Afghanistan (Pashtu/Dari-Persian: افغانستان, Afğānistān) is a country at the crossroads of Asia. Usually placed in Central Asia geographically, Afghanistan is also sometimes categorized within South Asia and the Middle East, as it has either cultural, ethno-linguistic, and/or geographic links with most of its neighbors. It is bordered by Iran in the west, Pakistan in the south and east, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China to the east. It has a population of 30 million people, although this remains an estimate as ...

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• Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name
• Afghanistan - History
• Afghanistan - Politics
• Afghanistan - Subdivisions
• Afghanistan - Geography
• Afghanistan - Economy
• Afghanistan - Economy References
• Afghanistan - Demographics
• Afghanistan - Constitution
• Afghanistan - Culture
• Afghanistan - Education
• Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: History of Afghanistan Afghanistan exists at a unique nexus-point where numerous Eurasian civilizations have interacted and often fought and was an important site of early historical activity. Through the ages, the region today known as Afghanistan has been invaded by a host of peoples, including the Aryans, Medes, Persians, Greeks, Mauryans, Kushans, Sassanians, Arabs, Turks, British, and Soviets, but rarely have these groups managed to exert complete control over the region. On other occasions, native Afghan entities have invaded surroundin ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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The name of Afghanistan derives from word Afghan. The Pushtuns appear to have begun using the term Afghan as a name for themselves from the Islamic period onwards. According to W.K. Frazier Tyler, M.C. Gillet and several other scholars, "The word Afghan first appears in history in the Hudud-al-Alam in 982 AD." There are numerous views, regarding the origin of name Afgha ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Education in Afghanistan In the spring of 2003, it was estimated that 30% of Afghanistan's 7,000 schools had been seriously damaged during more than two decades of Soviet occupation and civil war. Only half of the schools were reported to have clean water, while fewer than an estimated 40% had adequate sanitation. Education for boys was not a priority during the Taliban regime, and g ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Economy of Afghanistan Although Afghanistan has significant amounts of natural resources, it is a poor country, highly dependent on farming and livestock production/animal husbandry. Two-thirds of the population lives on less than US$2 a day. The economy has suffered greatly from the recent political and military unrest since the 1979-80 Soviet invasion and subsequent conflicts, while severe drought added to ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Demographics of Afghanistan The population of Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups largely composed of Iranian and Turkic peoples. Because a systematic census has not been held in the country in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are not available.[13] Therefore most figures are approximations only. According to the CIA World FactBook (updated on 17 May 2005), an approximate ethnic group distribution is as follows: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Ai ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Culture of Afghanistan Afghans display pride in their country, ancestry, military prowess, and above all, their independence. Like other highlanders, Afghans are regarded with mingled apprehension and condescension, for their high regard for personal honour, for their clan loyalty and for their readiness to carry and use arms to settle disputes. (Heathcote, 2003). As clan warfare / internecine feuding has been one of their chief occupations since time immemorial, this individualistic trait has made it difficult f ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

Read more here: » Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Afghanistan - Culture

Main article: Demographics of Afghanistan The population of Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups largely composed of Iranian and Turkic peoples. Because a systematic census has not been held in the country in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are not available.[13] Therefore most figures are approximations only. According to the CIA World FactBook (updated on 17 May 2005), the ethnic group distribution is as follows: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Ai ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces (velayat) which are further divided into districts. Main article: Provinces of Afghanistan Main article: Districts of Afghanistan The 34 provinces are: 1 Badakhshan 2 Badghis 3 Baghlan 4 Balkh 5 Bamiyan 6 Daikondi 7 Farah 8 Faryab 9 Ghazni See also:

Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Politics of Afghanistan Afghanistan is currently led by president Hamid Karzai, who was elected in October of 2004. Before the election, Karzai led the country after having been hand-picked by the administration of United States' President Bush to head an interim government, after the fall of the Taliban. His current cabinet includes members of the Afghan Northern Alliance, and a mix from other regional and ethnic groups formed from the transitional government by the Loya jirga (grand council). Former monarch Mohammed Zahir Shah returned to the country, but was not reinstated as king, and o ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Geography of Afghanistan Afghanistan is a land-locked mountainous country, with plains in the north and southwest. The highest point, at 7485 m (24,557 ft) above sea level, is Nowshak. Large parts of the country are dry, and fresh water supplies are limited. Afghanistan has a continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters. The country is frequently subject to earthquakes. The major cities of Afghanistan are its capital Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar. See also List of citi ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

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Main article: Economy of Afghanistan Although Afghanistan has significant amounts of natural resources, it is a poor country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising. Two-thirds of the population lives on less than US$2 a day. The economy has suffered greatly from the recent political and military unrest since the 1979-80 Soviet invasion and subsequent conflicts, while severe drought added to ...

See also:

Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

Read more here: » Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Afghanistan - Economy

The current name of Afghanistan derives from the alternative name for the Pashtuns: Afghan, being the founders of modern Afghanistan. The Pashtuns appear to have begun using the term Afghan as a name for themselves from the Islamic period onwards. According to the writer W.K. Frazier Tyler, writing in his book Afghanistan, "The word Afghan… first appears in history in the Hudud-al-Alam in 982 AD." There are several views regarding ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

Read more here: » Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name

Main article: Constitution of Afghanistan According to the 2004 constitution, Afghanistan is run by a president, who is elected by direct popular vote to a five-year term. The president may only serve two terms. A candidate for president must be at least forty years of age, a Muslim, and a citizen of Afghanistan. The country has two vice-presidents. The president serves as head of state and government, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president makes appointments for his cabinet, as well as posts in the military, police force, and provincial gov ...

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Afghanistan, Afghanistan - Origin and history of the name, Afghanistan - History, Afghanistan - Politics, Afghanistan - Subdivisions, Afghanistan - Geography, Afghanistan - Economy, Afghanistan - Economy References, Afghanistan - Demographics, Afghanistan - Constitution, Afghanistan - Culture, Afghanistan - Education, Afghanistan - Additional references

Read more here: » Afghanistan: Encyclopedia II - Afghanistan - Constitution