facing economic and humanitarian crises.

• Afghanistan Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

  Afghanistan is located in Central Asia with Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east. Tall, forbidding mountains and dry deserts cover most of the landscape of Afghanistan. The jagged mountain peaks are treacherous, and are snow covered for most of the year. Many Afghans live in the fertile valleys between the mountains and grow their crops and tend to their animals. Only 20 percent of the land is used as fields. Summers are hot and dry but the winters are very cold, especially north of the Hindu Kush, which is located in the eastern part of the country near Pakistan and Tajikistan. Many rivers flow through the mountain gorges. Snow melt and rain that flow out of the Hindu Kush pool into a low area and never reach the ocean. [...] ### HISTORY Afghanistan was settled around 7000 B.C. and has been in transition for most of its history. Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan in 330 B.C. and brought the Greek language and culture to the region. Genghis Khan's Mongols invaded in the 13th century. In 1747, Pashtun elders held a council meeting called a Loya Jirga and created the kingdom of the Afghans. The British and Afghans fought in three wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, but the Afghans finally defeated the British in 1919 and formed an independent monarchy in 1921. [...] The country is rich in the vibrant blue stone, lapis lazuli, which was used to decorate the tomb of the Egyptian king Tutankhamun. ### GOVERNMENT Until very recently, Afghanistan was considered a newly formed democracy. However in mid-August 2021, the Taliban—a religious and political group that ruled the country from the mid-1990s until 2001—took control of the country's major cities and regained power. (Taliban means “students” in Pashto, one of the languages spoken in Afghanistan.) ### HISTORY

• Image

  

• Country

  Afghanistan

• Instance Of

  Q6256

• Population

  41,454,761

• Coordinates

  Lat: 33.0, Lon: 66.0

• Inception Date

  1/1/1709