Afghanistan
Afghanistan, (which literally means Land of the Afghan) is a mountainous land-locked country located in Central Asia, with a history and culture that goes back over 5000 years. Afghanistan is a heterogeneous nation, in which there are four major ethnic groups: Pashtoons, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks. Numerous other minor ethnic groups (Nuristanis, Baluchis, Turkmens, etc.) also call Afghanistan their home. While the majority of Afghans (99%) belong to the Islamic faith, there are also small pockets of Sikhs, Hindus and even some Jews. The official languages of the country are Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian).
Afghanistan's Web Site
From the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce
http://acoc.afghanistans.com/
Afghanistan Government www.afghangovernment.com/
Afghanistan Online
http://www.afghan-web.com
Afghanistan Today: Through the Photographer's Lense
A photographic essay on the current state of Afghanistan
http://www.time.com/time/2002/afghanistan/
Maps of Afghanistan
from the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas at Austin
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/afghanistan.html
Institute for Afghan Studies
The goal of the Institute for Afghan Studies is to foster a better understanding of Afghan affairs through scholarly research and studies.
http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies.org/
Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage
Established in 1994 by a group of concerned individuals in response to the growing awareness of the vulnerability of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, SPACH works to promote cultural heritage as an integral part of the overall reconstruction effort.
http://spach.info
Afghan Country Studies: Library of Congress
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/aftoc.html
Languages of Afghanistan
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Afghanistan
Harrison Forman Collection of Afghanistan Photography
The online collection Afghanistan: Images from the Harrison Forman Collection documents the life and culture of Afghanistan in the late 1960s, several years before the civil unrest of the 1970s and 80s, the Soviet invasion, and the Taliban rule. The photographs, taken by Harrison Forman in 1969, portray the daily life of Afghanis, capture the beauty of the land, and document historic sites, including the great Buddhas of Bamiyan destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/afghan/
Afghanistan Cuisine Recipes & More Links
http://www.marga.org/food/int/afghanistan/
