About Afghanistan

Afghanistan, with a population of 28 million, is in southwest Asia. Pakistan is to its south and east; Iran is to its west. During the late 7th century CE (Christian Era), Islam moved into this region from the Arab peninsula where it was founded. Most of the country is mountainous and Afghanistan has no coastline. The rugged terrain has facilitated long-lasting ethnic separation. More than 30 languages are spoken. The largest ethnic groups are the Dari with 50% of the population and the Pashtu with 35%. The Ansary family belongs to the largest group, the Dari. They speak Farsi. This language, also known as Persian, is also spoken in Iran. It uses the same alphabet as Arabic, but is a totally distinct language.