Portal:Afghanistan

The Afghanistan Portal

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.

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. (Full article...)

Selected article -

The Islamic State of Afghanistan (Dari: دولت اسلامی افغانستان, Dawlat-i Islāmī-yi Afġānistān, Pashto: دا افغانستان اسلامی دولت, Da Afghanistan Islami Dowlat) was a unitary Islamic state that was established in April 1992 under the Peshawar Accord. Its power was limited due to the country's second civil war, which was won by the Taliban, who seized Kabul in September 1996. The Islamic state then transitioned to a government-in-exile and led the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. It remained the internationally recognized government of Afghanistan at the United Nations until 2001, when the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan was created and an Afghan Interim Administration took control of Afghanistan with US and NATO assistance following the overthrow of the first Taliban government. The Transitional Islamic State was subsequently transformed into the Islamic Republic, which existed until the Taliban seized power again in 2021 following a prolonged insurgency. (Full article...)

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General images -

The following are images from various Afghanistan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Religions in Afghanistan

Neighboring countries

Other countries

Selected picture -

A view of Herat Citadel from atop the premises

Topics

Recognized content

Good articles

  • 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines - Afghanistan
  • ANA soldier with RPG-7 in 2013-cropped
  • British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan MOD 45152579
  • British Army Soldier in Full Kit in Afghanistan MOD 45152581
  • Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II - 32156159151
  • Last American Soldier leaves Afghanistan
  • M777 Light Towed Howitzer 1
  • Meat seller in Kabul
  • Rosette, Titles of Shah Jahan
  • Sher Ali (1825-1879) Amir of Afghanistan, photographed in 1869 by John Burke
  • Stielers Handatlas 1891 59

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Afghanistan
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Buildings and structures in Afghanistan
Culture of Afghanistan
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Organisations based in Afghanistan
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Works about Afghanistan
Afghanistan stubs

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WikiProjects

  • Main WikiProject:
    • WikiProject Afghanistan
  • Other related WikiProjects:
    • Geographical:
      • Central Asia: China • Iran • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Pakistan • Russia • Soviet Union • Tajikistan • Tibet • Turkmenistan • Uzbekistan
    • Religious:
      • Islam

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