Updated: 2019-05-04.
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan | د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Southern and Central Asia, bordering Pakistan to its south and east, Iran and Turkmenistan to its west, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to its north and a tiny little sliver of China to its northeast. It is geographically not in the area known as the Middle East, though it often gets grouped into it, so lenient cartographers allow it to be within the “Greater” Middle East region.
Check out our post on the differences between Arab and Middle Eastern.
Afghanistan Travel Information & Key Points
General points to know about the country of Afghanistan – demographics, important ages, phone numbers, key statistics, and more, whether you’re traveling there or not.
Capital: Kabul (& largest city)
Population: 31.5 million (2019 estimate)
Language(s): Pashto, Dari
President: Ashraf Ghani
Chief Executive Officer: Abdullah Abdullah
Currency: Afghani (AFN)
Area: 652,864 km2 (252,072 mi2)
Dialing Code: +93
Time Zone: (UTC+4:30)
Drives on the: Right
Demonym: Afghan, Afghani, Afghanistani (what’s a demonym?)
Endonym: افغانستان (Afġānistān) (their name for their country)
Emergency Numbers: 119 for police & fire, 112 for ambulance
Drinking Age: ILLEGAL!!!
Smoking Age: 15
Age of Consent: ILLEGAL!!! (outside of marriage)
Electricity & Adapter: Plug Types C / F (learn about the different plug types)
ISO Country Code: AF
