The majority of Afghanistan is composed of mostly mountainous regions. The main mountain range is the Hindu Kush range – which is the western part of the Himalayas. There is also an area of plains known as the Turkestan Plains and the Sistan Basin. These regions are grasslands and desert areas. You will also find irrigated land, fertile river valleys, deep gorges, deserts, high plateaus and snow covered mountains.
You will find a large variety of animals in Afghanistan including snow leopards, sheep, foxes, wolves, lynx, hedgehogs, gophers, gazelles and many more. There are also many small animals such as mongooses, moles, shrews, hedgehogs, bats and kangaroo rats.
The total population of the country was estimated to be 32.9 million in 2019. About 24% of the population lives in urban areas while 72% live in rural areas. The remaining 4% are nomadic. The Pashtuns comprise about 40% of the population. Tajiks account for about 25% of the population while Hazara and Uzbeks each make up about 10% of the total population. Charah Aimaks, Turkmen and other ethnicities each account for small portions of the population.
The largest city, and also the capital of Afghanistan is Kabul. The population of Kabul is approximately 4.2 million people. It is located south of the Hindu Kush range along key trade routes. It is built on both sides of the Kabul River. The next largest cities are Kandahar (614,000), Herat (556,200), Mazar-i-Sharif (469,000) and Jalalabad (356,500).
Afghanistan is divided into 34 different provinces. Each province has its own governor and capital. The 34 provinces are as follows: Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nuristan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Patika, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Wardak and Zabul.
The primary natural resources in the country include coal, copper, iron ore, lithium, uranium, chromite, gold, zinc, talc, barite, sulfur, lead, marble, natural gas and petroleum.
The climate in Afghanistan can be extreme. In the winters, the temperature gets very cold while in the summer it gets extremely hot. The mountain regions in the northeast have dry, cold winters while the mountain areas that border Pakistan can be wet due to the Indian monsoons.
Many different kingdoms and empires have been in power in the country over the years. These include the Greco-Bactrians, Indo-Scythians, Kushans, Hepthalites, Alkhons, Nezaks, Zunbils, Turk Shahis, Hindu Shahis, Lawiks, Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Khaljis, Kartids, Lodis, Surs, Mughals, the Hotak dynasty and the Durrani dynasty.
