Location (Afghanistan) I have spent over five years in Afghanistan, and for that reason, I have chosen Afghanistan as my country of study. Afghanistan is a country that has been ravaged by invaders and war as far back as the 4th century B.C. by Alexander the Great. Why, some might ask? It is simple, its geographical location, in which, it could serve as a major logistics hub for most of Asia.
Where is Afghanistan located? As stated above, Afghanistan is located in Southern Asia. Its coordinates in latitude and longitude are, 33 00 N by 65 00 E (1).
How far away from home is it? I have made the trip to Afghanistan three times, and it always seemed so far away; however, according to google maps, it is 6,711 from Seattle, Washington to Kabul.
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Afghanistan has very fertile land, with agriculture being the majority of the workforce. The Afghans produce a variety of products, such as wheat, fruits, and nuts. Additionally, they have some small industry production like, brick, textile, handwoven carpets, and natural gas (1). Furthermore, there is a large group of people referred to as Kochi, which is similar to a nomad. They travel with all of their belongings, often with large herds of sheep and various animals, from one place to the next.
How have people changed the land? The people of Afghanistan have left the country relatively the same for the last millennium; however, deforestation is a major issue. Most of the forest has been reduced to nearly nothing for building materials and fuel (1). Afghanistan only has a few major cities: Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar-I-Sharif, Charikar, Herat, and Jalalabad. Overall, the country has approximately 7,600 miles of paved roadways, 43 airports (25 paved), and a majority of the rest of the country is comprised of small rural villages
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Generally, they have not fled the country regardless of the wars, and have often came together to get rid of the occupying forces.
Regions
What language(s) do people speak? According to the CIA World Factbook, Afghans speak the following: Dari, which is the official language, Pashto, and Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen). Additionally, they speak over 30 minor languages (1).
What are the political divisions of the country (states, provinces, republics)? Afghanistan is comprised of 24 provinces, with Kabul being the capital. They have a political system similar to that of the United States; however, they still have many laws that are based in Islamic customs.
How is the country similar to any of its neighbors? By and large, Afghanistan’s neighbors share a similar climate and religious background; however, some may say that is the extent of their similarities and relationships. As stated before, this is due to the geographical location of the country and importance to establish key logistical routes from the Arabian Sea, India, and other countries to the Northern parts of
Afghanistan gets caught in a never ending spiral of colonialism and post-colonialism. While this all looks flat on paper, Hosseini brings the post-colonial problems of government, nationalism and culture straight to the reader by presenting the conflicts through the lives of their citizens. By doing
For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man
Afghanistan, a country of several ethnic backgrounds, is in constant struggle of standing united as a nation. The various beliefs, languages, social statuses, and ways of living have created tension among the ethnic groups (“Social Classes”). The Pashtuns and Hazaras are two particular ethnic groups that have clashed throughout history. The differences between the Pashtun and Hazara people created a major conflict with lasting effects on the way in which they live.
The land in Afghanistan is mountainous. Jagged, impassable ranges divide the country and make travel much more difficult. Due to these physical divisions, the people are extremely provincial,
Afghanistan is an Islamic republic that is located near Pakistan. Kabul is the capital city and the country’s Chief of State is President Hamid Karzai. The country bears a population of 33.609 million people. It has been in war for three decades making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The insecurity in the country has resulted in a large number of refugees. The current war that is going on began in 2001 by several terrorist groups such as Hezbi Islami.
Lastly, Afghanistan has been seen as the incubator for terrorism that has reached across the world bringing death and destruction, but lets not forget the financial impacts that each terrorist attack takes on the free market.
