Afghanistan summary

Uncover the historical beginnings of Afghanistan under the Achaemenian Empire, 6th cent BCE to the present time

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Afghanistan.

National anthem of AfghanistanThe instrumental version of the national anthem of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, officially Islamic State of Afghanistan, Country, south-central Asia. Area: 252,072 sq mi (652,867 sq km). Population: (2024 est.) 35,581,000. Capital: Kabul. About two-fifths of the people belong to the Pashtun ethnic group; other ethnic groups include Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Ḥazāra. Languages: Pashto, Persian (both official). Religions: Islam (official; predominantly Sunni); also Zoroastrianism. Currency: afghani. Afghanistan has three distinctive regions: the northern plains are the major agricultural area; the southwestern plateau consists primarily of desert and semiarid landscape; and the central highlands, including the Hindu Kush, separate these regions. Afghanistan has a developing economy based largely on agriculture; its significant mineral resources remain largely untapped because of the Afghan War of the 1980s and subsequent fighting. Traditional handicrafts remain important; woolen carpets are a major export. Afghanistan is an Islamic republic with two legislative bodies; the president is head of both state and government. The area was part of the Persian Achaemenian Empire in the 6th century bce and was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century bce. Hindu influence entered with the Hephthalites and Sāsānians. Islam became entrenched during the rule of the Ṣaffārids, c. 870 ce. Afghanistan was divided between the Mughal Empire of India and the Ṣafavid empire of Persia until the 18th century, when other Persians under Nādir Shāh took control. Britain fought several wars in the area in the 19th century. From the 1930s the country had a stable monarchy, which was overthrown in the 1970s. Marxist reforms sparked rebellion, and Soviet troops invaded. Afghan guerrillas prevailed, and the Soviets withdrew in 1989. In 1992 rebel factions overthrew the government and established an Islamic republic. In 1996 the Taliban militia took power in Kabul and enforced a harsh Islamic order. The militia’s unwillingness to extradite extremist leader Osama bin Laden and members of his al-Qaeda militant organization following the September 11 attacks in 2001 led to military conflict with the U.S. and allied nations, the overthrow of the Taliban, and the establishment of an interim government.

Taliban Summary

Taliban, ultraconservative political and religious faction that emerged in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s following the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the collapse of Afghanistan’s communist regime, and the subsequent breakdown in civil order. It began as a small force of Afghan religious students and

Afghan War Summary

Afghan War, in the history of Afghanistan, the internal conflict that began in 1978 between anticommunist Islamic guerrillas and the Afghan communist government (aided in 1979–89 by Soviet troops), leading to the overthrow of the government in 1992. More broadly, the term also encompasses military

Amu Darya Summary

Amu Darya, one of the longest rivers of Central Asia. The Amu Darya was traditionally known to the Western world from Greek and Roman times as the Oxus and was called the Jayḥūn by the Arabs. It allegedly derives its present name from the city of Āmul, which is said to have occupied the site of

Pamirs Summary

Pamirs, highland region of Central Asia. The Pamir mountain area centres on the nodal orogenic uplift known as the Pamir Knot, from which several south-central Asian mountain ranges radiate, including the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram Range, the Kunlun Mountains, and the Tien Shan. Most of the Pamirs