Afghanistan is a sovereign country in Southern Asia, in the wider region of Asia. Treaties and official documents call it Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Government sits in Kabul.
The land area is 652,230 km², which ranks it 42nd of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Myanmar and just ahead of Somalia. For scale, it is a little larger than Kenya.
The population is about 42.6 million, placing it 36th of 250 by population — between Argentina above it and Canada below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 4th of 9 in size and 5th in population.
Afghanistan on the map
The coordinates the dataset gives are 33.0° N, 65.0° E, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 3,674 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
China, Morocco and Tunisia sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.
6 countries share a land border with it: Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. The largest of them by area is China, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 1.81 billion people.
It has no sea coast of its own. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, which reliably raises the cost of trade, because port access depends on a transit agreement with a neighbour. 3 of its neighbours, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, are landlocked too. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
How crowded Afghanistan is, and what is spoken there
Density comes out at around 65 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.
The demonym is Afghan, so residents are Afghans.
3 languages carry official status: Dari, Pashto and Turkmen. Dari and Pashto are listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes them effectively unique to Afghanistan.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 15th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 2.1% of everyone living in Southern Asia.
Money, codes and practical details
It uses the Afghan afghani (Ø‹, AFN). It is issued for Afghanistan alone.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Afghanistan, the answer is Kabul.
The top-level domain is .af. Calls from overseas start with +93. In ISO terms it is af in two letters and AFG in three.
Afghanistan is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Afghanistan shares borders with 6 countries:
Fun facts about Afghanistan
- It is 36th of 250 by population, with about 42.6 million residents.
- Its full official name is Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
- It shares land borders with 6 countries: Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China.
- Population density works out at roughly 65 people per square kilometre.
- China and Morocco sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- Ranked by land area, Afghanistan is 42nd out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- The Afghan afghani is used here and nowhere else on this list.
Afghanistan — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Afghanistan?
- The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul.
- Which countries border Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan borders 6 countries: Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. China is the largest of them by area.
- What language is spoken in Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan lists 3 official languages: Dari, Pashto and Turkmen. Dari and Pashto do not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.
- How big is Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan covers 652,230 km², ranking 42nd of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Kenya.
- What is the population of Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan has a population of about 42.6 million, which makes it the 36th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Argentina sits just above it and Canada just below.
- Is Afghanistan landlocked?
- Yes. Afghanistan has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Where is Afghanistan located?
- Afghanistan is in Southern Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 33.0° north and 65.0° east, roughly 3,674 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- Is Afghanistan a country?
- Yes. Afghanistan is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What currency does Afghanistan use?
- Afghanistan uses the Afghan afghani, written Ø‹ (currency code AFN). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
