Afghanistan is probably one of the most distressed countries in the modern world. Citizens of far from every state have survived as much as their people have experienced in the past 40 years. Despite the long years of the war, Afghanistan has a distinctive culture, and its citizens continue to look with hope to the future. Let's find out in more detail what the population of this Asian country is.
Geographical location and territory
Before you get acquainted with the population of a state, you need to find out in what geographical conditions it exists.
The area of Afghanistan is 652.9 thousand square meters. km, which is the largest 41st indicator in the world. The state is located in the region, which is usually referred to Central Asia. The country has no access to the oceans. The northern border of Afghanistan is in contact with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in the east its neighbor is China, in the south - Pakistan and India, and in the west - Iran. The capital is Kabul.
Afghanistan has a predominantly mountainous terrain. The climate is subtropical continental, which is characterized by relatively cool winters and hot summers.
Short story
Now let's take a quick look at the history of the people living in Afghanistan. Since ancient times, the territory of modern Afghanistan has been part of various empires: the Achaemenids, the state of Alexander the Great, etc. In more recent times, the country became the center of the Kushan empire, and then the Ephtalites (White Huns), which some historians consider the ancestors of Pashtun - the modern population of Afghanistan .
Then, from the second half of the 7th century, the Islamic era began in the country's history, which was associated with the Arab conquests. At the same time, the Turks began to penetrate into Afghanistan. A little later, he became the center of the powerful empires of the Ghaznavids and Gurids. But after the Mongol conquest in the 13th century, an independent state did not exist in Afghanistan for a long time.
Starting from the 16th century, the western part of Afghanistan was part of the Iranian state of the Safavids, and the eastern part, along with Kabul, was included in the Mughal Empire with its center in India. Finally, in 1747, the Pashtun Ahmad Shah of Durrani founded an independent Afghan state, which acquired the name of the Durran Empire. The capital of the state was first Kandahar, and then Kabul. It managed to extend its power not only to all of Afghanistan, but also to part of Iran and India.
From 1838 a series of Anglo-Afghan wars began. The goal of Great Britain was to establish its protectorate over Afghanistan. The Russian Empire had similar goals. In the course of the struggle between the two countries of Great Britain, it was even possible to temporarily establish a protectorate over the emirate of Afghanistan, but after the Third Anglo-Afghan War, the Central Asian state was able to defend its independence.
Since 1929, the emirate of Afghanistan became known as the kingdom. But in 1973, the monarchy was liquidated by a coup. In 1978, a new coup took place, as a result of which a Communist party oriented toward the USSR came to power. In 1979, she asked for military assistance from the Soviet Union in the fight against opponents. Since then, there has been continuous war in Afghanistan.
In 1989, Soviet troops were withdrawn from the country, and the communist regime soon fell. His opponents came to power, who were guided by the countries of the West. But the war did not stop. The Taliban Islamist forces raised their heads. By 1997, they controlled Kabul and most of the country. The attack on skyscrapers in New York on September 11, 2001 and the Taliban hiding its organizer Osama bin Laden served as a pretext for the entry of US troops and their allies into Afghanistan.
Despite the fact that the Taliban were ousted by the coalition forces to the wilderness of the country, and democratic elections were held in Afghanistan, by and large, the war continues.
Population size
Now let's find out how many people are in Afghanistan.
Despite the rather difficult conditions for the census of citizens, in connection with the ongoing hostilities, the last time it was held not so long ago - in 2013. According to her, the population of Afghanistan is 31.108 million people. This indicator occupies the fortieth place in the world. Back in 2009, the population was 28.4 million.
Population density
Knowing the area of the country, it is not difficult to calculate the density of the population of Afghanistan. In 2013, it amounted to 43.5 people / sq. km
For comparison: a similar indicator in Russia is 8.56 people / sq. km
Ethnic composition
How is the population divided by ethnic and linguistic characteristics? Afghanistan is a rather motley country in this regard, in which representatives of many ethnic groups and nationalities live.
The largest people of Afghanistan are, without a doubt, the Pashtuns. Actually, when the term “Afghans” is used in the narrow sense of the word, they mean precisely them. According to various estimates, the number of Pashtuns in Afghanistan is 39-42% of the total population of the country. In addition, there are significant settlements of this nation in Pakistan and Iran. The language of communication of the Pashtuns is Pashto - the state language of Afghanistan, which belongs to the East Iranian group.
The second largest ethnic group of the country are Tajiks, or Farsivans. Their specific weight in the population of Afghanistan is 25-30%. Their language is Dari, which also belongs to the Iranian group. This language is the second official language in Afghanistan, and also serves as a means of interethnic communication between representatives of various nationalities.
The third significant group of residents of Afghanistan are Uzbeks. They make up 6-9% of the population of the whole country. The Uzbek language, unlike the previous two, already belongs to the Turkic group.
In addition, significant ethnic groups in Afghanistan are the Hazaras, Pashais, Charaimaks, Turkmens, Nuristanis, Pamiri peoples, Balochis, Bragui, Gujars, Kirghiz, Kyzylbashi and Afshars.
Religion
What does the population of Afghanistan believe in? Religion has a significant place in the life of the country. Moreover, religious life is represented by one practical faith - Islam. It is professed by more than 99% of the country's population. At the same time, about 80% adhere to the Sunni movement (mainly the Hanafi madhhab), and 18% adhere to the Shiite one. The important role of Islam in the life of the country is emphasized by the fact that it is officially called the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. During the rule of the Taliban, the country lived even according to Sharia law, which largely violated the Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms.
But is Afghanistan the only religion represented by Islam? The number of people professing the Christian faith in the country totals 30,000 people. These are mainly Protestants, who also have foreign citizenship. In addition, there are representatives of the following religions in Afghanistan: Hindus, Baha'is, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, but they represent, in general, a rather small population. Afghanistan, therefore, is an Islamic country.
State economy
Of course, a state that has been battered for decades by a war cannot have a powerful and stable economy. At the moment, the country is located in 219th place in terms of GDP per capita, that is, it is one of the poorest in the world. Mostly it is an agricultural country producing grain, fruits, wool, etc. Industry is rather poorly developed.
However, there are no hopeless situations, and the population itself seeks a way out. Afghanistan is a world center for the production of drugs, which causes considerable concern to various UN structures.
The future of the country
So, we described the past and present of a country like Afghanistan. Area, population, economy and other issues have been considered by us. But what awaits the state in the future? The answer to this question is quite complex and depends on many factors. But we can say with confidence that without a complete cessation of hostilities in Afghanistan and the establishment of full control of its territory by the government, a stable future for the country is impossible.
Hopefully, peace will come in the near future in Afghanistan.