Area, economy, religion, population of Afghanistan. The population density of Afghanistan

Afghanistan, probably, is one of the most distressful countries in the modern world. Citizens of far from every state have experienced as much as its population has suffered for the last 40 years. Afghanistan, despite many years of war, has a distinct culture, and its citizens continue to look with hope in the future. Let's learn in more detail what the population of this Asian country is.

Geographical location and territory

Before you get acquainted with the population of any 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 world's 41st indicator. The state is located in the region, which is customary to refer to Central Asia. The country has no outlet to the World Ocean. 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 mainly mountainous terrain. The climate is subtropical continental, which is characterized by relatively cool winters and hot summers.

Short story

Now let us briefly look at the history of the people inhabiting Afghanistan. Since ancient times, the territory of modern Afghanistan was part of various empires: the Achaemenids, the state of Alexander the Great, and so on. Later, the country became the center of the Kushan empire, and then the Ephtalits (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 history of the country, which was connected with the Arab conquests. At the same time, the Turks began to penetrate the territory of Afghanistan. A little later, it became the center of the powerful empires of the Ghaznavids and Gurids. But after the Mongol conquest in the XIII century on the territory of Afghanistan for a long time there was no independent state.

Since the 16th century, the western part of Afghanistan was part of the Safavid state of Iran, and the eastern part, together with Kabul, was included in the Mughal Empire with its center in India. Finally, in 1747 Pashtun Ahmad Shah Durrani founded an independent Afghan state, which became known as the Durrani Empire. The state capital 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.

Since 1838, a series of Anglo-Afghan wars has begun. The British goal was to establish a protectorate over Afghanistan. The Russian Empire had similar goals. In the course of the struggle between the two countries of the United Kingdom, 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 has become 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 party of the communist type, 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, the war in Afghanistan has been going on continuously.

In 1989, Soviet troops were withdrawn from the territory of the country, and the communist regime soon fell. To power came his opponents, who focused on the West. But the war did not stop. The head was raised by the Islamist forces of the Taliban movement. By 1997, they controlled Kabul and most of the country. The attack on skyscrapers in New York on September 11, 2001 and the harboring of its organizer, Osama bin Laden, by the Taliban, served as a pretext for bringing US troops and their allies into Afghanistan.

Despite the fact that the coalition forces of the Taliban were forced into the remote areas of the country, and democratic elections were held in Afghanistan, in the long run, the war continues to this day.

Population

And 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 fighting, the last time it was held not so long ago - in 2013. According to her data, the population of Afghanistan is 31.108 million people. This figure is the fortieth place in the world. Back in 2009, the number of residents 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 was 43.5 people per square kilometer. Km.

For comparison: the same indicator in Russia is 8.56 people per square kilometer. Km.

Ethnic composition

How is the population divided according to ethnic and linguistic characteristics? Afghanistan is a quite diverse country in which the representatives of many ethnic groups and nationalities live.

The most numerous people of Afghanistan, no doubt, are Pashtuns. Actually, when the term "Afghans" is used in the narrow sense of the word, they mean exactly them. According to various estimates, the Pashtun population in Afghanistan is 39-42% of the total population of the country. In addition, there are significant settlements of this nationality in Pakistan and Iran. The Pashtun community is Pashto, the state language of Afghanistan, which belongs to the East Iranian group.

The second largest ethnic group in the country are Tajiks, or Persians. 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 state language in Afghanistan, and also serves as a means of interethnic communication between representatives of various nationalities.

The third significant group of Afghans is Uzbeks. They make up 6-9% of the population of the whole country. The Uzbek language, in contrast to the previous two, refers already to the Turkic group.

In addition, significant ethnic groups in Afghanistan are Hazaras, Pashayis, Charaimaks, Turkmen, Nuristanis, Pamir peoples, Baluchis, Braugui, Gujars, Kirghiz, Kyzylbashs and Afshars.

Religion

What does the population of Afghanistan believe in? Religion occupies a significant place in the life of the country. Moreover, religious life is represented by a practical one faith - Islam. More than 99% of the country's population professes it. At the same time, about 80% adhere to the Sunni trend (predominantly the Hanafi madhhab), and 18% - the Shiite. 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 reign of the Taliban, the country lived even under Sharia law, which violated the Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms.

But is only Afghanistan among the religions of Islam? The number of people professing the Christian faith is 30,000 in the country. They are mostly Protestants, who also have foreign citizenship. In addition, there are representatives of the following religions in Afghanistan: Hindus, Bahá'ís, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, but they represent a fairly small population. Afghanistan, therefore, is an Islamic country.

Economy of the state

Of course, a state that has been battered for decades by war can not have a strong and stable economy. At the moment the country is located at 219th place in terms of GDP per capita, that is, it is one of the poorest in the world. It is mainly an agrarian country that produces grain, fruit, wool, etc. Industry is rather weakly developed.

However, there are no desperate situations, and the population itself is looking for a way out. Afghanistan is the world center for the production of drugs, which causes considerable concern for various UN structures.

The future of the country

So, we described the past and the present of a country like Afghanistan. The area, population, economy and other issues were considered by us. But what awaits the state in the future? The answer to this question is rather complicated and depends on many factors. But we can say with confidence that without a complete cessation of hostilities in Afghanistan and the government's full control over its territory, a stable future for the country is impossible.

Let's hope that in the near future peace will come on the territory of Afghanistan.