Where is afghanistan

However in mid-August , the Taliban—a religious and political group that ruled the country from the mids until —took control of the country's major cities and regained power. Afghanistan was settled around B. Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan in B. Genghis Khan's Mongols invaded in the 13th century. In , Pashtun elders held a council meeting called a Loya Jirga and created the kingdom of the Afghans.

The British and Afghans fought in three wars in the 19th and 20th centuries, but the Afghans finally defeated the British in and formed an independent monarchy in In , the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan PDPA seized power in the country, setting in motion a series of events that would turn the poor, mostly peaceful country into a breeding ground for terrorism.

Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in and remained in the country until The Taliban emerged in and quickly began to take over cities across Afghanistan, with military support from Pakistan. During the Taliban's rule, the group was condemned by the international community for murdering innocent Afghan civilians and denying food supplies to starving citizens. In , following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11 of that year, the U.

The Taliban refused. The United States and its allies then took military action in Afghanistan and drove the Taliban from power in December Both the Taliban and al Qaeda fled Afghanistan and relocated to nearby Pakistan, where they set up political and military outposts.

Thousands of girls—who were banned from being educated under Taliban rule—went to school for the first time. Women were free to get jobs and take part in government activities, both of which were forbidden under the Taliban. In , Afghanistan adopted its current constitution and became an internationally recognized government, electing Hamid Karzai as its first president.

Under its constitution, the president and two vice presidents are elected every five years. But the government struggled to extend its authority beyond the capital city of Kabul because the Taliban forces continued to try to regain control of the country. In , the Taliban and the Afghan government began to discuss a peace treaty, and though some people were concerned that the talks wouldn't progress, U.

His successor, Joe Biden , extended the date for the withdrawal to August 31 of that year. After nearly 20 years of U. By August 15, , the Taliban had taken control of all major cities, including the capital of Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, and the Afghan government all but collapsed. The United States is sending military troops to the country to help the American diplomats and support staff still remaining at the U. All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Map created by National Geographic Maps.

Watch "Destination World". In the south, Afghanistan's furthest point lies along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. As the thirty-ninth most eastern easternmost point, Afghanistan extends as far as the border between China, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.

In particular, the easternmost point of the country is in Badakhshan, which is one of thirty-four provinces in Afghanistan. The westernmost point of Afghanistan is situated along the Iranian-Afghan border. The total area of Afghanistan is approximately , square miles. With a population of 36,, people, Afghanistan is the 40th largest country in the world in terms of population.

From here, the population density can be calculated. This is essentially a value that identifies a numerical relationship between the total area and the population of a country. The population density of Afghanistan is a value of roughly people per square mile.

This means that there are just about people in Afghanistan for every square mile of the country's total area. Where is Afghanistan in the World? World View: Continent View:. Official Name. Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Common Name. Dari, Pashto, Turkmen.