Unfortunately, Afghanistan is a country known to us by military reports. The ongoing hostilities, dictatorial near-fascist regimes, the complete collapse of the economy - all these factors affected the population of Afghanistan.
What is happening with this country now?
Afghanistan's path to independence
The history of Afghanistan began in ancient times. For the first time, the people inhabiting these lands were mentioned by Herodotus and called them pactians. The historian himself did not visit these places and knew about the ancient Afghans only from the lips of other people. Herodotus described Paktienov as barbarians dressed in bestial skins. Another reliable mention of the Afghans we find in the Chinese annals.
In the XI century, this nation was already described by the Arab historian Abu Nasr-Mohamed. He said that Afghans live on the tops of the mountains and rob travelers passing by. Despite such descriptions, this people quickly adopted a “civilized” culture. The final adoption of Islam dates back to the 13th century.
At the same time, the modern territory of Afghanistan was conquered by the Mongols.
In the XVIII century, this land was already part of the Persian Empire. The Afghans raised several revolts and managed to create two independent principalities.
The first Afghan state was the Durrani Empire, founded at the end of the 18th century. Afghanistan soon became the scene of the struggle between the Russian and British empires. The reason was the favorable geographical position of the country. In 1919, Britain was forced to recognize the independence of this state.
Modernity
In 1973, as a result of the coup, the monarchy was replaced by the republican system, and five years later a revolution followed, as a result of which President Daud was executed. The Communists came to power. The new government immediately took radical action. Secularization caused a special rejection of the traditionalists.
The country started a civil war. The Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan to help deal with the Mujahideen, funded by the United States, China and other countries. Continuous resistance forced the USSR to withdraw troops.
In the 90s, the Taliban movement gained strength and declared themselves fighters for the interests of the Pashtuns (the Afghans call themselves that). The board of this group remembered the people of Afghanistan as an era of intolerance and cruelty.
After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, bin Laden was hiding in this country. This was the reason for the invasion of American troops. After the fall of the Taliban regime, a modern state was formed - the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The civil war is still ongoing.
Afghanistan Population: General Information
We have already seen that the history of this country was not easy. The entire world community speaks of the extremely distressing situation of Afghanistan, whose population was formed during the ongoing wars.
Now in this country, according to various estimates, about 30 million people live. The population of Afghanistan is poorly urbanized. Villagers make up 80%. Literacy is low. 45% of men and only 15% of women are able to read.
Afghanistan today remains an underdeveloped country. Despite the fact that for every woman gives birth to 6 children on average, infant mortality is the highest in the world. Life expectancy does not exceed 45 years.
Pashtuns
The state of Afghanistan is not ethnically homogeneous. The most numerous people are Pashtuns. Most people of this nationality live in India, and in Afghanistan, where they are the leading ethnic group, only 30% of the total number of people live. They speak the language of Pashto, which belongs to the Iranian group.
The appearance of modern Pashtuns was reflected in the ancient history of Afghanistan. Now among them there is a very strong division on the tribal basis.
Public behavior is governed by the Pushtunvalai Code. The laws of this local code are often contrary to Sharia. For example, Islamic law says that four witnesses need testimony to confirm the fact of treason, and according to Pashtun rules, only rumors are enough. A woman is deprived of the right to inherit property, although according to Sharia, she is entitled to half the property of her husband. Islamic law also prohibits blood feud, and Pashtunvalai directly speaks of its necessity.
This people adheres to Sunni Islam. The Taliban used its radical version.
Tajiks
Tajiks make up about 30% (according to various estimates) of the inhabitants of Afghanistan. The population is difficult to calculate due to local characteristics and mass migration during wars.
Tajiks are distinguished from Pashtuns primarily by their commitment to the Shiite branch of Islam. The traditional occupation of this people is agriculture. The family stores the remains of an ancient clan division. The way of life is traditionally patriarchal.
Uzbeks
The Turkic-speaking peoples of Afghanistan also make up a large proportion. The list is headed by Uzbeks. The main occupation of the Uzbeks is agriculture.
