Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. It has religious, ethno-linguistic, and geographic links with most of its neighboring states. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. Afghanistan also shares a small land border in the extreme northeast with the disputed Northern Areas of Jammu and Kashmir claimed by India but currently administered by Pakistan. The name Afghanistan means the "Land of Afghans." Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geo-strategically location, connecting South, Central and Southwest Asia. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors, while on the other hand, local entities invaded the surrounding vast regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, with its capital at Kandahar. Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, the state of Afghanistan was created as a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire. On the 19th of August 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs. Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war, which included foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the recent 2001 US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force is composed of NATO troops that are involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the writ of law as well as rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multi-billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country. Afghanistan consists of the following provinces. 1- Badakhshan 2- Takhar 3- Konduz 4- Balkh 5- Jowzjan 6- Faryab 7- Badghis 8- Herat 9- Farah 10- Nimruz 11- Helmand 12- Kandahar 13- Zabul 14- Paktia 15- Paktika 16- Nangarhar 17- Laghman 18- Kunar 19- Parwan 20- Baghlan 21- Samangan 22- Bamian 23- Wardak 24- Logar 25- Ghazni 26- Kabul 27- Oruzgan 28- Kapisa 29- Ghour 30- Sar-e-pul 31- Khost 32- Panjshir 33- Daikundi For centuries, Afghanistan has been a mosaic of people with diverse cultures, religions and languages. Afghanistan’s ethnically and linguistically rich and mixed population reflects its location at the crossroads of Central, South and Southwest Asia. Communities with separate religions, languages, and ethnic backgrounds have lived side by side for generations. Afghanistan still remains a country of dynamic diversity. The main ethnic groups are Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Aimaq, Baluch, Nuristani, and Kizilbash. Pashto and Dari are Afghanistan’s official languages. Afghanistan’s Consitution stipulates that all other languages are “official” in the areas in which they are spoken by a majority of the population. Dari is spoken by more than one-third of the population and Pashto is spoken throughout Kabul and eastern and southern Afghanistan. Many Afghans are multi-lingual. Tajik and Turkic languages are spoken widely in the north. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak more than 70 other languages and numerous dialects. Source: The official website of the Afghan embassy in the USA. The Afghan Universities run by the ministry of high education are: Kabul University, located in the Kabul city. University of Nangarhar, Located in Daroonta’s district out of the Jalabad city . University of Balkh, located in Mazar-e-sharif University of Herat, located in Heart city. We have left the rest of universities to be listed by Afghan students. Let us know know how many more universities exist in Afghanistan. Please note that the private universities can also be counted.
History
Afghanistan in brief
Who was King Amanullah?
Provinces
Write us if you think there are some more provinces. We would also select the best factual articles about any of the above provinces and publish it on this page. Send us interesting images of your provinces, villages and towns you live in. Ethnic Groups
Universites
