Introduction of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, (which literally means Land of the Afghan) is a mountainous land-locked country located in Central Asia. It has a history and culture that goes back over 5000 years. Throughout its long, splendid, and sometimes chaotic history, this area of the world has been known by various names. In ancient times, its inhabitants called the land Aryana. In the medieval era, it was called Khorasan, and in modern times, its people have decided to call it Afghanistan. The exact population of Afghanistan is unknown, however, it is estimated to be somewhere around 31 million. Afghanistan is a heterogeneous nation, in which there are four major ethnic groups: Pashtoons, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Numerous other minor ethnic groups (Nuristanis, Baluchis, Turkmens, etc.) also call Afghanistan their home. While the majority of Afghans (99%) belong to the Islamic faith, there are also small pockets of Sikhs, Hindus and even some Jews. The official languages of the country are Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian aka Farsi). The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul, which throughout history, was admired by many great figures, such as the great Central Asian conqueror, Zahirudeen Babur. Unfortunately, due to many years of war, this great city has been shattered and nearly destroyed.

Today, Afghanistan is on a road to recovery, however, after decades of war, the economy is still in ruins, and its environment is in a state of crises. After pushing the date back twice, Afghanistan's presidential elections were finally held on October 9, 2004. Over 8 million Afghans voted in the elections. The Joint Electoral Management Body of Afghanistan certified the elections on November 3rd, and declared Hamid Karzai, the interim President, the winner with 55.4% of the votes. Karzai's strongest challenger, Yunis Qanooni, came in second with 16.3% of the votes.

With help from the United States and the United Nations, Afghanistan adopted its new constitution, establishing the country as an Islamic Republic, in early January 2004. According to the constitution, the Afghan government consists of a powerful and popularly elected President, two Vice Presidents, and a National Assembly consisting of two Houses: the House of People (Wolesi Jirga), and the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga). There is also an independent Judiciary branch consisting of the Supreme Court (Stera Mahkama), High Courts and Appeal Courts. The President appoints the members of the Supreme Court with the approval of the Wolesi Jirga. Assembly elections are planned for late 2005.

Background

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of the Communist regime. The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution and a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 7 December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005.

Location

Afghanistan in southwestern Asia, bounded on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan; on the east by China and the part of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir controlled by Pakistan; on the south by Pakistan; and on the west by Iran. Afghanistan was a monarchy from 1747 to 1973, when the king was overthrown by military officers and the country was proclaimed a republic; the republic dissolved in 1992 as the country erupted in civil war. Afghanistan lies across ancient trade and invasion routes from central Asia into India. This position has been the greatest influence on its history because the invaders often settled there. Today the population includes many different ethnic groups. Most of the present borders of the country were drawn up in the 19th century, when Afghanistan became a buffer state, or neutral zone, between Russia and British India. Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan.

Key Data

	Continent: Asia
	Region: Central Asia
	Latitude: 033 00 N
	Longitude: 065 00 E
	Official Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
	Government type: Islamic Republic
	Head of State: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
	Constitution: New constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004.
	Population: 31,056,997 (July 2006 est)
	Time Zone: UTC+4:30
	Area Total: 647,500 km²
	Area Land: 647,500 km²
	Cost Line: 0 km (Land Locked)
	Capital: Kabul
	Climate: Dry to semiarid, cold winter and hot summer.
	Languages: Pashto, Pashtu or Pukhto number of speakers in Afghanistan approximately 14 million and Dari (Farsi) is spoken by almost every ethnic division, they are Indo-European languages and are the major two languages spoken in Afghanistan, other Indo-European, Indo-Aryan languages, such as Balochi, Pshayi and Eastern Farsi, are also spoken, Turkic and Altaic languages, such as Uzbek and Turkmen, are present, Tajiki is also used.
	Currency: Afghani (AFG)
	Currency Rate: 1 USD = 50 AFG
	Independence Day: 19 August
	Fiscal Year: 21 March 20 March
	Internet Domain: .af
	Dialing Code: +93
	Administrative Divisions: 34 Provinces (Velayat)

Boundaries

Pakistan:	2,430 Km
Tajikistan:	1,206 Km
Iran:	936 Km
Turkmenistan:	744 Km
Uzbekistan:	137 Km
China:	76 Km
Total:	5,529 Km

Ethnic Division

Pashton:	35 %
Tajik:	27 %
Hazara:	19 %
Uzbek:	6 %
Aimak:	4 %
Turkmen:	3 %
Baloch:	2 %
Others:	4 %

Religions

Sunni Muslim:	88 %
Shi`a Muslim:	11 %
Others: (Zoroastani, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, Christian)	1 %

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