Afghanistan
Country Facts
| Population |
29 million |
| Language |
Afghan Persian or Dari (official), Pashto (official), Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai)
|
| Nationality |
Afghan
|
| Major religions |
Sunni Muslim (74%), Shia Muslim (15%) |
| Size |
652,000 sq km |
| Bordering Countries |
China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
|
| • |
2011 Global Peace Index ranking of 153 countries: 150 |
| • |
319,000 people internally displaced as a result of armed conflict |
| • |
Additionally, 200,000 Afghans displaced by natural disasters |
| • |
7.4 million Afghans have no food security, and many millions rely on food assistance. One in five children does not reach the age of five |
| • |
2.8 million Afghans are refugees, mostly in Pakistan and Iran |
When the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, it left the country without a central government or any form of authority. The United States almost simultaneously stopped sending aid to the country. The result was a region dominated by warlords who fought for control of land and resources. By 2000, the Taliban had gained control of 95 per cent of the country and began instituting laws that restricted freedoms and violated human rights. In 2001, due to suspicions of Taliban-supported terrorism, the United States and its allies, including Australia, invaded the country and removed the Taliban from power. Although Afghanistan has ratified a new, democratic constitution and held government elections, fighting between the US and Taliban forces is ongoing. The US vice-president, Joe Biden, announced in July 2010 that a phase-out of allied troops in Afghanistan would begin in July 2011.
