Afghanistan

Afghanistan A mountainous, and landlocked country in south-central Asia, bounded on the west by Iran, on the south and east by Pakistan, and on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Physical

Afghanistan's eastern region is dominated by the vast mountain range of the Hindu Kush and most of the country is high plateau. In winter much of it is under snow; in spring grass appears, which is scorched dry and swept by the dust storms of summer.

Economy

Agriculture, mainly sheep-raising and subsistence farming, is the mainstay of the economy, which has been devastated by 25 years of conflict. The country's main source of income is now the production and sale of opium.

History

Afghanistan was conquered by Alexander the Great, and after his death became part of the Bactrian state. A succession of foreign overlords was followed by Arab conquest from the 7th century. The territory was converted to Islam and the most important Muslim ruler was Mahmud of Ghazna. The country was overrun by Mongols in 1222, only becoming united under an Afghan leader in 1747, when Ahmad Shah founded the Durrani dynasty at Kandahar. In the 19th century Afghanistan was the focal point of conflicting Russian and British interests. A British attempt to replace the Kabul ruler Dost Muhammad was repulsed in the First ANGLO-AFGHAN WAR, but Afghan foreign policy came under British control in 1879 by the Treaty of Gandamak. In 1880 Abdurrahman Khan became amir, establishing a strong central government; Afghanistan achieved independence from Britain under his heir, Abdurrahman Khan, in 1919. General Mohammad Daoud Khan seized power in 1953 and was Prime Minister until 1963, during which time there were repeated border disputes with Pakistan. Afghanistan became a parliamentary democracy in 1964, but in 1973 a military coup overthrew the monarchy and Daoud reasserted control. In 1978 he was assassinated and a revolutionary council, headed by Nur Mohammad Taraki took over. Taraki was himself assassinated in 1979. Later that year Soviet troops entered the country and installed a government under Babrak Karmal. Guerrilla Mujahidin forces, equipped with US arms, then waged a fierce jihad against government troops and Soviet forces. Some six million refugees fled to Iran and Pakistan. The Soviet Union disengaged its troops in 1987–89, leading to the collapse of the pro-Soviet government and the creation of an Islamic state. However, civil conflict between rival Mujahidin factions continued. In 1995–96 the TALIBAN militia, an army of young Islamic militants, gained control of southern Afghanistan, including Kabul, and imposed strict Islamic law. By 1999 they had effectively defeated their rivals in the north (the Northern Alliance) and controlled some 90% of the country. In late 2001 Afghanistan came under heavy air attack from the USA after the Taliban refused to hand over Osama BIN LADEN, whose Afghan-based AL-QAIDA organization was held responsible for the terrorist attacks on the USA on SEPTEMBER 11 2001. The Taliban regime collapsed and the Northern Alliance occupied Kabul and other cities. An interim government was established under Hamid Karzai, who became President in 2002.

Capital:	Kabul
Area:	652,225 sq km (251,825 sq miles)
Population:	27,756,000 (2002 est)
Currency:	1 afghani = 100 puls
Religions:	Sunni Muslim 93.0%; Shiite Muslim 7.0%
Ethnic Groups:	Pathan (Pashto) 52.3%; Tajik 20.3%; Uzbek 8.7%; Hazara 8.7%; Chahar Aimak 2.9%; Turkmen 2.0%; Baluchi 1.0%
Languages:	Pashto, Dari (Persian) (both official); minority languages
International Organizations:	UN; Colombo Plan; Non-Aligned Movement