The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Afghanistan:

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

– landlocked sovereign country located in Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

. Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has experienced a continuous state of civil war.

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Afghanistan
  Afghanistan
  Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Afghan
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Afghanistan
  Name of Afghanistan
  The name of Afghanistan is believed to be as old as the ethnonym Afghan, which is documented in a 10th century geography book called Hudud ul-'alam focusing on territories south of the Hindu Kush around the Sulaiman Mountains. The root name "Afghan" has been used historically in reference to the...
  
  
• International rankings of Afghanistan
  International rankings of Afghanistan
  The following are international rankings of Afghanistan.-Cities:*Kabul-Demographics:*Population ranked 43 out of 228 countries and territories*CIA World Factbook 2008 estimates Life expectancy ranked 208 out of 211 countries and territories...
  
  
• ISO country codes: AF, AFG, 004
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:AF
  ISO 3166-2:AF
  ISO 3166-2:AF is the entry for Afghanistan in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Afghanistan, ISO 3166-2 codes...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .af
  .af
  .af is the Internet country code top-level domain for Afghanistan. It is administered by AFGNIC, a service of the UNDP and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan....
  
  

Geography of Afghanistan

• Afghanistan is: a landlocked country
• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Eastern Hemisphere
    Eastern Hemisphere
    The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
    
    
    • Eurasia
      Eurasia
      Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
      
      
      • Asia
        Asia
        Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
        
        
        • (Central Asia
          Central Asia
          Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
          
          )
        • (Southern Asia)
  • Greater Middle East
    Greater Middle East
    The Greater Middle East is a political term coined by the Bush administration to group together together various countries, pertaining to the Muslim world, specifically Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Various Central Asian countries are sometimes also included. Some speakers may use the...
    
    
    • Iranian plateau
      Iranian plateau
      The Iranian plateau, or Iranic plateau, is a geological formation in Southwest Asia. It is the part of the Eurasian Plate wedged between the Arabian and Indian plates, situated between the Zagros mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Hormuz Strait and Persian...
      
      
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : UTC+04:30
    • High: Noshaq
      Noshaq
      Noshaq is the highest mountain in Afghanistan and the second highest independent peak of the Hindu Kush after Tirich Mir . Noshaq is located in the northeastern corner of the country along the Durand line which marks the border with Pakistan. It is the westernmost peak in the world...
      
       7492 m (24,580 ft)
    • Low: Amu Darya
      Amu Darya
      The Amu Darya , also called Oxus and Amu River, is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers...
      
       258 m (846 ft)
  • Land boundaries: 5,529 km

 Pakistan 2,430 km

 Tajikistan 1,206 km

 Iran 936 km

 Turkmenistan 744 km

 Uzbekistan 137 km

 Mainland China 76 km

• Coastline: none
• Population of Afghanistan: 31,889,923 (2007 estimate) – 45th most populous country
• Area of Afghanistan: 647500 square kilometres (250,001.1 sq mi) – 41st largest country
• Atlas of Afghanistan

Environment of Afghanistan

• Climate of Afghanistan
• Ecoregions in Afghanistan
• Environmental issues in Afghanistan
  Environmental issues in Afghanistan
  Environmental issues in Afghanistan predate the political turmoil of the past few decades. Forests and wetlands have been depleted by centuries of grazing and farming, practices which have only increased with modern population growth...
  
  
• Geology of Afghanistan
• Protected areas of Afghanistan
  • Biosphere reserves in Afghanistan
  • National parks of Afghanistan
• Renewable energy in Afghanistan
• Wildlife of Afghanistan
  Wildlife of Afghanistan
  Afghanistan has long been known for its rich and diverse wildlife, as recorded in the memoirs of Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty that ruled the country from 1483 to 1530...
  
  
  • Flora of Afghanistan
  • Fauna of Afghanistan
    • Birds of Afghanistan
    • Mammals of Afghanistan

Natural geographic features of Afghanistan

• Glaciers of Afghanistan
• Islands of Afghanistan
• Lakes of Afghanistan
• Mountains of Afghanistan
  • Volcanoes in Afghanistan
• Rivers of Afghanistan
  • Waterfalls of Afghanistan
• Valleys of Afghanistan
• List of World Heritage Sites in Afghanistan

Ecoregions of Afghanistan

Main article: Ecoregions in Afghanistan

Administrative divisions of Afghanistan

Main article: Administrative divisions of Afghanistan

Administrative divisions of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is divided into:# Provinces of Afghanistan# Districts of Afghanistan# Subdistricts of Afghanistan...

• Provinces of Afghanistan
  Provinces of Afghanistan
  The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative divisions of Afghanistan. As of 2004, there are thirty-four provinces in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts....
  
  
  • Districts of Afghanistan
    Districts of Afghanistan
    The provinces of Afghanistan are divided into Wolaswalei or districts. The number of districts in Afghanistan has fluctuated over the years, with new districts created by splitting or merging parts of others. Prior to 1979, there were 325 districts. This was increased to 329 and, in 2004, a major...
    