In places of compact residence, educational institutions have been created in which the learning process takes place in the national language.
Together with the Pashtuns and Tajiks, Uzbeks are part of a single Iranian cultural space.
Other nations
The territory of Afghanistan is inhabited by other peoples. A significant proportion are Turkic peoples.
About 3 million Hazaras live here. These are Iranian-speaking people of Iranian and Mongolian origin. They profess Shiite Islam.
Sunnis are Pashai - a small nation (there are about 100 thousand in all). The traditional occupation of these people is agriculture.
Charaimaki, a group of tribes leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle, live in the northwest. They live in a terrain unsuitable for agriculture. They live off livestock.
Turkmens live in areas bordering with Turkmenistan. Afghan Turkmen earn a living by raising livestock and carpet weaving.
Nuristans are a small group of tribes that has long maintained the pagan religion. For a long time, the attitude towards them was neglected by the local bureaucracy. In the early 2000s, Nuristan received their own province - Nuristan.
Here we have not listed all the peoples of Afghanistan. The population is made up of Pamiri, Bragui, Gujars, Kyrgyz, Afshars and others.
Religion and Society
The position of Islam is enshrined in the Constitution of Afghanistan. The majority of the population is Muslim. Most adhere to the Sunni Islam, 15% of Muslim believers are Shiites.
Christianity in Afghanistan is professed by foreigners. For citizens of the country, the death penalty is provided for.
Most Indians fled Afghanistan due to Taliban persecution. Hindus were forced to wear special dressings that identified them as non-Muslims. Women were forced to wear a cloak.
In the country there is a community of Sikhs, Baha'is. Several thousand people practice traditional beliefs, but their number is steadily decreasing.
Languages
The languages in which paperwork is conducted are Pashto and Dari.
Pashto is the national language of the Pashtuns, which belongs to the Iranian group. Dari is the language of Afghan Tajiks.
Dozens of minority languages are used in everyday life. Bilingualism and multilingualism is the norm for Afghan society.
Position of women
In many ways, the well-being of society is determined by the position of women in it. The first attempts to soften legislation were made in the 19th century. The most successful emancipation of women took place during the communist regime and the presence of Soviet troops.
It didn’t last long. The Taliban regime became the most brutal. Women were forbidden to go out unaccompanied by a male relative. Without a burqa, it became dangerous to appear in a public place. Girls have been restricted access to education. The women of Afghanistan could no longer get a job, so they were completely dependent on men.
Medical assistance was unavailable for the reason that only a female doctor could treat a woman. But the girls were forbidden to work. Death during childbirth has become commonplace.
After the fall of the Taliban regime, the new Afghanistan took the path of liberalization. Access to education and work again opened up. But not everything is so rosy.
Most women in Afghanistan are illiterate. They often do not even have identity documents. 97% of women do not even know about the existence of contraception, 20% suffer from a lack of body weight.
Economic situation
Afghanistan is today considered one of the poorest countries in the world. It cannot be ranked among the developing states: development and progress stopped along with the wars.
Industry here is completely undeveloped. The basis of the economy is traditional agriculture. Since the 1980s, the state of Afghanistan has become the world's leading opium poppy supplier. Revenues from the sale of drugs account for more than half of national profits.
The restoration of the industrial complex is a matter of time.
The problem of terrorism
Since 2003, the international community has recognized the Taliban as a terrorist organization. Since control over most of Afghanistan has been lost, the Taliban have been carrying out acts of intimidation of the population.
Often the victims are teenagers and children. In 2007, terrorists killed a boy. He was accused of learning English.
Migration from Afghanistan
Substantially, the country's population decreased as a result of wars. The number of inhabitants of the country decreased not only because of the huge number of deaths, but also because of the massive migration from Afghanistan.
The main desire of Afghan refugees is to find peace and tranquility that they cannot get in their country. Unfortunately, in other countries, migrants often find themselves in a helpless position and are discriminated against on ethnic and religious grounds.