Afghanistan

Photo Credit The Deep Blue Lakes of Band-e-Amir, Afghanistan

 

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. Capital and largest city is Kabul. Official languages are Pashto and Dari. 

The country has a population of 33 million, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. Afghanistan is 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. Its territory covers 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi), making it the 41st largest country in the world.

Cities like Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar are filled with filigreed mosques and breathtaking madrasahs; ancient trading routes cross opium fields; the dusty desert gives way to snow-capped peaks and alpine glaciers.