    
    • Municipalities of Afghanistan

Provinces of Afghanistan

align=center style="background:#BFD7FF"| Provinces of Afghanistan

Province	Map #	ISO 3166-2:AF ISO 3166-2:AF ISO 3166-2:AF is the entry for Afghanistan in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Afghanistan, ISO 3166-2 codes...	Centers	Population	Area (km²)	Language	Notes	U.N. Region
Badakhshan Badakhshan Province Badakhshan is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, consisting of 28 districts. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya. It is part of the Badakhshan region.-Geography:...	30	AF-BDS	Fayzabad Fayzabad, Badakhshan See also: Faizabad Fayzabad is the provincial capital and largest city in Badakhshan Province, in northern Afghanistan, with around 50,000 people. It is situated in Fayzabad District and is at an altitude of 1,200 m. It is located in the northeast of Afghanistan, on the River Kokcha...	823,000	44,059	Dari Persian,	Composed of 29 districts	North East Afghanistan
Badghis Badghis Province Bādghīs is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. It includes the Chul formations through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs...	4	AF-BDG	Qala i Naw Qala i Naw, Afghanistan Qala i Naw is a town in Qala i Naw District and the capital of Badghis Province, of north-west Afghanistan. Its population is estimated 9,000 in 2006.It has a small airport, Qala i Naw Airport....	429,500	20,591	Dari Persian, Pashto	7 districts	West Afghanistan
Baghlan	19	AF-BGL	Puli Khumri	779,000	21,118	Dari Persian Uzbek Uzbek language Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia... , Turkmen Turkmen language Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan... , Pashto	16 districts	North East Afghanistan
Balkh Balkh Province Balkh is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country and its name derives from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town...	13	AF-BAL	Mazari Sharif	1,096,100	17,249	Dari Persian,	15 districts	North Afghanistan
Bamyan	15	AF-BAM	Bamyan	387,300	14,175	Dari Persian	7 districts	East Central Afghanistan
Daykundi	10	AF-DAY	Nili Nili District Nili is a district in Daykundi Province, Afghanistan. The main town in the district, also called Nili is the capital of Daykundi Province. The town of Nili is at 2,022 m altitude and has a small airport with a gravel runway and a commercial radio station...	399,600	8,088	Dari Persian	8 districts Formed from Orūzgān Province Oruzgan Province Orūzgān or Urōzgān , also spelled Uruzgan or Rōzgān , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the center of the country, though the area is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar in the south. Its capital is Tarin Kowt...  in 2004	South West Afghanistan
Farah Farah Province Farah is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Farah. Farah is a spacious and sparsely populated province that lies on the Iranian border...	2	AF-FRA	Farah Farah, Afghanistan Farah is a city in western Afghanistan, situated at 650 m altitude, and located on the Farah River. It is the capital of Farah Province, and has a population of approximately 109,409....	438,000	48,471	Pashto, Dari Persian, Baloch Balochi language Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel...	11 districts	West Afghanistan
Faryab Faryab Province Fāryāb is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Maymana. The majority of the population is Uzbek.-History:...	5	AF-FYB	Maymana	858,600	20,293	Dari Persian, Turkmen and Uzbek	14 districts	West Afghanistan
Ghazni Ghazni Province Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City...	16	AF-GHA	Ghazni Ghazni For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni ProvinceGhazni is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people...	931,000	22,915	Pashto, Dari Persian	19 districts	South Afghanistan
Ghor	6	AF-GHO	Chaghcharan Chaghcharan Chaghcharān , in historical literature as Chakhcherān, formerly known as Ahangaran, is a town and district in central Afghanistan, which serves as the capital of Ghor Province...	485,000	36,479	Dari Persian	10 districts	East Central Afghanistan
Helmand Helmand Province Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....	7	AF-HEL	Lashkar Gah	745,000	58,584	Pashto	13 districts	South West Afghanistan
Herat Herat Province Herat is one the 34 provinces of Afghanistan; together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the South-western region of the country...	1	AF-HER	Herat Herat Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...	1,182,000	54,778	Dari Persian, Pashto	15 districts	West Afghanistan
Jowzjan Jowzjan Province Jowzjān or Jōzjān or Jawzjan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Sheberghan.- Demographics :...	8	AF-JOW	Sheberghan Sheberghan Sheberghān or Shaburghān , also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan, is the capital city of the Jowzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.-Location:...	441,000	11,798	Uzbek, Dari Persian	9 districts	North Afghanistan
Kabul Kabul Province Kābul , situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital. The population of Kabul province is 3.5 million people as of 2009, of which almost 80 percent live in the urban areas...	22	AF-KAB	Kabul Kabul Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...	3,314,000	4,462	Pashto, Dari Persian, Turkmen and Uzbek	15 districts	Central Afghanistan
Kandahar Kandahar Province Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...	12	AF-KAN	Kandahar Kandahar Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...	886,000	54,022	Pashto, Dari Persian	16 districts	South West Afghanistan
Kapisa Kapisa Province Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate...	29	AF-KAP	Mahmud-i-Raqi Mahmud-i-Raqi The town of Mahmud Raqi is the capital of Kapisa Province and center of Mahmud Raqi District in Afghanistan....	360,000	1,842	Dari Persian	7 districts	Central Afghanistan
Khost Khost Province Khost is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the east of the country. Khost province used to be part of Paktia province in the past...	26	AF-KHO	Khost Khost Khost or Khowst is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Khost province, which is a mountainous region near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan...	300,000	4,152	Pashto	13 districts	South Afghanistan
Kunar Kunar Province Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces...	34	AF-KNR	Asadabad Asadabad, Afghanistan Asadabad or Asad Abad is the capital city of Kunar Province in Afghanistan. It is located in the eastern portion of the country adjacent to Pakistan...	321,000	4,942	Pashto	15 districts	East Afghanistan
Kunduz	18	AF-KDZ	Kunduz Kunduz Kunduz also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north...	820,000	8,040	Dari Persian, Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashto	7 districts	North East Afghanistan
