Afghanistan
Khyber Pass terminus
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central and South Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states.
Historically a crossroads of empires and trade routes, it became synonymous in Western discourse with prolonged conflict—the Soviet invasion of the 1980s, the Taliban regime, and the American military presence from 2001 to 2021.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan dominated the news cycle.
Muslim guerrilla combatants
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Al-QaedaIslamist militant organization
- warlordsMilitary leaders controlling regions
- refugeesPeople seeking safety elsewhere
IEDs · drones · airstrikes · insurgency · casualties · displacement · occupation · ceasefire
Afghanistan's capital city
- KandaharAfghan provincial capital
- HelmandAfghan province, river namesake
- desertsAbandons or barren lands
- plateausElevated flat terrain
valleys · landlocked · arid · continental · elevation · terrain · glaciers
Afghan ethnic majority
- UzbeksCentral Asian ethnic group
- DariAfghanistan's Persian language
- carpetsTextile floor coverings
- pomegranatesMany-seeded crimson fruits
saffron · kebab · naan · turbans · henna · chai · poetry · Rumi
mujahideen
Muslim guerrilla combatants
- NATOWestern defense organization
- Al-QaedaIslamist militant organization
- warlordsMilitary leaders controlling regions
refugees · IEDs · drones · airstrikes · insurgency · casualties · displacement · occupation · ceasefire · peace talks
Kabul
Afghanistan's capital city
- KandaharAfghan provincial capital
- HelmandAfghan province, river namesake
- desertsAbandons or barren lands
plateaus · valleys · landlocked · arid · continental · elevation · terrain · glaciers
Pashtuns
Afghan ethnic majority
pomegranates · saffron · kebab · naan · turbans · henna · chai · poetry · Rumi · hospitality
Zoroastrianism
Ancient dualistic Persian religion
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- AsiaChina, India, Japan, Thailand, Korea
- countriesChina, Brazil, France, Germany, India
- NationsChina, France, Japan, Germany, Mexico
- Landlocked CountriesAustria, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Czechia
- South AsiaIndia, Indian states, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hindustan
- Diverse NationsIndia, Indonesia, Russia, Nigeria, South Africa
AfghanistanMaldives
Indian Ocean archipelago nation
Fiji · Japan · Netherlands · Singapore · Bangladesh
AfghanistanSwitzerland
Alpine republic, perpetually neutral
Norway · Denmark · Sweden · New Zealand · Canada
AfghanistanSwitzerland
Alpine republic, perpetually neutral
Luxembourg · Norway · Singapore · Qatar · United Arab Emirates
- Afghanistan vetFormer Mideast theater servicemember
- Afghanistan veteranOne who served there
- Afghanistan War2001 US-led invasion
- Afghanistan withdrawalEnding military presence there
- Afghanistan invasionForeign military occupation of Central Asian nation