Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a landlocked nation in Central Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. Kabul serves as the capital and largest city. Dari and Pashto are the two official languages, and the currency is the Afghan afghani (AFN). The country spans roughly 652,000 km² and holds a population of approximately 43 million people, with a cultural identity shaped by millennia of trade, conquest, and tribal tradition.

Visa requirements for Afghanistan are complex and highly variable depending on nationality and prevailing political conditions. Most visitors have historically required a visa obtained in advance through an Afghan embassy or consulate. Travellers are strongly advised to consult their government's foreign affairs ministry and the nearest Afghan diplomatic mission for current, accurate entry requirements before making any plans.

The ancient city of Balkh, once a major Silk Road hub, contains ruins dating back thousands of years. The Minaret of Jam in Ghor province, a 12th-century UNESCO-listed tower, rises 65 metres from a remote river gorge. Band-e-Amir in Bamyan province features a chain of vivid blue crater lakes set against ochre cliffs. The Bamyan Valley itself holds the carved niches where two monumental Buddhas once stood before their destruction in 2001.

Afghanistan has a semi-arid to arid continental climate with pronounced seasonal extremes. Summers in lowland areas such as Kandahar routinely reach 38–42 °C, while Kabul, at higher elevation, averages around 30 °C in July. Winters are cold across most of the country, with Kabul dropping to −5 °C or below and mountain regions experiencing heavy snowfall. Spring (April–May) offers the most temperate conditions. Layered clothing is practical year-round given sharp day-to-night temperature swings.

• Home to the world's largest deposits of lapis lazuli.
• Buzkashi, a horse-mounted sport, is the national game.
• Alexander the Great founded several cities here circa 329 BCE.
• Afghan carpets are internationally recognised for geometric craftsmanship.
• Pomegranates from Kandahar are considered among the world's finest.

• mofa.gov.af — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan
• nsia.gov.af — National Statistics and Information Authority, population and geographic data
• bakhtar.gov.af — Bakhtar News Agency, official state news outlet