Federal Research Division Library of Congress Edited by Peter R. Blood Research Completed 1997 PREFACE The material on Afghanistan that follows represents preliminary drafts of three

Afghanistan Capital: Kabul Population: 29,928,987 (July 2005) Location: Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran More information about Afghanistan News Places in Afghanist

- Development indicators - Regional Forecast - Millennium Development Goals - Poverty "At a Glance" (pdf) Data may not always be the same on all tables due to different sources and measurement t

AFGHANISTAN HISTORICAL SETTING THE PRE-ISLAMIC PERIOD Achaemenid Rule, ca. 550-331 B.C. Alexander and Greek Rule, 330-ca. 150 B.C. Central Asian and Sassanian Rule, ca. 150 B.C.-700 A.D. I

PROFILE OFFICIAL NAME: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Geography Area: 647,500 sq. km. (249,935 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Texas. Cities: Capital--Kabul (1,780,000; 1999/2000 UN est.). O