Afghanistan or
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a country of rough and rugged contours enveloped by the
Hindu Kush mountains . The highest peak found here is
Nowshak which is situated at a height of 7,485 above sea level. It is an inland area surrounded by arid land on all sides with no coastlines to be seen anywhere.
Afghanistan or the Land of The
Afghans is located in
Central Asia bordered by
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north,
Pakistan in the south and east,
Iran in the west and the
People's Republic of China in the far northeast. It is the 41 st largest country in the world covering an area of 647,500square kilometers. The capital city is
Kabul .
The climate of
Afghanistan is continental having scorching hot summers and cold winters. The country experiences frequent minor
earthquakes mostly in the areas lying in the north-eastern side of
Hindu Kush mountains.
It is among the poorest and underdeveloped countries in the world. A greater part of the population survives on less than
$ 2 per day.
Afghanistan has been ravaged by wars and invasions of the
Persian Empire ,
Muslim Arabs, Alexander the Great, Turkic and Mongol nomads,British Empire, the Soviet Union and the United States of America. The invasions have left the economy in a wanting state.
Presently,the
Afghanistan government is headed by
President Hamid Karzai who was elected in the 2004 elections, held first time ever in the country. The elected Parliament consists of former
Mujahdeen officials, communists, reformers and Islamic fundamentalists. Twenty-eight per cent of the elected delegates consists of women which is actually 3% greater than the constitution guaranteed minimum 25% making Afghanistan, the country popular under the
Taliban regime for female oppression, one of the leading countries to give more representation to women.
