21 Amazing Facts About Afghanistan

Impress your friends and family with your extensive local knowledge with these 21 facts about Afghanistan!

Geographical stats…

  1. Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South Asia.
  2. It is bordered by Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, China and India to the east, Pakistan to the south and Iran to the west.
  3. To explore the amazing cultural and historical sites that Afghanistan has to offer, follow the coordinates 34.5333° N, 69.1333°
  4. The terrain here is mostly dominated by rugged mountains, whilst the north and southwest of the country also feature flat plains.
  5. The total land area of Afghanistan is 251,773 square miles (652,090 square kilometres)…
  6. …that’s more than twice the size of the UK.
  7. Afghanistan’s population was 32,564,342 in 2015…
  8. …that’s only half the UK population!
  9. Residents here are known as Afghans, not Afghanis!
  10. The capital is Kabul; it covers an area of 106 square miles (275 square kilometres) and had a population of 4,635,000 in 2015.
  11. Afghans experience an arid to semiarid climate with hot summers and cold winters.
  12. Until it was destroyed in 2001, Afghanistan boasted one of the largest Buddha statues in the world at an amazing 180ft tall and 1,500 years old!

Social intricacies

  1. The official languages of Afghanistan are Pashtu, Dari, Uzbek and Turkmen, although around 30 other minor languages are spoken here too!
  2. The official currency here is called the Afghanistan Afghani.
  3. Unlike many countries around the world, Afghanistan actually celebrates the new year on 21st March, which is the first day of spring.
  4. The average life span here is 46 years.
  5. The national sport of Afghanistan is Buzkashi, or goat grabbing, where men on horseback all attempt to grab a rogue goat.

Industry insights…

  1. Afghanistan grows fruits, nuts and wheat; they also rear sheep and goats and produce wool.
  2. Its industry consists of soap, furniture, shoes and textiles.
  3. Afghanistan exports fruits, nuts, wool, cotton and handwoven carpets.

Bonus Fact!

  1. If you know someone who lives in Afghanistan, you’ll be pleased to discover that you can make cheap calls to Afghanistan through Cherry Call. Don’t forget you’ll need to use the international dialling code of 0093.

For all the latest news in Afghanistan, head to the Pajhwok Afghan News website.


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