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Afghanistan

Written by: Marvin G. Weinbaum Last Updated
Alternative titles: Da Afghānestān Jamhawrīyat; Dowlat-e Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān; Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan; Islamic State of Afghanistan; Jomhūrī-ye Afghānestān; Republic of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen to ruin. The country’s forbidding landscape of deserts and mountains has laid many imperial ambitions to rest, as has the tireless resistance of its fiercely independent peoples—so independent that the country has failed to coalesce into a nation but has instead long endured ... (100 of 20,548 words)

1From promulgation of new constitution on Jan. 26, 2004.

2Thirty-four members are appointed by the president, while the remainder are indirectly elected.

3Three seats are reserved for Kuchis, Aghan Pashtun nomads.

4Six additional locally official languages per the 2004 constitution are Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Kafiri (Nuristani), Pashai, and Pamiri.

Official name Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān [Dari]); Da Afghanestan Eslami Jamhuriyat (Pashto)1
Form of government Islamic republic1 with two legislative bodies (House of Elders [1022]; House of the People [2493])
Head of state and government President: Ashraf Ghani
Capital Kabul
Official languages Dari; Pashto4
Official religion Islam
Monetary unit afghani (Af)
Population (2014 est.) 27,933,000
Total area (sq mi) 252,072
Total area (sq km) 652,864
Urban-rural population Urban: (2011) 23.5%
Rural: (2011) 76.5%
Life expectancy at birth Male: (2012) 48.5 years
Female: (2012) 51.1 years
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate Male: (2006) 43.1%
Female: (2006) 12.6%
GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2013) 700
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