Afghanistan has been for years a country struggling with authority issues. These struggles date back to the 16th century of the Mughal Empire and continues with the Taliban today. These historic struggles are responsible of the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of our world. There have been many attempts from other groups to try and “conquer” the land but
Afghanistan once served as a base for the terror group that carried out the horrific attacks of 9/11, Al Qaeda , and its leader, Osama Bin Laden. The United States invaded and since then has killed Bin Laden
The war between Afghanistan and the United States has been one that has lasted longer than any war; the civil war combined with both World War I and World War II do not match the duration the United States currently faces with Afghanistan. With both countries engaging little to no military conflict, the U.S. continues to be on Afghanistan’s territory, securing the country from the rise of militias potentially threatening our counterpart’s sovereignty. Many people have been arguing whether the US should withdraw from Afghanistan and when. Currently, as the U.S. plans to withdraw from the Afghan nation, the issue is not one that pertains to the U.S. and Afghanistan, for they are not the only two involved. American forces had planned to leave the opponent’s nation but fear the security along with the sovereignty of Afghanistan continues to be one that is porous. The initiation of the war was the 9/11 attack and has been lasting for 13 years. However, many people complain about the extreme high cost of the war The United States should withdraw completely from Afghanistan because of the high cost of the war, popular opinion’s support, and very few al-Qaeda members are left.
Afghanistan is a dangerous and unforgiving place to live if you are a woman or man of the lower classes. It’s a place where the weak Hazaras, like Ali, Hassan and Sohrab, are preyed on by the mean and powerful Pashtuns, including the likes of Assef and the Taliban. These Hazaras lack the money, materials and rights to support and defend
After many years of the Soviet Union attacking Afghanistan it was left to a barren land that has left destroyed building and holes in the ground and their people forced to become beggars off the streets of Afghanistan. Many children were also forced to become beggars and left to go to orphanages that have horrible living conditions. In the book “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini a boy named Amir left Kabul Afghanistan after the soviet invasion and went to America to escape and soon or later has to face his past and come back to Kabul finding his home destroyed from war. Over many years of war has brought a lot of devastating effects on Afghanistan and its people. After the war it left Afghanistan people to live in harsh and cruel lives of either being dead or become a beggar.
I think that the reason why Afghanistan struggled so much was because they weren't a very developed country. They had different people taking over their country. So new laws would be in place and people would have to change the way they live. I think that one reason why Socially afghanistan wasn’t very developed is because many bad things happened in the neighborhoods for example after the afghan beaten the soviets they liked shooting so after the war they would shoot each other for fun. Also why they weren’t socially developed is because of what they sell in their markets or to the world.
Nowadays, Afghanistan can easily be linked to subjects such as war or be seen as a chaoses country, however, Afghanistan is a country of exquisite history and absorbing facts. The country of Afghanistan is located in Southern Asia, bordered by China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. The land’s hostile mountains and parched deserts surround a great area of Afghanistan's territory. Moreover, the country is separated by the mountain range of the Hindu Kush, due to this mountain range three geographic regions are created. The regions formed are The Northern Plains, The Southwestern Plateau, and The Central
Afghanistan is a country located between the regions of the Middle East and South Asia. It borders the countries of China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. As of July of 2016, its population was 33,332,025, with the main ethnic groups being Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, and Uzbek, although the Afghan constitution officially recognizes 14 different ethnic groups. Religiously, Afghanistan is dominated by Islam, as 89.7% of Afghans are Sunni Muslims, about 10% are Shia Muslims, and less than 0.5% claim a different religion entirely. Afghanistan has suffered decades of conflict, hitting the economy hard. However, the Afghan economy is slowly recovering, mainly due to international aid, the renewal of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. The service sector composes 55% of their GDP, agriculture composes 24%, and industry composes 21%.
Known as the cross road and graveyard of empires, in the last three millennia Afghanistan has been invaded many times. Some of these invaders include Alexander the Great, Indians, Genghis Khan, Timur, Mughal Empire, Persian Empires, British Empire and the Soviet Union. These invaders have paid a significant price of fighting in Afghanistan. In the 19th century during the first Afghan-Anglo war in a massacre majority of around 16000 Indian and British military and civilians were captured and killed by Afghan warriors and the only couple of them survived. The former USSR invasion of Afghanistan resulted in the defeat and collapse of the entire Soviet Union. During these warfares, Afghans have gained immense experience at tactical, operational and strategic level.