Info4Migrants AFGHANISTAN PROFILE 1 AREA 652 864 км2 POPULATION 31 million GDP per capita $695 CURRENCY Afghani Language PASHTO AND DARI 2 MAIN INFORMATION Afghanistan is a country in Asia, bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and China in the far northeast. Capital: Kabul. Other big cities are Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz. Flag Climate: dry, subtropical. Winter in the plains is mild, The flag of Afghanistan has been unstable and the summer is hot. Snow is preserved for changed many times through 6-8 months on altitude over 3000 meters. the years. The last one, adopted in 2004 consists of three vertical stripes in black, red and green, Ethnicity: 40% - Pashtun, 9% - Hazara, 9% - Uzbek, 3.5% - and the coat of arms is places on Aimaq, 2.5% - Turkmen, 2% - Baloch and 4% other them. nationalities. There are about 20 nations, belonging to different language groups. Religion: over 99% of the population is Muslim, 80-85% of which Sunnis, 15-19% - Shia and 1% other religions. Thousands of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are also found in the major cities. Governance: Islamic republic consisting of three branches - the executive, legislative, and judicial. “Afghanistan - Location Map (2013) - AFG - UNOCHA” by OCHA. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http:// 3 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Afghanistan_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_AFG_-_UNOCHA.svg#mediaviewer/File:Afghani- stan_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_AFG_-_UNOCHA.svg FOREIGN RELATIONS During the occupation of Afghanistan from the Soviet Union, most western countries maintained small diplomatic missions in the capital of Kabul. After the withdrawal of the soviet military forces in 1989 many of those missions are closed due to the instability and military combats in the region. In the beginning many countries welcome the establishment of the Taliban regime as a stabilizing alternative to the military groups ruling the country after the collapse of Najibullah government in 1992. But soon after this the attitude changes , as a result of the imposition of the Sharia in the territories controlled by the Talibans and the violent treatment of women who try to work, gain education and even leave their home without being accompanied by a man. The Talibans’ attempts to gain control over Afghanistan’s posts in the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are unsuccessful. Until 2000 only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates acknowledge the Taliban regime as the lawful authority in Afghanistan, but after the attacks in 11.09 the three countries withdraw their support. After the U.S. attack in October 2001 and the Bonn Agreement, the new government of Hamid Karzai begins to reestablish the diplomatic relations with many countries with which Afghanistan used to have good relations, before falling under the Soviet Union’s influence. Presently Afghanistan has good economic relations with many NATO member- countries, especially with the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Turkey. In 2012 the U.S. defines Afghanistan as an important ally and develops a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries. Afghanistan maintains friendly relations with its neighbors Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China, as well as with other countries in the region - India, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Japan and South Korea. The country continues to develop its diplomatic relations with other countries in the world. In 2002 the UN creates United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) with the aim to support the country to recover after the military actions that had lasted for decades. 4 Photo by taesmileland at freedgitalphotos.net MODERN HISTORY OF AFGHANISTAN In December 2001, after the fall of the Talibans and the formation of the new Afghan government of Hamid Karzai, the UN Security Council sends international security forces (ISAF) in the country to help Karzai administration and guarantee the security of Afghanistan. The Taliban forces start regrouping in Pakistan, while coalition armed forces start entering Afghanistan to help the recovery of the war-torn country. Soon after being taken-off power, the Talibans begin organizing riots in order to regain control over Afghanistan. In the following decade ISAF and the Afghan army organize a number of actions against the Talibans but do not manage to completely cope with them. Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world due to the lack of foreign investments, corruption in the government institutions and constant attacks from the Talibans. Meanwhile the Afghan government manages to establish some democratic structures. Attempts have been made to recover the economy, healthcare, education, transport and agriculture in Afghanistan with the international support. International Security Assistance Force trains the Afghan army and police. Between 2002 and 2012 five million refugees return to the country (including many people who have been forcefully deported from western countries). Towards 2009 in many regions of the country double illegal ruling structures emerge, led by the Talibans. In 2010 the Karzai government tries to lead peaceful negotiations with the Talibans and other military groups, but they refuse to participate in the negotiations and the bomb attacks and assassinations become more frequent. After the assassination of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 in Pakistan, many prominent Afghans are murdered, and the shootings between the Afghanistan and Pakistan borders become more intense. The U.S. warns Pakistan about potential military actions in the country if the government refuses to attack the rebels and blames corrupted government bodies for the increased violence in Pakistan. The Pakistan army starts conducting more regular military attacks on the illegal military groups in the country. After the president elections in 2014, Hamid Karzai withdraws from power and Ashraf Ghani becomes the new president. The war between the U.S. and Afghanistan officially ends on 28.11.2014, but thousands of NATO soldiers remain in the country to train and council the military forces of the Afghan government. 5 Photo by africa at freedgitalphotos.net FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN Coat of Arms The national emblem of Afghanistan is an image of a mosque with mihrab - a semicircular niche in the wall indicating the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. There is inscription on top of the mosque, a quote from Shahada – “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God”, and under it – “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” and the year 1298 as per Hijri (1919) – the year when Afghanistan gained independence from Great Britain. Language There are two official languages in the country – Pashto and Dari – dialect of the Persian language. Persian is the mother language of many Afghan ethnic groups such as Tajiks, Hazaras, and Aimak. Other regional languages, such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi and Nuristani are spoken by minority groups across the country and have a formal status, in the regions where they are spoken by the majority. Other languages are Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui and Kyrgyz. Many Afghans can speak Photo by David Castillo Dominici at freedigitalphotos.net in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, English and other languages. Governance The constitution of 2003 defines Afghanistan as an Islamic Republic with division of the power in executive, legislative, and judicial. The executive power is carried by the president - directly elected for a five year mandate, and the administration appointed by him. Legislative power is represented by a bicameral National Assembly. The Lower chamber includes 249 members of parliament, elected by direct voting. The Upper chamber consists of 102 representatives – 1/3 appointed by the president, 1/3 – by the provincial councils and 1/3 by the regional councils. Corruption is a major problem for the government administration. “Emblem of Afghanistan” by Original author was Andrew Duhan. Later edits done by Denelson83, Bastique and many others. - Extracted from Image:Flag of Afghanistan.svg which originated from Open Clipart website.. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons - http:// 6 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emblem_of_Afghanistan.svg#mediaviewer/File:Emblem_of_Afghanistan.svg FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN Kabul Kabul is the capital and the largest city of Afghanistan. Kabul was founded between 2000 and 1500 B.C. and the history of the town dates back to over a 3000 year period. Due to its strategic location as part of the trade roads in Southern and Central Asia, many battles have been fought for gaining influence over the town. Around 400 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered Kabul during his march against the Persian Empire. In 1220 the hordes of Genghis Khan reach the borders of Afghanistan and the entire territory of present day Afghanistan passes very quickly in the hands and control of the Mongolians. It is assumed that soon after that the city began to be called Kabul. After the invasion of the Soviet troops in the 80s, until today, the town has been the scene of active military actions. Five years after the beginning of the Taliban regime, the Afghan Northern Alliance regains its control over the city and Kabul becomes the capital of the Afghan transitional administration on 20 December 2001. In antiquity Afghanistan is an ancient crossing point of the migration of peoples on the Silk Road. Archeological excavations reveal evidence of people inhabiting the lands of present Afghanistan going back to 50 000 B.C. It is assumed that the development of the cities in the region has begun between 3000 and 2000 B.C. Located on a strategic place between the Middle East, central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan has been the home of many different nations throughout the centuries and a witness of many military campaigns, “Shuja Shah Durrani of Afghanistan in 1839” by James Rattray including those of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan (1818-1854) - The British Library - Online Gallery.