Muslim
Country Of The Month
AFGHANISTAN
Geographic Location:29° 30' N and 38° 30' N. and between 61° and 75° (or, if the long strip of Wakhan is omitted, 71° 30') E. |
Area:650,000 sq. km. (260,000 sq. mi); about the size of Texas. |
Population:15.02 million (1979) |
Cities:Kabul (1.7 million population in 1990);Kandahar (195,000 population in 1990); Herat (120,000 population in 1990); Mazar-i-Sharif ( 115,000 population in 1990); |
Climate:Dry, with cold winters and hot summer. |
Terrain:Mostly mountainous and desert. Irregular shape territory. |
The country known as Afghanistan has borne that name since the formation of first unified Afghan state in1847. The earlier meaning of Afghanistan was simply "the land of the Afghans", a limited territory which did not include many parts of the present state but did comprise large districts now either independent or within the boundary of Pakistan.
Afghanistan is a landlocked country bordering the former Soviet Union Republics (Turkmanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in North), China, India, Pashtunistan (Pakistan), and Iran. Afghanistan is divided from southeast to northeast by the towering Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges. Small valleys made fertile by irrigation and snowfed mountain streams intersperse the mountains and desert areas.
The country's essentially dry climate is typical of central Asia's higher regions, with cold winters and hot summers. Characteristic of this climate is the range of temperature change within short periods, from season to season and from place to place. The capital's mean January temperature is 0 °C ( 32 °F). A mere 144 kilometers (86 mi) away in the lowland plains of Jelalabad (549 meters), summer temperatures often reach 46 °C (115 °F) Precipitation, most of which occurs between October and April, rarely exceeds 38 centimeters.
About 99% of people in Afghanistan are
Muslims. The non-Muslim population of
Afghanistan consists of Hindus and Shicks. Among the Afghan ethnicities
Pashtoons are
predominantly Sunni, while Hazaras are predominantly Shiite. Tajiks, Uzbeks and
Turkmens are a mix of Sunni and Shiites. The Afghan people have always had a
strong conviction about their religion and they are mostly very religious. Most
of the schooling especially in villages
are mosque based which means the students mostly learn
the Quran and the material related to Islam. Even in Kabul where people get
formal education most parents send their children to the mosque to learn Quran
and the basic teachings of Islam.
Most children go to school in the morning and in the afternoons before the sunset they go to the mosque and study there. Islam was introduced in Afghanistan in the 7th century A.D. Before the introduction of Islam Afghans were mostly Buddhists and Zardashti. The Zardashti's worshipped fire. Some of the earliest Muslims who came to Afghanistan are still buried in Afghanistan. For example Jubiar and Tamim Ansar are buried in outskirts of Kabul city. Later on Afghans themselves became the advocates of Islam, and spread Islam to other nations. For example Mahmood Ghaznavi spread Islam in India in the 10th century A.D. Sufism has also been an important part of Islam in Afghanistan.
The Sufi school of Naqsh Bandi has a very strong root in Afghan society. Even though some might argue that Islam and Sufism are two different things, sufism in Afghanistan is considered an integral part of Islam. I have to emphasize that Sufism practiced in Afghanistan is very different then that of Turkey and the West. The difference is in the way Sufism is practiced. While sufism is an ideology in other parts of the world, in Afghanistan Sufis emphasize on worship and Zikr (reciting the names of God).
LEARN ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND ITS PEOPLE
CIA World Factbook 1999 - Afghanistan - provides a map and an overview of government, geography, economy, and society
Afghanistan: The Land of the Afghans - general information about the country, culture, and history.
Atlapedia Online - Afghanistan - provides a sketch of geography, economy, society, modern history, and government
Languages Spoken in Afghanistan - provides information on Pashto and Dari (Farsi) including history and special additions to the Arabic alphabet.
Afghanistan Today - comprehensive online resource about Afghanistan and Afghans, covering society, culture, history, politics and more.
Afghanistan Online - news, history, culture, chat room, and more
Afghanistan Information Center- information about Afghanistan
AFGHAN WEBSITES FOR DISCUSSION AND FUN
