Afghanistan is a landlocked country located in South and Central Asia with a population of approximately 32 million. It has a strategic location along the historic Silk Road and has been home to many powerful empires over the past 2,000 years. However, in recent decades Afghanistan has experienced major wars, including the Soviet invasion in 1979 and ongoing conflicts. While peace remains elusive, efforts toward development include increasing access to education, especially for girls and women, as well as supporting cultural preservation and economic growth through industries like tourism.

1. Afghanistan
*

2. *
The issue of war and
peace has always been
a focal issue in all
periods of history and
at all levels relations
among nations.

3. *
Afghanistan, is a
landlocked country located
within South Asia and
Central Asia.
It has a population of
approximately 32 million,
making it the 42nd most
populous country in the
world.
Its territory covers 652,000
km2 (252,000 sq mi),
making it the 41st largest
country in the world.

4. *
Human habitation in
Afghanistan dates back to the
Middle Paleolithic Era, and the
country's strategic location
along the Silk Road connected
it to the cultures of the Middle
East and other parts of Asia.

5. *
Afghanistan has been the center
of many powerful empires for
the past 2,000 years. However,
in the last 30 years the country
has been in chaos due to major
wars -- from the Soviet invasion
of 1979 to their withdrawal in
1989 and from warlords to the
removal of the Taliban in 2001
and the ensuing American and
NATO invasion.

6. Peace
effects
:
Women
Empowerment
Sport
Culture
Industry and
Business
Tourism
Education

7. *
“Peace cannot be kept by
force; it can only be achieved
by understanding.”
~ Albert Einstein
In 2002, an estimated 900,000
boys attended school.
Today, according to Ministry
of Education, more than 9
million students are enrolled
in schools, 40 percent of
whom are girls.

8. *
Since 2008, Afghanistan’s nation-
wide literacy rate has increased by
5%; since 2005, the youth literacy
rate has in- creased by more than
16%.

9. *
effects of war and the Taliban
regime quickly effaced the rights
of women in public life and
relegated them solely to the
domestic domain.

10. *
women make up 25% of the new
parliament.
The literacy rate for females over the
age of 15 is 12.6% compared to 43.1% for
males, and only 40% of females attend
primary school and 26% attend
secondary school.
According to the Afghan Central
Statistics Organization, public university
enrollment has increased from 7,800 in
2001 to 174,425 in 2015, 21% of which
are women.
Currently, there are 173private
universities in Afghanistan; over 200,000
students attend college — but only 23%
are women, and 77% men.

11. *
Afghanistan is a historically
blended country, at the
crossroads of multiple peoples
and cultures, from the Silk Road
to the Soviet invasion. Diverse
due to its history, this landlocked
country has some beautiful cities,
full of historic monuments of
cultural importance. From
Jalalabad in the eastern part to
Balkh in the northern part, here
are Afghanistan’s most beautiful
cities.

12. *
Afghan embassies issue between
15,000 and 20,000 tourist visas
annually.
In 2014, bookings for adventure
trips were doubled in Afghanistan.
Landscape
Historical monuments

13. *
The people of Afghanistan love playing
all kinds of sports. The most popular
sport in Afghanistan is Buzkashi, a
team sport played on horseback. The
second most popular sport is
football (soccer), followed by cricket.

14. *
In January this year, pictures
emerged of five-year-old Murtaza
Ahmadi wearing a blue-and-white
striped plastic bag to emulate the
colours of the Argentinian team.
On the back of the bag was
scrawled the legend: “Messi 10”.
The pictures went viral and, after
Messi’s biggest fan was identified
and tracked down to Afghanistan’s
eastern Ghazni province, efforts
were made to bring Murtaza and
the Barcelona star together.

15. *
The culture of Afghanistan has
been around for over two
millennia, tracing record to at
least the time of the Achaemenid
Empire in 500 BCE.
Pashto and Dari are both the
official languages of Afghanistan

16. *
Art:
The world's oldest oil painting was
found in Afghanistan.
One of the most famous kinds is
the Gandhara art between the 1st
and 7th century based on Greco-
Buddhist art. Kamaleddin Behzad
was a famous artist from Herat
during the late Timurid and early
Safavid periods.

17. *
Poetry :
Poetry in Afghanistan has long been a
cultural tradition and passion
Classic Persian and Pashto poetry plays
an important role in the Afghan culture
Some of the famous Persian poets and
authors from the 10th to 15th centuries
are Rumi, Rabi'a Balkhi, Khwaja Abdullah
Ansari, Nasir Khusraw, Jami, Alisher
Navoi, Sanai, Abu Mansur Daqiqi,
Farrukhi Sistani, Unsuri, and Anvari.
Some notable poets include Khushal
Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba, Massoud
Nawabi, Nazo Tokhi, Ahmad Shah
Durrani, Al-Afghani, and Ghulam
Muhammad Tarzi

18. *
Architecture :
The region has made major
contributions to the
world's architecture. UNESCO has
acknowledged Afghanistan's role
by declaring the Minaret of
Jam and the Valley of Bamiyan.