Laghman	32	AF-LAG	Mihtarlam District Mihtarlam District Mehterlam district is located in the center of Laghman Province and consists of the urban centre and provincial capital Mihtarlam and 24 major villages and 269 sub-villages. Mihtarlam derives its name from Mihtarlam baba , who was purported to be the father of the prophet Noah...	373,000	3,843	Pashto, Dari Persian and Pashai Pashayi language Pashayi - also known as Pashai - is a language spoken by the Pashai people in parts of Kapisa, Laghman, Nuristan, Kunar, and Nangarhar Provinces in Northeastern Afghanistan....	5 districts	East Afghanistan
Lowgar Lowgar Province Logar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.The word of Logar is built from two Pashto words: Loy and Ghar . It is located in the eastern zone, southeast of Kabul, and the geography of the province centers on the large Logar River which enters the province through the west and leaves to the...	23	AF-LOW	Pul-i-Alam Pul-i-Alam Pul-i-Alam is the provincial capital of Logar Province, Afghanistan as well as of Pul-i-Alam District. The population of Pul-i-Alam is estimated at around 108,000, which is composed of Pashtuns, Tajiks, and some Hazaras....	292,000	3,880	Dari Persian, Pashto	7 districts	Central Afghanistan
Nangarhar Nangarhar Province Nangarhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais....	33	AF-NAN	Jalalabad	1,089,000	7,727	Pashto, Dari Persian	23 districts	East Afghanistan
Nimruz Nimruz Province Nimruz is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the south-west of the country on the borders of Iran and Pakistan. The name Nimruz means "mid-day" or "half-day" in Persian. Nimruz covers 41,000 km² and has a population of 149,000...	3	AF-NIM	Zaranj Zaranj Zaranj or Zarang is a border town in south-western Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 49,851 people as of 2004. It is the capital of Nimruz province and is situated next to Milak, Iran. It is linked by highways with Lashkar Gah to the east, Farah to the north and Zabol in Iran to the...	149,000	41,005	Balochi Balochi language Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel... , Dari Persian and Balochi	5 districts	South West Afghanistan
Nurestan Nurestan Province Nuristān , also spelled Nurestān or Nooristan, is a region in Afghanistan embedded in the south of the Hindu Kush valleys. Its administrative center is Parun...	31	AF-NUR	Parun	112,000	9,225	Nuristani Nuristani languages The Nuristani languages are one of the three groups within the Indo-Iranian language family, alongside the much larger Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. They are spoken primarily in eastern Afghanistan... , Pashto, Dari Persian	7 districts	East Afghanistan
Orūzgān Oruzgan Province Orūzgān or Urōzgān , also spelled Uruzgan or Rōzgān , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the center of the country, though the area is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar in the south. Its capital is Tarin Kowt...	11	AF-ORU	Tarin Kowt Tarin Kowt Tarinkot or Tarin Kowt is the capital of Orūzgān province in southern Afghanistan in Tarin Kowt District. It is a town of about 10,000 people, with some 200 small shops in the city's bazaar...	627,000	22,696	Pashto	6 districts	South West Afghanistan
Paktia Paktia Province Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:...	24	AF-PIA	Gardez Gardez, Afghanistan -History:According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, Gardēz is a city "belonging to a network of old isolated Tājīk settlements in southern Afghanistan that are remnants of a time when Pashto had not yet reached the area."...	415,000	6,432	Pashto, Dari Persian	11 districts	South Afghanistan
Paktika Paktika Province Paktika is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-east of the country. Most of the population is Pashtun. Its capital is Sharan.-Political and military situation:...	25	AF-PKA	Sharan	352,000	19,482	Pashto	15 districts	South Afghanistan
Panjshir Panjshir Province Panjshir is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Containing the Panjshir Valley, in April 2004 it was created from parts of Parwan Province, which now lies along its southwestern border. Panjshir's population is about 139,000 and covers an area of 3,610 square kilometers...	28	AF-PAN	Bazarak Bazarak, Panjshir Bazarak is a town in the Panjshir Valley, in northern Afghanistan. It is also the provincial capital of Panjshir Province. It has six villages: Khanez, Jangalak, Malaspa, Parandeh, Rahmankhil...	128,620	3,610	Dari Persian	5 districts Created in 2004 from Parwan Province	Central Afghanistan
Parwan	20	AF-PAR	Charikar Charikar Charikar is the main town of the Kohdaman Valley and the capital of Parwan Province in northern Afghanistan. The city lies on the road 69 km from Kabul to the northern provinces. Travelers would have to pass by the city when going to Mazari Sharif, Kunduz or Puli Khumri. Charikar is at the...	726,000	5,974	Dari Persian	Composed of 9 districts	Central Afghanistan
Samangan Samangan Province Samangan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The province covers and has a population of approximately 313,211, as of 2006.Its capital, Samangan, is known for its ancient ruins including, notably, the Takht e Rostam...	14	AF-SAM	Aybak Aybak Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. - Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. -(Al-Maqrizi, Note...	378,000	11,262	Dari Persian, Uzbek	5 districts	North Afghanistan
Sar-e Pol Sar-e Pol Province Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Sar-e-Pul Province is situated between the central highlands and the northern Turkmen plains. Sar-e-Pul borders Ghor and Baniyan provinces to the south, Faryab, Jawzjan and...	9	AF-SAR	Sar-e Pol	468,000	15,999	Dari Persian and Uzbek	6 districts	North Afghanistan
Takhar Takhar Province Takhār is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Taloqan. Its salt mines are one of Afghanistan's major mineral resources...	27	AF-TAK	Taloqan Taloqan Tāloqān is the capital of Takhar Province, in northern Afghanistan. It is located in the Taluqan District. The population was estimated as 196,400 in 2006.-History:The old city to the west on the riverside was described by Marco Polo in 1275 CE as:...	810,800	12,333	Dari Persian, and Uzbek	12 districts	North East Afghanistan
Wardak Wardak Province Maidan Wardak Province is one of thirty four provinces of Afghanistan located in the central east region of Afghanistan. It has a population of approximately 540,100. The capital of the province is Maidan Shar...	21	AF-WAR	Meydan Shahr	413,000	8,938	Pashto, Dari Persian	9 districts	Central Afghanistan
Zabul Zabul Province Zabul is a historic province of Afghanistan. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963, with Qalat being named the provincial capital. It should not be confused with the city Zabol, on the Iranian side of the border with Afghanistan.- Political and security situation...	17	AF-ZAB	Qalat Qalat (Zabul) Qalat is a town in southern Afghanistan and the capital of Zabul Province. It is linked by a highway with Kandahar to the west and Ghazni to the east. In 2006, Zabul's first airstrip was built near Qalat. It is also home the U.S...	365,920	17,343	Pashto	9 districts	South West Afghanistan

