Afghanistan
Afghanistan (/æfˈɡænɪstæn, 
listen); Pashto/Dari: افغانستان, Pashto: Afġānistān [avɣɒnisˈtɒn, ab-],[1] Dari: Afġānestān [avɣɒnesˈtɒn]), officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia. /> Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east; Iran in the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in the north; and in the far northeast, China. Its territory covers 652,000 square kilometers (252,000 sq mi) and much of it is covered by the Hindu Kush mountain range, which experience very cold winters. The north consists of fertile plains, whilst the south-west consists of deserts where temperatures can get very hot in summers.[2] Kabul serves as the capital and its largest city.
Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era, and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. The land has historically been home to various peoples and has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by Alexander the Great, Mauryas, Muslim Arabs, Mongols, British, Soviet, and since 2001 by the United States with NATO-allied countries. It has been called "unconquerable"[3][4] and nicknamed the "graveyard of empires".[5] The land also served as the source from which the Kushans, Hephthalites, Samanids, Saffarids, Ghaznavids, Ghorids, Khaljis, Mughals, Hotaks, Durranis, and others have risen to form major empires.[6] After 3 wars and subsequent colonization by the British, the 2oth century came hard. Afghanistan fell to long running civil when the Soviet Union invaded. The Mujahedeen with help from China and the United States, the Soviets withdrew, and with the rise of the Taliban, led up to more conflict. After spilling over to neighboring Pakistan and Tajikistan, the Taliban took power in 1996, and 2001, the United States and NATO intervened against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and they were overthrown. The insurgency led by the Taliban still continues to this day, and has been interwined with Cold War II and the war on terror.
- ↑ The phoneme /f/ ف occurs only in loanwords in Pashto, it tends to be replaced with /p/ پ. [b] is also an allophone of /p/ before voiced consonants; [v] is an allophone of /f/ before voiced consonants in loanwords.
- ↑ The History of Afghanistan, 2nd Edition by Meredith L. Runion
- ↑ Dalrymple, William (9 March 2014). "Is Afghanistan really impossible to conquer?" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ "Afghanistan: Most invaded, yet unconquerable - Times of India".
- ↑ Diplomat, Akhilesh Pillalamarri, The. "Why Is Afghanistan the 'Graveyard of Empires'?".
- ↑ Griffin, Luke (14 January 2002). "The Pre-Islamic Period". Afghanistan Country Study. Illinois Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 3 November 2001. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
