Once an essential part of the
hippy trail, friendly, beautiful Afghanistan has sadly been destroyed by years of war and neglect.
Home to plentiful countryside and the rugged
Hindu Kush mountain range, travelers came for the clear mountain air and to see attractions like the giant
Buddha statues of
Bamiyan.
However, the statues and many other monuments were destroyed under the catastrophic reign of the
Taleban, a party of Islamic militants. After 9/11, Afghanistan was accused of harboring Osama Bin Laden and faced a heavy bombardment from
the US which destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure.
With thousands of peace-keeping troops still occupying
Kabul and pockets of fighting continuing in the south, it seems it will be some time before Afghanistan is restored to its former glory.
Travelers are strongly advised against all travel to Afghanistan, as the threat from terrorist or criminal violence is extremely high. There is also a widespread danger from mines and kidnap throughout the country.
GeographyAfghanistan is a landlocked country, sharing its borders with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan to the north, China to the northeast, Pakistan to the east and south and Iran to the west. On the eastern tip of the Iranian plateau, central Afghanistan is made up of a tangled mass of mountain chains. The Hindu Kush is the highest range, rising to more than 7,500m (24,600ft). The Bamian Valley separates the Hindu Kush from Koh-i-Baba, the central mountain range and source of the Helmand River. To the north and southwest of these mountains, alluvial plains provide fertile agricultural soil. To the northeast is Kabul, the capital. The other major cities are Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat.
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