Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a mountain country and landlocked at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It borders Pakistan to the east, south, and Iran to the west and Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, and Tajikistan and China to the northeast. The country is predominantly mountainous, with plains to the north and southwest that are separated by the Hindu Kush mountains. Its population as of 2020 is 31.5 million, mainly Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is it is capital and largest city.

Human habitation in Afghanistan ( Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) dates back to the Middle Paleolithic, and the country's strategic position along the Silk Road linked it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. This land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those of Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, USSR, and Americans (with coalition allies). It is called the "graveyard of empires," although it was inhabited at different periods of its history. The land also served as a source from which the Greco-Bactrians, Kushans, Hephthalites, Samanids, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Gorids, Khaldzhi, Moguls, Hotaki, Durrani, and others rose, forming large empires.

The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotaki and Durrani dynasties in the eighteenth century. In the late nineteenth century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the Great Game between British India and the Russian Empire. After the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, the country liberated itself from foreign domination, finally becoming the Kingdom of Afghanistan in June 1926 under King Amanullah Khan. This kingdom lasted for almost fifty years until King Zahir was overthrown, and a republic was created in July 1973. In 1978, after the second coup, Afghanistan became a socialist state, provoking the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s against the mujahideen rebels. By 1996, most of Afghanistan was overrun by the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group that ruled most of the country as a totalitarian regime for five years. The Taliban were ousted from power following the 2001 US invasion but still controlled much of the country. The 20-year war between the US-backed government and the Taliban ended with the Taliban offensive in 2021 and the subsequent fall of Kabul, which brought the Taliban back to power.

The country has a high level of terrorism, poverty, and malnutrition among children. Afghanistan's economy ranks 96th in the world with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $ 72.9 billion at purchasing power parity; The country is much worse in terms of GDP per capita (PPP), ranking 169th out of 186 countries as of 2018.