Afghanistan
A presentation by Cassie Dychton,
Maria Rademacher, and Anthony
Braves
AFGHAN
LIFE
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3000 BCE-2000 BCE-Mundigak
522 BCE-486 BCE -Darius the Great
expands Persian empire
400 AD - Invasion of the White Huns.
550 AD-Persians control over Afghanistan
1219-1221-Invasion by Genghis Khan
1747-Nadir Shah is assassinated, and the
Afghans rise once again.
1826-1992-Modern Afghanistan was
created as a buffer state Russian vs.
British empires(to Soviet Union and Great
Britin)
1940-Zahir Shah proclaims Afghanistan as
neutral during WW2
1978-Bloody Communist coup
1979-1992-Soviet Union (Russia) invades
in December.
1992-Now-Islamic State of Afghanistan
Islamic republic
History
Geography
• Afghanistan Climate = cold winters
& hot summers
• Hindu Kush mountain range rises
to more than 20,000 ft
• Central Afghanistan = plateau at
6,000 ft
• Southwestern Afghanistan = desert
• Less water pollution in mountains
• Few Lakes
Economy
Natural Resources
•Natural Gas
•Petroleum
•Coal
•Copper
•Sulfur
•Lead
•Zinc
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Unemployment rate = 40%
Exports: $327 million
Imports: $4.85 billion
Import Partners: Pakistan 36.8%,
US 11%, India 5%, Germany 4.2%
Religion
• Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%  Tension/ Violence
• 1% (Jews and Christian) would leave Afghanistan for Israel to escape Islamic
rule
• Islamic State of Afghanistan (1992-Now)
• Afghanistan are the flag-covered graves of saint-like people
• Mullah
• 5 pillars of Islam are practiced all the time
• Foreign policy is heavily weighted on the west’s ability to understand and
respect Afghanistan’s culture.
• Afghanistan must show understanding on its side of the table in order to
avoid conflict.
Culture
•Major ethnic groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik
27%, Hazara 9%, and Uzbek 9%
•Language: Afghan Persian/Dari (official)
50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages
(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%
•Gender roles (women): 1960s1992/1996
when Taliban captures Kabul
•Afghan diet
•Taliban had a ban on entertainment, but now
social atmosphere more relaxed
•Women still wear chador/chadrifull body
covering mandated by Taliban
•Men wear loose, baggy trousers with a long
over shirt and vest over it
•Male literacy 21%, female literacy 51% in
2002
•Educationfree. Primary 6 yrssecondary
6 yrsVocational program/training
Current Affairs
• Unemployment article: http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2008/09/28/povertyunemployment-driving-afghanistan-towards-instability.html
• Current Event: “Iran says 20 killed in Mosque bombing”
(http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-attack29-2009may29,0,3955316.story)
• Current Event: “29 insurgents killed in eastern Afghanistan”
(http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD98F4G8
O0)
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Suicide Attacks
Taliban going strong—centralized power
War in Iraq looking better, war in Afghanistan not going America’s way…
Kabul movie
Connections
• The War in AfghanistanTaliban still
recruiting children
• Kabul, AfghanistanKite Runner
cultureHazara and Pashtun
• Pakistan/Afghanistan border control “Children
of the Taliban” video
Bibliography
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"13_25_55---Coal_web.jpg (JPEG Image, 398x600 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://www.freefoto.com/images/13/25/13_25_55---Coal_web.jpg>.
"1652278.jpg (JPEG Image, 467x700 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/1652278.jpg>.
"2159478392_87226b25.jpg (JPEG Image, 500x375 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2414/2159478392_87226b3b25.jpg>.
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A., QAZI, “History”, Afghanistan Online, http://www.afghan-web.com/, Copyright A. QAZI 1996-2009
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"Afghanistan: Daily Life and social customs)." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7798/Afghanistan/226137/Daily-life-and-social-customs>.
"afghanistan.jpg (JPEG Image, 400x299 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://iserp.columbia.edu/files/iserp/shared/afghanistan.jpg>.
“Afghanistan: Modern Afghanistan”, Lycos, Copyright © 2009 Lycos Inc., http://www.lycos.com/info/afghanistan--modern-afghanistan.html
"afghanistan_russian_troops_mount_passes.jpg (JPEG Image, 603x406 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/geography_images/afghanistan_russian_troops_mountain_passes.jpg >.
"chador.jpg (JPEG Image, 350x250 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://tokopa.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/chador.jpg>.
"Climate." Afghanistan's website. 2 Jun 2009 <http://www.afghanistans.com/Information/Climate.htm>. "Afghanistan." CIA: The World Factbook. 2
Jun 2009 <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html#Geo>.
"Education-Afghanistan." Encyclopedia of the Nations. 2 Jun 2009 <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/AfghanistanEDUCATION.html>.
"Flag_afghanistan_2004.png (PNG Image, 729x486 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Flag_afghanistan_2004.png>.
"girl.jpg (JPEG Image, 600x436 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://www.freedomfiles.org/war/girl.jpg >.
"http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD98F4G8O0 ." Google News. 3 Jun 2009
<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD98F4G8O0 >.
"Img0031.jpg (JPEG Image, 450x298 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009 <http://richardmcguire.com/travel/asia/afghanistan/Img0031.jpg>.
"Iran says 20 killed in mosque bombing." 3 Jun 2009 <http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2009-05/47182899.jpg>.
Bibliography continued…
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"istockphoto_270547_nan_bread.jpg (JPEG Image, 308x285 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/270547/2/istockphoto_270547_nan_bread.jpg>.
“Policy Areas”, Malek Asghar St. Kabul, Afghanistan, © 2006 Ministry of Foreign Affairs., http://www.mfa.gov.af/contact.asp
poverty_kabul.jpg (JPEG Image, 400x281 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/data/upimages/poverty_kabul.jpg >.
"Poverty, unemployment driving Afghanistan towards instability." The Reality of Life in Afghanistan. 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2008/09/28/poverty-unemployment-driving-afghanistan-towards-instability.html>.
“Religion”, Afghan Civil Society a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization, Afghanistan’s Web Site,
http://www.afghanistans.com/information/People/Religion.htm
"strategic-petroleum-reserve-technician.img_assist_custom.jpg (JPEG Image, 499x549 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/files/images/strategic-petroleum-reserve-technician.img_assist_custom.jpg>.
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"Unemployment rate-color-coded world map." Index Mundi. 2 Jun 2009 <"Poverty, unemployment driving Afghanistan
towards instability." The Reality of Life in Afghanistan. 2 Jun 2009 . >.
"Weather and Climate in Afghanistan." South Travels. 2 Jun 2009
<http://www.southtravels.com/asia/afghanistan/weather.html>.
"Without+rain+it+looks+like+a+desert-784676.jpg (JPEG Image, 400x300 pixels)." 2 Jun 2009
<http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5Dr8EsTtpYk/RysqMZZKsiI/AAAAAAAAA6c/9SpH3btPiA/s400/Without+rain+it+looks+like+a+desert-784676.jpg>.