An Introduction to
Afghanistan
Compiled by:
Kelly
O’Neil
&
Kara
Bredemeyer
ED 608-01
Social Studies Introductory Unit
on
Afghanistan
for
6th, 7th and 8th grades*
*Although these are the grades in which international subject matter is
traditionally taught, recent events have made this particular topic matter
pertinent for all students. Teachers of lower grades should consider
presenting a modified version of this material to their students.
Objective
After viewing a Powerpoint presentation and doing
the suggested related activities, students will:
• be able to locate Afghanistan on a map.
• know at least two pertinent facts about each of the
following: Afghanistan’s history, people,
language, economy, geography, and government.
• be able to define the highlighted terms in the
presentation with 80% accuracy.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
A dictionary for each table.
An encyclopedia for each table.
A map of the world.
Computer access.
Copies of the daily paper for each class.
www. Sites to Visit
•
For Afghan Culture:
– www.afghan-network.net/Culture/
•
For links to other sites:
– www.aboutafghanistan.com/
•
For facts and figures:
– www.countrywatch.com/
– www.cia.gov/
•
For up-to-date news articles:
– http://news.bbc.co.uk
•
For geographical information:
– www.geographic.org
Activities
• After viewing the slide presentation, the students
will copy an outline map of Afghanistan and
transpose it onto an outline map of Texas (drawn
to same scale) for comparison.
• Students will use a world map to establish the
geographic coordinates of Afghanistan and will
establish what regions of the USA are at the same
latitude. They should draw appropriate
comparisons to weather and agriculture between
the sites.
Activities
• Students will ascertain which State(s) in the US has a
population similar to Afghanistan’s.
• Students will ascertain the life expectancy of various
American ethnic groups, and will compare them with
those of Afghanistan. They will then research and
ultimately draw conclusions as to what factors might
lead to the low life expectancy of Afghans.
Activities
• Students (boys and girls) will take turns draping
donated bed sheets over their heads (with an area
cut-out for vision, like a Burqa) and walking
around the classroom.
• They will then write a journal entry describing the
experience. They should discuss whether anything
was more difficult? Could they find any benefits
to wearing one? What could be the negatives of
having to wear a Burqa every day?
Note to Teachers
Terms which we recommend for use in unit
vocabulary lists or for use as further research
topics have been highlighted throughout the
presentation.
The Flag of
Afghanistan
On the coat of arms are 2 Muslim inscriptions written in Arabic:
“God is Great”
Allah.”
“There is no God but Allah, and
Muhammad is the Prophet of
What Kind of Government
Does Afghanistan Have?
The Government
• Afghanistan does not have a functioning central
government. It is ruled by factions.
• 90% of the country is ruled by the Taliban. The
United Nations, however, does not recognize the
Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan.
• The capital city is Kabul.
• There are presently 30 Afghan provinces.
• The Constitution of 1964 is no longer in use.
What Religions do the Citizens
of Afghanistan Practice?
Religion
Photo: Blue Mosque
Ninety-nine percent of Afghanistan’s population
is Muslim.
What are the People Like?
The People
• The people of Afghanistan
are called Afghan(s).
• Afghanistan’s population
is 27,000,000.
• The people of Afghanistan
have a life expectancy of
only 45 years.
• Many ethnic groups make
up the Afghan population.
The largest is the Pashtun
(38%) followed in size by
the Tajik (25%).
The People
The Language
Because of the presence of different ethnic groups in
Afghanistan, several different languages are spoken.
– 50% of the people can speak “Dari.”
– 35% of the people can speak “Pashtu.”
– 11% of the people can speak one of the “Turkic”
languages.
– Additionally there are another 30 minor languages
spoken.
– There is a high level of bilingualism among the
population.
Is Afghanistan’s Geography Like
Ours?
The Geography
• Afghanistan is about the size of Texas.
• Its 647,500 square miles are landlocked.
• It is located in Southern Asia. It shares borders with
Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, Iran,
and China.
The Geography
• The terrain is mostly rugged mountains, but there
are plains in the north and southwest portions of
the country.
• The climate is arid-semiarid. The winters are cold
and the summers are hot.
The Geography
• Afghanistan suffers
from damaging
earthquakes (an
earthquake killed
5,000 people in
Takhar Province, in
1998) and from
flooding and
droughts.
Photo: Takhar Province after 1998 earthquake
What Kind of Economy Do the
Afghans Have?
The Economy
Afghanistan is a poor country with few modern conveniences.
It depends on farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats).
Due to war and drought during the past 20 years, there has been
a large loss of labor and capital, and the disruption of trade and
transport of goods has had serious effects on the lives of many
Afghans.
Exports
Afghanistan’s main export has been the opium extracted
from the poppy plants grown over much of the country. The
Taliban has recently put a ban on the cultivation of poppies.
Because poppy farmers have little else to fall back on, many
now have to face devastating poverty.
Exports
Exports which are still legal:
–
–
–
–
–
–
wheat
fruits
nuts
wool
mutton
karakul pelts
Do the Afghan People Have a
History Like Ours?
The History
•
•
•
•
•
•
18th Century: The creation of Afghanistan.
19th Century: The Barakzai Dynasty.
1919: Independence from British control.
1973: A coup overthrows the King.
1979: Invasion by Russian troops.
1996: The Taliban take power.
18th and 19th Centuries
• Today’s Afghanistan was created in the early18th
century by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan
general of Persian Emperor Nadir Shah Afshar.
• In the early 19th century, the British imposed a
protectorate. During this period the Barakzai
Dynasty took the place of the Durrani.
• In 1919, Afghanistan gained independence from
British control.
1933 - 1973
• King Zahir Shar
(pictured left) sat on
the Kobul throne for
forty years.
• A coup d’etat led by
his cousin in 1973
ended his reign.
• He has been living in
Rome, Italy since.
1979 - 1988
• The Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan with 80,000 men
in December, 1979, in an
attempt to impose control for
its puppet Afghan government.
• After losing tens-of- thousands
of soldiers, the defeated
Soviets retreated in 1988.
• 1,000,000 Afghans lost their
lives in the fight against the
Soviet Union.
1996 - Present
The Islamic fundamentalist movement known as
the Taliban began to take political and physical
control of the country in 1994. With its takeover
of Kobul in 1996, the Taliban became the selfproclaimed government of Afghanistan, although
it is not recognized as such by the United Nations.
What is Afghanistan Like Today?
Afghanistan Today
After more than twenty years of civil war,
Afghanistan’s economy and infrastructure lie in ruin.
Afghanistan Today
The civil war which Afghanistan has been fighting
continues as the Taliban supporters face the forces of
the Northern Alliance.
Afghanistan Today
During the many years of
fighting, millions of land mines
were buried in Afghanistan’s
countryside. Many of the
unexploded mines are now
injuring adults and children
when they accidentally trip the
wires. International agencies
are trying to help the Afghans
de-mine the land.
Afghanistan Today
The Taliban has been ridding
the country of all non-Islamic
relics. Two sandstone
statues of Buddha had stood
carved in the side of a cliff in
Bamiyan since around the
Third Century. They were
built to 175’ and 120’ in
height.
Afghanistan Today
But on March 3, 2001, the
Taliban used rockets and
mortars to destroy the statues
in a campaign to rid the
country of “un-Islamic” and
idolatrous representations of
the human form.
Afghanistan Today
Women no longer have as
many rights as they once
did. The Taliban does not
allow women or girls to
study, work in most jobs, or
vote. Women have to be
completely covered when
walking in public and should
be accompanied by a male
from their family.
The End