Districts of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is divided into 398 districts.

Municipalities of Afghanistan

• Capital of Afghanistan: Kabul
• Cities of Afghanistan

Government and politics of Afghanistan

Main article: Government of Afghanistan and Politics of Afghanistan

Politics of Afghanistan

The politics of Afghanistan consists of the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly, with a president serving as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the military. The nation is currently led by the Karzai administration under President Hamid Karzai who is backed by two vice...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : Islamic republic
  Islamic republic
  Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
  
  
• Capital of Afghanistan: Kabul
• Elections in Afghanistan
  Elections in Afghanistan
  This article gives information on elections in Afghanistan.Though Afghanistan has had democratic elections throughout the 20th century, the election institutions have varied as changes in regimes have disrupted political continuity...
  
  
  • Afghan presidential election, 2009
    Afghan presidential election, 2009
    The 2009 presidential election in Afghanistan was characterized by lack of security, low voter turnout and widespread ballot stuffing, intimidation, and other electoral fraud....
    
    
  • Afghan parliamentary election, 2005
    Afghan parliamentary election, 2005
    Afghanistan held parliamentary and provincial council elections on 18 September 2005. The first results were declared on 9 October, with final results being delayed by accusations of fraud, and were finally announced on 12 November.-Results:...
    
    
  • Afghan presidential election, 2004
• Political parties in Afghanistan
• Political scandals of Afghanistan
• Taxation in Afghanistan
  Taxation in Afghanistan
  This article refers to Taxation in Afghanistan.In the early 1980s, direct taxes accounted for about 15% of government revenues. The share provided by indirect taxes declined from 42% to 30%, as revenues from natural gas and state enterprises played an increasing role in government finance...
  
