Travel to Afghanistan

Travel warning is issued for traveling to Afghanistan. For more information please visit U.S. Department of State

Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Afghanistan

• Time Zone: GMT/UTC +4.5
• Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellullar phone etc.)
• Currency: Afghanistan afghani (Afg)
• Country Dialing Code: 93

Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List 

• Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam
• Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley

Afghanistan

Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Capital
Kabul

Population
29,928,987 (July 2005 est.)

Regions
34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Daykondi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Panjshir, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, and Zabol

Climate
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Ethnic groups
Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%

Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Government type
Islamic republic

Background
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, but withdrew 10 years later under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A civil war between mujahedin factions erupted following the 1992 fall of the Communist regime. The Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy, seized Kabul in 1996 and most of the country outside of opposition Northern Alliance strongholds by 1998. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late 2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution in 2003, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. On 9 October 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan. The National Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2005.

Visitor's Impressions

Afghanistan Travel and Accommodation – Your Tips for Travelers

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Disclaimer: Although we have tried to make the information on this website as accurate as possible, some of the facts may not be accurate, or may have recently changed. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience suffered by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify important information with the relevant authorities before traveling.