Impress your friends and family with your extensive local knowledge with these 20 interesting facts about Afghanistan!
Geographical stats…
- Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South Asia.
- 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.
- To explore the amazing cultural and historical sites that Afghanistan has to offer, follow the coordinates 34.5333° N, 69.1333°
Flag of Afghanistan
- The terrain here is mostly dominated by rugged mountains, whilst the north and southwest of the country also feature flat plains.
- The total land area of Afghanistan is 251,773 square miles (652,090 square kilometres)…
- …that’s more than twice the size of the UK.
- Afghanistan’s population was 37.17 million in 2018…
- …that’s about half the UK population!
- Residents here are known as Afghans, not Afghanis!
- The capital is Kabul; it covers an area of 106 square miles (275 square kilometres) and had a population of 4,114 in 2019.
- Afghans experience an arid to semi-arid climate with hot summers and cold winters.
- 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
- The official languages of Afghanistan are Pashtu, Dari, Uzbek and Turkmen, although around 30 other minor languages are spoken here too!
- The official currency here is called the Afghanistan Afghani.
- Unlike many countries around the world, Afghanistan actually celebrates the new year on 21st March, which is the first day of spring.
Pamir Mountains, Afghanistan
- The average life span here is 64.13 years (2017).
- The national sport of Afghanistan is Buzkashi, or goat grabbing, where men on horseback all attempt to grab a rogue goat.
Industry insights…
- Afghanistan grows fruits, nuts and wheat; they also rear sheep and goats and produce wool.
- Its industry consists of soap, furniture, shoes and textiles.
- Afghanistan exports fruits, nuts, wool, cotton and handwoven carpets.
Do you know any fun or interesting facts about Afghanistan that we’ve missed? Share them here in the comments section below!
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