Afghanistan

Afghanistan is located on the continent of Asia, where it has a landlocked position and is bordered by China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Asia is the world's largest continent, spanning a total area of 43,820,000 km2. Asia has 48 countries, with some countries belonging to both Asia and Europe, and forms 29.5% of the world's landmass. Afghanistan is a landlocked country that occupies a total area of approximately 652,090 km2. It is Asia's twelfth largest country by area.

The following information provides a guideline to the approximate border lengths of Afghanistan:
China 91 km, Iran 921 km, Pakistan 2,670 km, Tajikistan 1,357 km, Turkmenistan 804 km, Uzbekistan 144 km.

The climate conditions of Afghanistan can be described as arid to semi-arid as this country receives a low amount of rainfall. When rain does occur, it generally falls across northern regions of Afghanistan. The weather is typically hot during the months of summer and the winter season is cold. The geography of Afghanistan is comprised majorly of rocky terrain, rugged mountains and vast areas of flat land. The lowest point of Afghanistan is the Amu Darya at 258m, and the highest point of elevation is Noshak at 7,492m.

The official languages of Afghanistan are Afghan Persian (Dari) and Pashto. Approximately 11 percent speak Uzbek as a primary language. Other languages that are used as a first language by a small percentage of the population are English, Turkmen, Urdu, Pashayi, Nuristani and Arabic.

The primary religion of Afghanistan is Muslim at approximately 99% of the population. The majority are Sunni Muslims, and less than 15% are Shia Muslims. Sunni and Shia are two main branches of Islam. People belonging to the Islamic religion worship Allah. In the English language, the word Allah refers to God in Islam. Those belonging to the religion of Islam believe in one god. Most of Afghanistan’s population are Muslim and follow the practices of Islam.

Natural resources can be described as materials and substances found naturally occurring on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. An individual country's natural resources can depend on many factors including the climate, geography and location. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, are rich with natural resources, where as others have practically none. Three of the primary uses of natural resources are food, transport and construction. The following examples provide information on the everyday uses of natural resources: Fish occurs naturally in many bodies of water and can be caught for food consumption. Crude oils can be refined into various fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests and used to construct houses and furniture. The natural resources of Afghanistan include natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, zinc, lead, iron ore, salt, gemstones, and arable land suitable for growing crops.

Every country has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, symbols, emblems, mottos, songs, anthems and colors are used by countries across the world to represent national pride and identity. These national symbols are forged through a nation's unique history and can represent both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, colors, songs and mottos reflect the past, present and future aspirations of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a nation such as wildlife, plants, geographical features, crops, tools of agriculture, and tools of war. The following facts depict some of the national symbols, songs and colors that are important to Afghanistan: