Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Official name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Area: 647,500 square kilometers (250,001 square miles)
Highest point on mainland : Mount Nowshak (7,485 meters/24,558 feet)
Lowest point on land: Amu Darya River (258 meters/846 feet)
Hemispheres : Northern and Eastern
P.M.
= noon GMT
Longest distances: 1,240 kilometers (770 miles) from northeast to southwest; 560 kilometers       (350 miles) from northwest to southeast
Land boundaries : 5,529 kilometers (3,436 miles) total boundary length; China, 76       kilometers (47 miles); Iran, 936 kilometers (582 miles); Pakistan, 2,430       kilometers (1,511 miles); Tajikistan, 1,206 kilometers (750 miles);       Turkmenistan, 744 kilometers (463 miles); Uzbekistan, 137 kilometers (85       miles)
Coastline: None
Territorial sea limits : None
1 LOCATION AND SIZE
Afghanistan is a landlocked nation (does not have access to the sea) in         south-central Asia. At the crossroads of north-south and east-west trade         routes, the country has been invaded many times, by Alexander the Great         in the fourth century
B.C.
, and by the Soviet Union in the twentieth century
A.D.
Almost as large as the state of Texas, Afghanistan is bounded by six         different countries. Afghanistan's longest         border—accounting for its entire southern boundary and most of         its eastern one—is with Pakistan. The shortest one, bordering         China's Xinjiang province, is only 76 kilometers (47 miles), at         the end of the Wakhan corridor.
2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES
Afghanistan has no territories or dependencies.
3 CLIMATE
The climate of Afghanistan ranges from semi-arid (light annual rainfall)         to arid (almost no annual rainfall), with wide variations in         temperature, both between seasons and between different times of day.         Its summers are hot and dry, but its winters are bitterly cold. Recorded         temperatures have ranged as high as 53°C (128°F) and as low as         -26°C (-15°F) in the central highlands, which have a subarctic         climate. (Subarctic climate features long, very cold winters with short,         cool summers, and little rainfall.) Summertime temperatures in Kabul,         the capital of Afghanistan, can vary from 16°C (61°F) at         sunrise to 38°C (100°F) by noon. Summer highs in Jalalabad         average 46°C (115°F). The mean January temperature in Kabul is         0°C (32°F). Strong winds that blow between June and September         (called the "Winds                    of 120 Days") can have a velocity of up to 180 kilometers per         hour (108 miles per hour).
In much of the country, rainfall is sparse and irregular, averaging 25         to 30 centimeters (10 to 12 inches) and mostly occurring between October         and April. Rainfall is generally heavier in the eastern part of the         country than in the western regions. Afghan summers are generally dry,         cloudless, and hot. Humid air from the Persian Gulf (body of water lying         west of Afghanistan between Saudi Arabia and Iran) sometimes produces         summer showers and thunderstorms in the southwest. Most of the         precipitation in the mountains falls in the form of snow—and         sometimes as hail. During the Soviet Union's occupation of         Afghanistan in the 1980s, the Afghan resistance fighters called mujahideen referred to the heavy hail that fell in the mountains as "Allah's minesweepers" because its force was         sometimes strong enough to set off land mines.
S
-8 to 2°C (18 to 36°F)
4 TOPOGRAPHIC REGIONS
From northeast to southwest, the Hindu Kush Mountains divide Afghanistan         into three major regions: 1) the central highlands, which form part of         the Himalaya Mountains and                    comprise roughly two-thirds of the country's area; 2) the         southwestern plateau, which accounts for one-fourth of the land; and 3)         the smaller northern plains area, which contains the country's         most fertile soil. The Wakhan corridor, lying between Tajikistan and         Pakistan, is a narrow panhandle in the northeast Hindu Kush.
5 OCEANS AND SEAS
Afghanistan is landlocked. The nearest seacoast is roughly 483         kilometers (300 miles) south in Pakistan on the shores of the Arabian         Sea.
6 INLAND LAKES
There are few lakes in Afghanistan, and the largest of them are along         the country's southwestern border. The Daryacheh-e Namakzar and         the Hamun-e Sāberī (also called Lake Helmand) have most of         their surface area in Iran. Lake Zorkul is located in the Wakhan         corridor near the border with Tajikistan. Abi-Istada, about 193         kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Qandahar, is a salt lake. Five small         lakes in the central highlands, collectively called Band-e Amir, are         known for their unusual colors, which range from a filmy white to a deep green.
7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS
Afghanistan's drainage system is landlocked. Most of its rivers         and streams end in shallow desert lakes or oases (plural of oasis; any         fertile tract in the midst of a wasteland) inside or outside the         country's boundaries. A few rivers in the eastern part of the         country, however, eventually reach the Arabian Sea after first emptying         into the Indus River in Pakistan.           In the western part of the northern plains many rivers disappear         underground before emptying into the Amu Darya River (also called the         Oxus River). In the west, the sandy deserts along the Iranian frontier         (border) have no watercourses (natural flowing water).