  

Executive branch of the government of Afghanistan

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of Afghanistan
  President of Afghanistan
  Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs...
  
  , Hamid Karzai
  Hamid Karzai
  Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
  
  
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Afghanistan
  Prime Minister of Afghanistan
  The Prime Minister of Afghanistan is a currently defunct post in the Afghan Government.The position was created in 1927, and was appointed by the king, mostly as an advisor, until the end of the monarchy in 1973...
  
  ,
• Afghan Cabinet of Ministers
  Afghan Cabinet of Ministers
  The Cabinet of Afghanistan is made of the heads of all the government ministries. The president selects the members of cabinet with the approval of the National Assembly of the country.-Current cabinet of ministers:...
  
  

Legislative branch of the government of Afghanistan

• National Assembly of Afghanistan
  National Assembly of Afghanistan
  The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
  
   (bicameral)
  • Upper house
    Upper house
    An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
    
    : House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga)
  • Lower house
    Lower house
    A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
    
    : House of the People
    House of the People (Afghanistan)
    The House of the People or Wolesi Jirga , abbreviated WJ, is the lower house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the House of Elders....
    
     (Wolesi Jirga)

Judicial branch of the government of Afghanistan

• Afghan Supreme Court
  Afghan Supreme Court
  Stera Mahkama or the Afghan Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Afghanistan. It was created by the Constitution of Afghanistan, which was approved on January 4, 2004...
  
   (Stara Makama or ستره محكمه)
  • Chief Justice of Afghanistan
    Chief Justice of Afghanistan
    The Chief Justice of Afghanistan is the head of the Afghan Supreme Court. The incumbent chief justice is Abdul Salam Azimi.-List of Chief Justices, 2001-present:*Faisal Ahmad Shinwari , was member of the Islamic Dawah Organisation of Afghanistan...
    
    
  • High Courts of Afghanistan
    • Appeals Courts of Afghanistan
      • District courts of Afghanistan
        • Local courts of Afghanistan

Foreign relations of Afghanistan

• Diplomatic missions in Afghanistan
• Diplomatic missions of Afghanistan
  Diplomatic missions of Afghanistan
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Afghanistan, excluding honorary consulates.At the height of the Taliban regime in the 1990s the only Afghan missions were in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates...
  
  
• United States-Afghanistan relations

International organization membership

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a member of:

• Asian Development Bank
  Asian Development Bank
  The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
  
   (ADB)
• Colombo Plan
  Colombo Plan
  The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
  
   (CP)
• Economic Cooperation Organization
  Economic Cooperation Organization
  The Economic Cooperation Organization is an intergovernmental organization involving seven Asian and three Eurasian nations, part of the South-central Asian Union. It provides a platform to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, and investment opportunities. The ECO is an ad hoc...
  
   (ECO)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
  
   (ICCt)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO) (correspondent)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)

• Islamic Development Bank
  Islamic Development Bank
  The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
  
   (IDB)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM)
• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (partner)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization
  Shanghai Cooperation Organization
  The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO , is an intergovernmental mutual-security organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
  
   (SCO) (guest)
• South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme
  South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme
  The South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, also known as SACEP, is an inter-governmental organisation established in 1982 by the South Asian governments to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the region....
  
   (SACEP)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
  South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
  The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh,...
  
   (SAARC)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Afghanistan

Main article: Law of Afghanistan

Law of Afghanistan

The legal system of Afghanistan consists of Islamic, statutory and customary rules. It has developed over centuries and is currently changing in the context of the reconstruction of the Afghan state. The supreme law of the land is the Constitution of the Islamic Republic Afghanistan of 2004. Beside...

• Capital punishment in Afghanistan
  Capital punishment in Afghanistan
  Capital punishment in Afghanistan is legal. The following is a list of recent state executions carried out by the Government of Afghanistan:*June 2011 - Two mass killers executed by hanging in Kabul...
  
  
• Constitution of Afghanistan
  Constitution of Afghanistan
  The Constitution of Afghanistan is the supreme law of the state Afghanistan, which serves as the legal framework between the Afghan government and the Afghan citizens...
  
  
• Crime in Afghanistan
  Crime in Afghanistan
  Crime in Afghanistan is present in various forms, and may include the following offenses: murder, contract killing, assassination, kidnapping, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, corruption, black marketeering, and other usual crimes...
  
  
• Human rights in Afghanistan
  Human rights in Afghanistan
  The situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan is a topic of some controversy and conflict. While the Taliban were well known for numerous human rights abuses, several human rights violations continue to take place in the post-Taliban government era....
  
