Afghanistan
Central Asian country
Afghanistan is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It borders Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north, and China to the northeast and east. The country covers an area of approximately 652,864 square kilometers, and its capital is Kabul. The population of Afghanistan is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be around 49.5 million people as of 2025.
Historically, Afghanistan is known as the "graveyard of empires," as its territory has been the arena of numerous conquests and conflicts over centuries. The first independent Afghan state emerged in 1747, and the country declared full independence from Great Britain in 1919. The country has gone through periods of constitutional monarchy, republic, and prolonged armed conflicts, including the Soviet-Afghan War and the recent war involving an international coalition.
1979–1989
Soviet-Afghan War
1992
Fall of the pro-Soviet government, beginning of the civil war
1996
The Taliban captures Kabul and establishes an Islamic regime
2001
Beginning of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, overthrow of the Taliban
2020
Agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban on troop withdrawal
August 2021
The Taliban recaptures Afghanistan, fall of the government
2021
Afghanistan ranked 64th in the world for estimated natural gas reserves
