Afghanistan

 


Learn a little about Afghanistan here, and use our collection of flag printables to back up what you have learned.

Learn about Afghanistan

  • The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, a large landlocked country in south Central Asia,has been called Kurashan locally for two thousand years.
  • It is east of Iran and north of Pakistan. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan lie to the north.
  • Mountain ranges such as the Hindu Kush cover the majority of the country, with peaks up to 7,435 metres at Nowshak.

Baba mountain range of Afghanistan, between Kabul and Kandahar
Baba mountain range of Afghanistan, between Kabul and Kandahar

  • Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group out of the population of around 31 million, followed by Persian speaking Tajiks and Hazaris. Over 80% of the country are Sunni muslims.
  • Kabul, the capital, is home to 2.5 million people and the setting for the famous novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini.
  • Alexander the Great founded the second city of Alexandria, now known as Kandahar, in 328 BCE when he invaded. It was one of seventy cities in Asia which he named after himself!
  • Afghanistan has also been occupied by Persian, Mongol. Timurid, Russian, British, American and Taliban forces during its long and turbulent history.
  • The world’s oldest oil paintings were found in caves in Bamiyan, dating to 650 BCE. Nearby once stood the world’s tallest statue of Buddha which was 55 metres high. Unfortunately it has now been destroyed.
  • Afghan hounds are one of the world’s oldest breed of dogs. They have long hair to keep them warm from the cold mountains in Afghanistan.

Afghan hound

  • The traditional national sport, called Buzkashi, involves men on horses trying to drag a goat carcass into a goal! It is very dangerous.
  • Football and cricket are now popular. The Afghan team is playing in the 2015 ICC World Cup.
  • New Year’s Day, known as Now Rooz, is on March 21st.

About the Flag of Afghanistan:

Afghanistan Flag Printables

The Afghanistan flag has changed more times than any other flag since the start of the 20th Century, and there have been 20 flags since the Afghanistan became an independent country in 1709. The current flag was adopted by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2004, and has the classic emblem of Afghanistan, with a mosque, in the centre.


Our Afghanistan Resources

Afghanistan Booklet

Afghanistan Booklet

Print and fold our little Afghanistan flag booklet to store what you learn about this Asian country. You will need our origami booklet instructions.

Afghanistan Bookmarks

Afghanistan Bookmarks

Here are four sets of Afghanistan bookmarks featuring the flag either in colour or black and white.

Afghanistan Fact Worksheet

Afghanistan Fact Worksheet

Our Afghanistan Fact Worksheet asks children to research a collection of geographical facts about the country, then do some location work on the map.

Afghanistan Flag Jigsaw

Afghanistan Flag Jigsaw

Help the kids remember the Afghanistan flag with our printable flag jigsaw. Just follow the instructions here.

Afghanistan Flag Printable

Afghanistan Flag Printable

Our printable Afghanistan flags come in four different sizes, from  one per page to 21 per page. The pdf file below has four pages.

Afghanistan Worksheet

Afghanistan Worksheet

Find out some facts about Afghanistan and use our worksheet to record them - and everything else you've learned about this fascinating country.

More Asian Countries

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