  
  • LGBT rights in Afghanistan
  • Freedom of religion in Afghanistan
• Law enforcement in Afghanistan
  Law enforcement in Afghanistan
  Law enforcement in Afghanistan is one of three major components of the nation's criminal justice system, along with courts and corrections. The National Directorate of Security is the domestic intelligence agency of the government of Afghanistan, which operates similar to that of the United States...
  
  

Military of Afghanistan

Main article: Military of Afghanistan

Military of Afghanistan

The military of Afghanistan is composed of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Army Air Force . Being a landlocked country, Afghanistan has no navy, and the private security forces who are sometimes seen wearing military uniforms are not part of Afghanistan's military...

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
    • Ministry of Defence of Afghanistan
• Forces
  • Army of Afghanistan
  • Navy of Afghanistan
  • Air Force of Afghanistan
  • Special forces of Afghanistan
• Military history of Afghanistan
• Military ranks of Afghanistan

History of Afghanistan

Main article: History of Afghanistan

History of Afghanistan

The written history of Afghanistan can be traced back to the Achaemenid Empire ca. 500 BCE, although evidence indicates that an advanced degree of urbanized culture has existed in the land since between 3000 and 2000 BCE. Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army arrived to Afghanistan in 330 BCE...

, Timeline of the history of Afghanistan, and Current events of Afghanistan

By period

• Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan
  Pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan
  Archaeological exploration of the pre-Islamic period of Afghanistan began in Afghanistan in earnest after World War II and proceeded until the late 1970s when the nation was invaded by the Soviet Union. Archaeologists and historians suggest that humans were living in Afghanistan at least 50,000...
  
  
• Greater Khorasan
  Greater Khorasan
  Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
  
  
• Islamic conquest of Afghanistan
  Islamic conquest of Afghanistan
  The Islamic conquest of Afghanistan began in the middle of the 7th century after the Islamic conquest of Persia was completed, when Arab Muslims defeated the Sassanid Empire at the battles of Walaja, al-Qādisiyyah and Nahavand. The Muslim Arabs then began to move towards the lands east of Persia...
  
  
• History of Arabs in Afghanistan
  History of Arabs in Afghanistan
  The history of Arabs in Afghanistan spans over one millennium, from the 7th century Islamic conquest when Arab ghazis arrived with their Islamic mission until recently when others from the Arab world arrived to defend fellow Muslims from the Soviet followed by their liberation by NATO forces...
  
  
• Mongol invasion of Central Asia
  Mongol invasion of Central Asia
  The Mongol invasion of Central Asia occurred after the unification of the Mongol and Turkic tribes on Mongolian plateau in 1206. It finally completed when Genghis Khan conquered the Khwarizmian Empire in 1221....
  
  
• Hotaki dynasty
• Durrani Empire
  Durrani Empire
  The Durrani Empire was a Pashtun dynasty centered in Afghanistan and included northeastern Iran, the Kashmir region, the modern state of Pakistan, and northwestern India. It was established at Kandahar in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander under Nader Shah of Persia and chief...
  
  
• Third Battle of Panipat
  Third battle of Panipat
  The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761, at Panipat , about 60 miles north of Delhi between a northern expeditionary force of the Maratha Confederacy and a coalition of the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali with 2 Indian Muslim allies—the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab, and the...
  
  
• Battle of Jamrud
• First Anglo-Afghan War
  First Anglo-Afghan War
  The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
  
  
• Second Anglo-Afghan War
  Second Anglo-Afghan War
  The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
  
  
• Third Anglo-Afghan War
  Third Anglo-Afghan War
  The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
  
  
• European influence in Afghanistan
  European influence in Afghanistan
  The European influence in Afghanistan refers to political, social, and sometimes imperialistic influence several European nations have had on this historical development of Afghanistan.-Rise of Dost Mohammad Khan:...
  
  
• Reforms of Amanullah Khan and civil war
  Reforms of Amanullah Khan and civil war
  Amānullāh Khān reigned in Afghanistan from 1919, achieving full independence from the British Empire shortly afterwards. Before the Treaty of Rawalpindi was concluded in 1921, Afghanistan had already begun to establish its own foreign policy, including diplomatic relations with the Russian Soviet...
  
  
• Reigns of Nadir Shah and Zahir Shah
• Daoud's Republic of Afghanistan
• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
  The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
  
  
• Soviet war in Afghanistan
  Soviet war in Afghanistan
  The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
  
  
• History of Afghanistan since 1992
  History of Afghanistan since 1992
  This article on the History of Afghanistan since 1992 covers the time period from the fall of the Najibullah government in 1992 to the ongoing American military presence in Afghanistan.-End of Najibullah government:...
  
  
• War in Afghanistan (2001-present)

Culture of Afghanistan

Main article: Culture of Afghanistan

Culture of Afghanistan

The culture of Afghanistan has been around for over two millenniums, tracing record to at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE. Afghanistan translates to the "place of Afghans" or "land of the Afghans" in the nation's official languages, Pashto and Dari...

