Afghanistan, [c]officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan[d], is a landlocked country at

the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran
to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the
northeast, and China to the northeast and east, it is also called the center of Asia. Covering
an area of 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 square miles), the country is predominantly
mountainous, with plains to the north and southwest, separated by the Hindu Kush
Mountains. As of 2021, it has a population of 40.2 million [6] (official estimate is 32.9
million [25]), consisting mainly of Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks. Kabul is the
country's largest city and serves as the capital.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic era, and the country's
strategic location along the historic Silk Road has led it to being described, picturesquely, as
the 'roundabout of the ancient world'.[26] Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires,
[27] the land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous
military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire,
Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and most recently by an American-
led coalition. Afghanistan also served as the source from which the Greco-Bactrians and the
Mughals, among others, rose to form major empires.[28] The various conquests and periods
in both the Iranian and Indian cultural spheres[29][30] made the area a center for
Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and later Islam throughout history.[31]

The modern state of Afghanistan began with the Durrani dynasty in the 18th century, with
the Durrani Afghan Empire being formed by Ahmad Shah Durrani. The Durrani Empire led
conquests in which, at its peak, encompassed land that spanned from eastern Iran to
northern India.[32][33] Following its decline and the death of Ahmad Shah Durrani, and Timur
Shah, it was divided into multiple smaller independent kingdoms, including but not limited to:
Herat, Kandahar and Kabul. Afghanistan would be reunited in the 19th century after 70 years
of civil war from 1793-1863, with wars of unification led by Dost Mohammad Khan, where he
conquered the independent principalities in Afghanistan. Dost Mohammad died in 1863,
weeks after his last campaign to unite Afghanistan, and as a result, threw Afghanistan back
into civil war with his successors. During this time, Afghanistan became a buffer state in the
Great Game between the British Empire (India ruled by the British) and the Russian Empire.
rice field. However, Britain won the Second Anglo-Afghan War and successfully established
British political influence in Afghanistan. After the Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919,
Afghanistan was liberated from foreign rule and finally emerged as an independent
Kingdom of Afghanistan under Amanullah Khan in June 1926. This monarchy lasted for
almost 50 years until Zahir Shah was overthrown in 1973, after which the Republic of
Afghanistan was established. Since the late 1970s, Afghanistan's history has been marked
by widespread hostilities, including coups, aggressions, riots and civil wars. The conflict
began in her 1978 when the communist revolution established a socialist state, and the
ensuing power struggle led to the Soviet Union invading Afghanistan in 1979. The
Mujahideen fought against them in the Soviet-Afghan War and continued to fight among
themselves after the Soviets withdrew in 1989. The Islamic fundamentalist Taliban took
control of most of the country in 1996, but the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan gained little
international recognition until it was overthrown by the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Taliban to return to power in 2021 after seizing Kabul