Afghanistan
Afghanistan - Hermit States
Afghanistan is located in central and western Asia, and is also
known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The name comes from
ancient Persian, meaning "mountain people." Covering an area of
652,300 square kilometers, Afghanistan has a population of 27.75
million, including Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara, Turkmen, and other
ethnic groups. Pashto and Dari (Persian) are the official languages.
Residents are Muslim. The currency is the Afghani, and the capital
is Kabul (Kabul).
National Flag
Three rectangles of green, red, black with a central design
involving wheat, mosques, and other tassel.
History
In 1747, the kingdom of Afghanistan was established. In the 19th
century, British and Czarist Russia compete over rule of
Afghanistan. In 1919, Afghanistan gained independence from British
colonial rule. In December 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan, withdrawing in 1989. In April 1992, the Soviet Union
fostered the collapse of the Najibullah regime, and Arab guerrillas
took over power. In 1996, the Taliban captured the capital,
establishing of the Taliban regime. In December 2001, the Taliban
regime collapsed, and the post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan
began.
Economic and Cultural Customs
Year after year in Afghanistan since the war, the economy is in
ruins and there are more than 500 million refugees in exile.
Traditional agriculture is the primary industry, with 82% of the
population involved in agriculture. Less than 15% of the land is
suitable for farming. Main crops are wheat, barley, rice, corn,
cotton, sugar beet, oil crops, and fruits. The country is famous for
the pomegranates of Kandahar. Because of large production of fruit,
the dried fruit processing industry is very developed. Other
manufactured products include hand-woven carpets, tapestries, and
wool, and the prestigious purple lambskin.
Afghan society is deeply influenced by traditional customs and
religion. Men and women can not dance together. Women in addition to
their own family members, not other men appeared before meals to
wear Heijin.
Baghlan city
Afghanistan's Baghlan city is a famous Buddhist shrine. The
monastery once flourished with a thousand monks. In this
southeastern city of Buddhist grottoes, colored Buddha statues are
in caves with colored wall paintings. There are also two large
Buddha statues that were carved in the fifth century BC, face to
face east to west, 400 meters apart. The two statues are 53 meters
and 35 meters tall, respectively, in red and blue colored robes.
These most famous of the Bamiyan Buddhas have been destroyed by the
Taliban regime.
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