:Category:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan

• Architecture of Afghanistan

:Category:Afghan tribes

• Cuisine of Afghanistan
  Cuisine of Afghanistan
  Afghan cuisine is largely based upon the nation's chief crops: cereals like wheat, maize, barley and rice. Accompanying these staples are dairy products , various nuts, and native vegetables, as well as fresh and dried fruits; Afghanistan is well known for its grapes...
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Afghanistan
• Festivals in Afghanistan
• Humor in Afghanistan
• Languages of Afghanistan
  Languages of Afghanistan
  Afghanistan is home to more than 40 languages, with around 200 different dialects. The two official languages of Afghanistan are Persian Dari and Pashto, also known as Pakhto or Afghani. Both are Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family...
  
  
• Media in Afghanistan
• National symbols of Afghanistan
  • Coat of arms of Afghanistan
  • Flag of Afghanistan
    Flag of Afghanistan
    The flag of Afghanistan was adopted by the transitional government of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan in 2002–2004. This flag is similar to the one flown in Afghanistan during the monarchy between 1930 and 1973...
    
    
  • National anthem of Afghanistan
• People of Afghanistan
• Prostitution in Afghanistan
  Prostitution in Afghanistan
  Prostitution in Afghanistan is illegal, with punishments ranging from 5 to 15 years imprisonment. Despite being deeply religious and one of the most conservative countries in the world, where sex outside marriage is against the law, some prostitution activities are reported in the capital Kabul as...
  
  
• Public holidays in Afghanistan
• Records of Afghanistan
• List of World Heritage Sites in Afghanistan

Art in Afghanistan

• Art in Afghanistan
  • Cinema of Afghanistan
    Cinema of Afghanistan
    This article addresses Persian and Pashto cinemas of Afghanistan. For Pashto cinema in general please see: Pashto films industry.Cinema entered Afghanistan at the beginning of 20th century. The political changes of Afghanistan have not allowed the cinema of the country to grow over the years...
    
    
  • Literature of Afghanistan
  • Music of Afghanistan
    Music of Afghanistan
    The music of Afghanistan has existed for a long time, but since the late 1970s the country has been involved in constant wars and people were less concerned about music...
    
    
  • Television in Afghanistan
    Television in Afghanistan
    Television in Afghanistan was first introduced in 1974, when a new organization called Radio Television Afghanistan founded two channels: RTA and Afghanistan National Television...
    
    
  • Theatre in Afghanistan

People of Afghanistan

• People of Afghanistan
  • Pashtun people
    Pashtun people
    Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
    
    
  • Tājik people
  • Farsiwan
    Farsiwan
    Fārsīwān is a designation for Persian-speakers in Afghanistan. Although the term was originally coined with Persian language's lexical root , the suffix has been transformed into a Pashto form , and is usually utilized by the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan to designate the...
    
    
  • Qizilbash
  • Hazara people
  • Uzbek people
  • Turkmen people
    Turkmen people
    The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
    
    
  • Baloch people
    Baloch people
    The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
    
    
  • Nuristani people
  • Arabs
    History of Arabs in Afghanistan
    The history of Arabs in Afghanistan spans over one millennium, from the 7th century Islamic conquest when Arab ghazis arrived with their Islamic mission until recently when others from the Arab world arrived to defend fellow Muslims from the Soviet followed by their liberation by NATO forces...
    
    
  • Persian (Dari)
    Dari (Eastern Persian)
    Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
    
    
  • Sunni Muslim
  • Shi'a Muslim

Religion in Afghanistan

• Religion in Afghanistan
  Religion in Afghanistan
  The official religion in Afghanistan is Islam, which is practiced by over 99% of its citizens. Sunni Islam makes up 80-89% of the total population while the remaining 10-19% are Shi'as and about 1% or less practice other religions....
  
  
  • Buddhism in Afghanistan
    Buddhism in Afghanistan
    Buddhism in Afghanistan was one of the major religions during pre-Islamic era. The religion was wide spread south of the Hindu Kush mountains. Buddhism first arrived to Afghanistan in 305 BCE when the Seleucid Empire made an alliance with the Indian Maurya Empire...
    
    
  • Christianity in Afghanistan
  • Hinduism in Afghanistan
    Hinduism in Afghanistan
    Hinduism in Afghanistan has existed for almost as long as Hinduism itself. The religion was widespread in the region until the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan...
    
    
  • Islam in Afghanistan
    Islam in Afghanistan
    Islam is the official state religion of Afghanistan, with approximately 99.7% of the Afghan population being Muslim. About 80-89% practice Sunni Islam and belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school while 10-19% are Shi'a, majority of whom follow the Twelver branch with smaller numbers of Ismailis...
    
    
  • Judaism in Afghanistan
  • Sikhism in Afghanistan
    Sikhism in Afghanistan
    Sikhism in Afghanistan is limited to small populations, primarily in major cities, with the largest numbers of Afghan Sikhs living in Jalalabad, Kabul, and Kandahar...
    
