Afghanistan,[c] officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,[d] is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia,[22] it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south,[e] Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominately mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. As of 2021, its population is 40.2 million,[7] composed mostly of ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
د افغانستان اسلامي امارت (Pashto)
Də Afġānistān Islāmī Imārat
امارت اسلامی افغانستان (Dari)
Imārat-i Islāmī-yi Afghānistān

Flag

Emblem
Anthem: دا د باتورانو کور
Dā Də Bātorāno Kor
"This Is the Home of the Brave"[2]

Afghanistan on the globeMap of AfghanistanShow all
StatusUN member state under an unrecognized government[3]Capital
and largest city
Kabul
34°31′N 69°11′E[4]Major languages
Pashto
Dari
Ethnic groups
(2019 unofficial estimates)[a][6][7][8][9]
42% Pashtun
27% Tajik
9% Hazara
9% Uzbek
4% Aimaq
3% Turkmen
2% Baloch
4% Others
Religion
99.7% Islam (official)
0.3% Others (2009 estimate)[10]
Demonym(s)Afghan[b][13][14]GovernmentUnitary provisional theocratic Islamic emirate[15][16][17]
• Leader
Hibatullah Akhundzada
• Prime Minister
Hasan Akhund (acting)
• Chief Justice
Abdul Hakim IshaqzaiLegislatureLeadership Council (consultative body)[18]Formation
• Hotak dynasty
1709–1738
• Durrani Empire
1747–1823
• Emirate
1823–1839
• Restoration of the Durrani Kingdom
1839–1842
• Restoration of the Emirate
1842–1926
• Dost Mohammad unites Afghanistan
27 May 1863
• Anglo-Afghan Agreement
26 May 1879
• Independence
19 August 1919
• Kingdom
9 June 1926