The Amu Darya River, at 2,661 kilometers (1,654 miles) long, is the         country's longest river. About 965 kilometers (600 miles) of its         upper course separates Afghanistan from its neighbors Turkmenistan,         Uzbeki-stan, and Tajikistan. The Helmand is the principal river in the         southwest, bisecting (crossing through) the entire region. The Helmand         is approximately 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) long. The Kabul River, 515         kilometers (320 miles) long, is a vital source of water in the Kuh-e         Baba Mountains.
8 DESERTS
The Rigestan Desert, along the country's southern border,         occupies roughly one-quarter of the southwestern plateau. Sand ridges         and dunes alternate with wide desert plains devoid of vegetation. West         of the Rigestan Desert lies the Dasht-e Margo, a desolate region with         salt flats. A flat strip of desert and grassy steppe (treeless flat         land) extends along the banks of the Amu Darya River. Desert areas are         also found along the foothills of the central Hindu Kush and west of         Mazar-e Sharif.
9 FLAT AND ROLLING TERRAIN
North of the mountainous central highlands are the northern plains,         Afghanistan's smallest natural region, with an area of         approximately 103,600 square kilometers (40,000 square miles). They         stretch from the Iranian border in the west to the foothills of the         Pamir mountains in the east. The eastern half of this region, which         forms a part of the Central Asia steppe, is bounded by the Amu Darya         River. The northern plains have an average elevation of 609 meters         (2,000 feet), except for the Amu Darya valley floor, which drops to as         low as 183 meters (600 feet).
10 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES
The mountainous central highlands formed by the Hindu Kush and its         subsidiary ranges (the ranges that branch from the Hindu Kush) are         extensions of the Himalayas. Crossing the country for 965 kilometers         (600 miles) from east to west and covering an area of approximately         414,400 square kilometers (160,000 square miles), this area contains         towering peaks alternating with steep gorges and barren slopes.
This mountain system—Afghanistan's dominant physical         feature—is composed of three high ridges. The main ridge begins         in China and runs southwestward as the eastern Hindu Kush, with summits         over 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) high. The highest mountains are in the         Wakhan corridor, including the country's highest peak, Mount         Nowshak. At the Anjuman Pass, the eastern Hindu Kush becomes the central         Hindu Kush. The Kuh-e Baba range runs parallel to and south of the         central Hindu Kush. Other important mountain ranges include the Kuh-e         Hisar, the Firoz Kuh, and the Paropamisus.
DID YOU KNOW?
The city of Mazar-e Sharif is famous throughout the Islamic world as           the place where Ali, the son-in-law of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, is           buried.
A similar series of ranges runs parallel to the Paropamisus and Hindu         Kush at lower altitudes along the southern rim of the northern           plains. In addition, several mountain chains fan out to the southwest.         In the southeast, several lower ridges enclose long valleys that run         parallel to the boundary with Pakistan. The valley region that is home         to the capital city of Kabul is bounded by this range system.
11 CANYONS AND CAVES
The caves that have been used for military purposes since the 1970s are         largely man-made (see below). Afghanistan has few natural caves;         limestone, from which most natural caves are formed, is found only in         isolated areas of the country. Afghanistan's largest natural cave         is the 1,120-meter-long (1,120-foot-long) Ab Bar Amada northwest of         Kabul.
12 PLATEAUS AND MONOLITHS
The southwestern plateau southwest of the central highlands is an arid         region of desert and semidesert extending into Pakistan to the south and         into Iran to the west. From an altitude of about 914 meters (3,000 feet)         at its highest point, it slopes gently to the southwest. A few large         rivers traverse this plateau, including the Helmand and its major         tributary the Arghandab. The southwestern plateau region covers         approximately 129,500 square kilometers (50,000 square miles) and         includes the Rigestan Desert.
13 MAN-MADE FEATURES
Afghanistan's so-called "caves" are actually         man-made dugouts built into the mountains by mujahideen rebels fighting the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s. Al Qaeda         Muslim extremists also used the caves for military purposes in 2001 and         2002. The dugouts are between 3 and 9 meters (10 to 30 feet) deep.
14 FURTHER READING
Elliot, Jason. An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan . London: Picador, 1999.
Ellis, Deborah. Women of the Afghan War . Westport, CT.: Praeger, 2000.
Ewans, Martin. Afghanistan: A New History . Richmond: Curzon, 2001.
Periodicals
"The Most Dangerous Place on Earth: A Look Inside         Afghanistan." Special report. Current Events. Nov. 30, 2001, pp.S1-5.
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