    

Sports in Afghanistan

Main article: Sports in Afghanistan

• Football in Afghanistan
  Football in Afghanistan
  Football is the most popular sport in Afghanistan. Formed in 1922 and affiliated to FIFA since 1948, the Afghanistan Football Federation and the Afghanistan national football team lay dormant for many years. The side did not play a competitive international match from 1984 until 2002, when they...
  
  
• Afghanistan at the Olympics
  Afghanistan at the Olympics
  Afghanistan has competed in 12 Summer Games. They have never appeared in any Winter Games.The country made its first appearance at the Berlin Games in 1936. It has sent a delegation to most Summer Games since then....
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Afghanistan

Main article: Economy of Afghanistan

Economy of Afghanistan

The economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly since 2002 due to the infusion of multi-billion dollars in international assistance and investments, as well as remittances from Afghan expats. It is also due to dramatic improvements in agricultural production and the end of a four-year drought...

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 119th (one hundred and nineteenth)

• Agriculture in Afghanistan
• Banking in Afghanistan
  • National Bank of Afghanistan
• Communications in Afghanistan
  Communications in Afghanistan
  Communications in Afghanistan has dramatically increased since 2002, and has embarked on wireless companies, internet, radio stations and television channels. Afghan telecommunication companies, such as Afghan Wireless and Roshan, have been boasting rapid increase in cellular phone usage in the mid...
  
  
  • Internet in Afghanistan
    Internet in Afghanistan
    Internet in Afghanistan began in 2002 after the Taliban government was removed from power and replaced by the Karzai administration. It was banned by the Taliban in July 2001 because it was thought to broadcast obscene, immoral, and anti-Islam material, and because the few internet users at the...
    
    
• Companies of Afghanistan
• Currency of Afghanistan
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Afghani
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : AFN
• Economic history of Afghanistan
• Energy in Afghanistan
  Energy in Afghanistan
  Energy in Afghanistan is primarily provided by hydropower.Two decades of warfare have left Afghanistan’s power grid badly damaged. As of June 2004, less than 10% of the population had access to electricity...
  
  
  • Energy in Afghanistan
    Energy in Afghanistan
    Energy in Afghanistan is primarily provided by hydropower.Two decades of warfare have left Afghanistan’s power grid badly damaged. As of June 2004, less than 10% of the population had access to electricity...
    
    
  • Energy policy of Afghanistan
  • Oil industry in Afghanistan
• Health care in Afghanistan
• Mining in Afghanistan
  Mining in Afghanistan
  It is estimated that forty million years ago the tectonic plates of India-Europe, Asia and Africa collided in a massive upheaval. This upheaval created the region of towering mountains that now includes Afghanistan...
  
  
• Afghanistan Stock Exchange (AFX)
• Taxation in Afghanistan
  Taxation in Afghanistan
  This article refers to Taxation in Afghanistan.In the early 1980s, direct taxes accounted for about 15% of government revenues. The share provided by indirect taxes declined from 42% to 30%, as revenues from natural gas and state enterprises played an increasing role in government finance...
  
  
• Tourism in Afghanistan
  Tourism in Afghanistan
  The tourism industry of Afghanistan, developed with government help in the early 1970s, has been negligible since 1979 due to internal political...
  
  
• Transport in Afghanistan
  Transport in Afghanistan
  Transportation in Afghanistan, which serves a population of about 29 million people, is limited and still in the developing stages. Landlocked Afghanistan has no seaports but the Amu Darya River, which forms part of the nation's border with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, does have barge...
  
  
  • Airports in Afghanistan
  • Rail transport in Afghanistan
    Rail transport in Afghanistan
    Railways were planned in Afghanistan since the 19th century but never completed due to the Great Game between the Russian and British empires followed by the Soviets and the Americans. At least one rail track was built in the capital of Kabul during the 1920s but was dismantled as Afghan leaders...
    
    
  • Roads in Afghanistan
• Water supply and sanitation in Afghanistan

See also

• Index of Afghanistan-related articles
• List of Afghanistan-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Asia
  Outline of Asia
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Asia:Asia – world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
  
  
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  

External links

Official government sites

• Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: Office of the President
• Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS)
• Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA)

General information

• Afghanistan's Paper Money
• World Intellectual Property Handbook: Afghanistan

Culture and news

• KabulPress.org
• Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan (Cultural issues)
• Afghan Online Press
• Bakhtar News Agency (Official Afghan Agency)

Other

• Old photos of Afghanistan
• How Hemp could save Afghanistan
• http://www.icssa.org/article_detail_parse.php?a_id=804&rel=Afghanistan: The Genesis of the Final *A Look at the Languages Spoken in Afghanistan
• Over 125 recent travel photos from Afghanistan