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afghanistan:
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Afġānistān, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
(Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Persian: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان),
is a landlocked country that is located in the heart of Asia.
It is variously designated within Central or South Asia, as well
as the Middle East. It has religious, ethno-linguistic, and geographic
links with most of its neighbours. It is largely bordered by Pakistan
in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
and Tajikistan in the north, Kashmir in the north-east and the
People's Republic of China in the far northeast. The name Afghanistan
means the "Land of Afghans".
Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, which is a crossroads
between the East and the West, and has been ancient focal point
of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location,
connecting South Asia, Central Asia and Middle East together.
During its long history, it has seen various invaders and conquerors,
while on the other hand, local entities invaded the surrounding
vast regions to form empires to themselves. Ahmad Shah Durrani
created a large empire in the middle of the eighteenth century,
with its capital at Kandahar. Subsequently, most of its territories
were ceded to former neighboring countries. In the 19th century,
Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between
the United Kingdom and Tsarist Russia. On August 19, 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 of Afghanistan and the 2001 conflict with the US in which the ruling Taliban government was toppled. In December 2001, the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force, composed of NATO troops, has been involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing authority across 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, about 30 billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country.
There's so much more to learn... Check out our Facts For The Visitor or read up on our reviews of everything about Afghanistan:
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