AFGHANISTAN Country Profile

Info4Migrants AFGHANISTAN Country profile Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615 2 652,864 km POPULATION 31,822 mln GDP per capita $725 CURRENCY Afghani (AFN) Languages DARI (PERSIAN), PASHTO COUNTRY BACKGROUND UZBEKISTAN TAJIKISTAN TURKMENISTAN IRAN Kabul Afghanistan PAKISTAN INDIA Official name: the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Location: Central Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran, and south of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ta- jikistan. The narrow Wakhan Corridor extends from the northeastern part of Afghanistan to meet with China. National Flag Capital: Kabul Climate: Afghanistan’s climate generally is of the arid or semi-arid steppe type, featuring cold winters and dry, hot summers. Ethnic Make-up: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uz- bek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1% Emblem 3 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN FACTS Languages More than 30 languages are spoken in Afghanistan. Pash- tu and Dari (Afghan Persian) are the official languages of Afghanistan. Both belong to the Indo-European group of languages. According to estimates, approximately 35% of the Afghan population speaks Pashtu, and about 50% speaks Dari. Turkic languages (Uzbek and Turkmen) are spoken by about 11% of the population. There are also numerous other languages spoken in the country (Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, etc.), and bilingualism is very common. Flag The background of the Afghan flag is three equal vertical sections of black, red, and green. In the center of the flag in yellow is the national coat of arms, which portrays a mosque with a banner and a sheaf of wheat on either side. In the upper-middle part of the insignia are the lines “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet” and “Allah is Great,” together with a rising sun. The word “Afghanistan” and the year 1298 (the Muslim calendar equivalent of the year of independence, 1919) are located in the lower part of the insignia. Chai-Khana The most typical characteristic of Afghan society are the Chai Khanas, or tea houses, which abound every- where in the country. Often beautifully decorated, the Chai Khanas are the central gathering place for every town and village in Afghanistan. In them, one can enjoy a nourishing Afghan meal, such as palaw, chalaw, ka- bab, a pot of green or black tea. 4 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN FACTS Capital The teeming capital of Afghanistan, Kabul is home to some of the best heritage sites in the world. Also being one of the oldest cities of the world it has many worth seeing natural splendors coupled together with the pres- ence of ancient monumental landmarks. One of the most prominent attractions in Kabul is the Baghi Balah, located at the top of the city providing the visitors a beautiful bird’s eye view of the whole city and its surroundings. Other tourist attractions include Darulaman Palace, Kabul Museum, Shamali and the King Nadir Shah’s Tomb. It is interesting to note that the old Kabul is full of narrow pebbled streets, dilapidated buildings and bustling crowd. Few people would ever think that Kabul has shopping malls which have international products and accessories. The illustrious historical forts widely display the architecture of the past era. Islam Islam is practised by the majority of Afghanis and gov- erns much of their personal, political, economic and legal lives. Muslims are obligated to pray five times a day - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Friday is the Muslim holy day. Most shops and offices will be closed. Government offices and businesses may also close on Thursday, making the weekend Thursday and Friday. During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking, or gum chewing. Foreigners are not required to fast; however, they should not eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum in public. 5 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN FACTS Bamiyan One of the world’s first oil paintings can be found in the caves of Bamiyan, in the central highlands of Afghan- istan around 650BC. Bamiyan boasted a flourishing Buddhist civilisation from the 2nd Century up to the Islamic invasion of the 9th Century. This is where the world’s two largest standing Buddhas once were, until they were destroyed in 2001. Buzkashi Afghanistan would like its national game, buzkashi, or goat-grabbing, to be an Olympic sport. Regarded as the world’s wildest game, it involves riders on horseback competing to grab a goat carcass, and gallop clear of the others to drop it in a chalked circle. It has been played on Afghanistan’s northern steppe for centuries. The game used to be the sport of rich rival warlords but is now also financed by Afghan mobile phone com- panies and private airlines. But it is still not a sport for the faint-hearted, and women should not apply. New Year Afghans celebrate their new year, Nawroz, on 21 March, the first day of spring. Thousands travel to the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif to welcome in Nawroz, a pre-Islamic festival. Local strong men raise a great Janda, an Islamic banner, to herald the beginning of spring and the start of the new year. If they are able to lift it in one smooth motion, this is seen as a good omen for the months to come. 6 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN FACTS Poetry Poetry is a cherished part of Afghan culture. Afghans have told their stories in verse for more than 1,000 years. Thursday night is “poetry night” in the west- ern city of Herat - men, women and children gather to share ancient and modern verse, listen to traditional Herati music, and enjoy sweet tea and pastries long into the night. The Ethnic Make-up and Tribes Afghanistan is a vast country with a rich mix of ethnicities and tribes. The Pashtu are Sunni Muslims and constitute around 42% of the population and are concentrated in Nangrahar and Pakhtya provinces and also live in neighbouring Pakistan. Tajiks comprise roughly 27% of the population. They are Iranian in origin and speak a form of Persian found in Eastern Iran. Most are Sunni Muslim and reside in Kabul and Herat provinces, and in the mountains north of Hindu Kush, and the Iranian border. Hazaris make up about 9% of the population. They are de- scendants of the Mongols, and speak a dialect of Persian that contains many Turkish words. They are also Shia Mus- lims, which has led to much of their persecution under Taliban rule. Most live in the Hazarajat region. Uzbeks live in the northern parts of the country and also comprise only 9% of the population. They are Sunni Mus- lims and speak a dialect of Turkish. The Turkomen are a small minority with making only 3% of the population. Baluchis are pastoral nomads who speak Baluchi, an Irani- an language. They comprise 2% of the population. 7 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN REFUGEES The refugees (both legal and illegal) fled Afghanistan in four main waves: • Soviet war in Afghanistan (1978-89) • Civil War (1992–96) • Taliban Rule (1996–2001) • War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Returning to Afghanistan Over 5.7 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan since 2002, increasing the country’s population by approximately 25%. However, overall trends since 2006 show a dimin- ishing level of voluntary repatriation and growing internal displacement. Relatively low voluntary return rates may reflect mounting concerns among exiles about the security situation in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan that return refugees encounter upon their arrival is far from the eco- nomically and politically stable country that they might have hoped for. According to a November 2012 report by the Feinstein International Center, one in three Afghan children are malnourished, with rates of malnourishment far higher in conflict-affected regions, such as those in the country’s south. Access to healthcare remains very limited, with 15% of the population without access to even the most basic healthcare services. Because of the economic vulnerability and insecurity that Afghans face in their home regions, increasing numbers are on the move to other Afghan cities. Over 15% of returned refugees had to move again in 2011, often from rural to urban areas to seek security, food, and work. Many return refugees have been unable to go back to their places of origin for reasons of continued insecurity or the lack of a viable livelihood. Poverty and disasters associated with natural hazard events have also contributed to the recent displacement of Afghans, but violence has been the major factor in involuntary population movements. Not all Afghans are returning home. The 2011 industrialized country asylum data notes a 30% increase in applications from Afghans from 2010 to 2011, primarily towards Germa- ny and Turkey, reflecting the unwillingness of Afghan refugees to return and the eager- ness of those still residing there to leave. 8 Learnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com Country profile AFGHANISTAN REFUGEES In 2013, more than 2.8 million Afghan refugees were living in Iran with only 0.8 million of them being registered as legal migrants and rest living as illegal refugees in Iran. Similarly 1.5 million officially registered Afghan refugees were reported to be living in Pakistan in addition to approximately one million more illegal refugees. In December 2014 there was a terrorist attack on a school in Peshewar by the Pakistani Talaban and over 100 school children were killed.

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