The population of Afghanistan. Population of Afghanistan: ethnic composition and size

Afghanistan is a country known to us, unfortunately, for military reports. The incessant fighting, dictatorial near-fascist regimes, the complete collapse of the economy - all these factors have affected the population of Afghanistan.

What is happening with this country now?

Afghanistan's path to independence

The history of Afghanistan began back in ancient times. Herodotus mentions the people inhabiting these lands for the first time and calls them paktiena. The historian himself in these places did not come and knew about the ancient Afghans only from the lips of other people. Herodotus described the paktienov as barbarians dressed in animal skins. Another reliable mention of the Afghans, we find in Chinese chronicles.

In the 11th century, this people was described already by the Arab historian Abu-Nasr-Muhammad. He said that Afghans live on mountain tops and rob travelers passing by. Despite such descriptions, this people quickly adopted the "civilized" culture. The final acceptance of Islam is attributed to the XIII century.

At the same time, the modern territory of Afghanistan was conquered by the Mongols.

In the XVIII century, this land was already part of the Persian Empire. The Afghans raised several insurrections and managed to create two independent principalities.

The first Afghan state was the Durrani Empire, founded in the late 18th century. Soon Afghanistan became the arena of the struggle between the Russian and British empires. The reason for this was the advantageous geographical position of the country. In 1919, Britain was forced to recognize the independence of this state.

Modernity

In 1973, the monarchy was replaced by a republican system as a result of the coup, and five years later a revolution followed, as a result of which President Dowd was executed. Communists came to power. The new government immediately embarked on radical action. A special rejection of the traditionalists was caused by secularization.

A civil war broke out in the country. The Soviet Union brought troops into Afghanistan to help deal with the mujahideen financed by the United States, China and other countries. The incessant resistance compelled the USSR to withdraw its troops.

In the 90s, the Taliban movement gained strength, which declared themselves fighters for the interests of the Pashtuns (as the Afghans call themselves). The government of this group remembered the population of Afghanistan as an era of intolerance and cruelty.

After the terrorist act of September 11, 2001, bin Laden was hiding in this country. This was the reason for the invasion of American troops. After the fall of the Taliban regime, a modern state was formed - the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The civil war is still going on.

Population of Afghanistan: general information

We have already seen, the history of this country was not easy. The whole world community speaks about the extremely plight of Afghanistan, whose population was formed in the period of incessant wars.

Now in this country, according to various estimates, about 30 million people live. The population of Afghanistan is poorly urbanized. The villagers make up 80%. Literacy is low. 45% of men and only 15% of women are able to read.

Afghanistan today remains an underdeveloped country. Despite the fact that every woman on average gives birth to 6 children, infant mortality is the highest in the world. Life expectancy does not exceed 45 years.

Pashtuns

The state of Afghanistan is not ethnically homogeneous. The most numerous people are Pashtuns. Most of the people of this nationality live in India, and in Afghanistan, where they are the leading ethnic group, only 30% of the total population lives. They speak Pashto, which refers to the Iranian group.

The appearance of modern Pashtuns reflected the ancient history of Afghanistan. Now among them is very much a division on the tribal basis.

Public behavior is regulated by the Pashtunvalay code. The laws of this local arch often contradict the norms of the Sharia. For example, the Islamic law says that to confirm the fact of treason, the testimony of four witnesses is needed, and according to the Pashtun rules, only rumors are enough. A woman is deprived of the right to inherit property, although according to the Sharia she is entitled to half of her husband's property. Islamic law also prohibits blood feuds, and Pashtunvalai directly speaks of its necessity.

This people adheres to Islam of the Sunni type. The Taliban used his radical version.

Tajikistan

Tajiks make up about 30% (according to various estimates) of the people of Afghanistan. The population is difficult to calculate due to local characteristics and mass migration during wars.

Tajikov differs from Pashtuns first of all in his adherence to the Shiite branch of Islam. The traditional occupation of this people is agriculture. The family stores the remains of ancient generic division. The way of life is traditionally patriarchal.

Uzbekistan

The Turkic-speaking peoples of Afghanistan also have a large share. The list is headed by Uzbeks. The main occupation of Uzbeks is agriculture.

In places of compact residence, educational institutions have been set up, in which the learning process takes place in the national language.

Together in the Pashtuns and Tajiks, Uzbeks are part of a single Iranian cultural space.

Other peoples

The territory of Afghanistan is inhabited by other nations. A significant proportion are the Turkic peoples.

Here live about 3 million Hazaras. This Iranian-speaking people of Iranian and Mongolian origin. They are of Shiite religion.

Sunnis are pashayas - a small number of people (there are about 100 thousand of them). The traditional occupation of these people is agriculture.

In the northwest there live the Charaimaki - a group of tribes leading a semi-nomadic way of life. They live in a poorly adapted for agriculture area. They live at the expense of cattle breeding.

The Turkmen live in the provinces bordering Turkmenistan. To life, Afghan Turkmens earn livestock breeding and carpet weaving.

Nuristanis are a small group of tribes, which has long maintained the pagan religion. For a long time, the attitude towards them was disdainful of the local bureaucracy. In the early 2000s the Nuristanis received their own province - Nuristan.

Here we have not listed all the peoples of Afghanistan. The population consists of Pamirians, Braugui, Gujars, Kirghiz, Afshars and others.

Religion and Society

The position of Islam is enshrined in the Afghan Constitution. The majority of the population professes Islam. Most of them adhere to the Sunni Islam, 15% of Muslim believers are Shiites.

Christianity in Afghanistan is practiced by foreigners. For the citizens of the country, the death penalty is provided for the transition from Islam.

Most of the Hindus fled from Afghanistan because of the persecution of the Taliban. Hindus were forced to wear special bandages that identified them as non-Muslims. Women were forced to wear a burka.

In the country there is a community of Sikhs, Baha'is. Several thousand people profess the traditional beliefs, but their number is steadily decreasing.

Languages

The languages in which paperwork is conducted are Pashto and Dari.

Pashto is the national language of the Pashtuns, which belongs to the Iranian group. Dari is the language of the Afghan Tajiks.

Dozens of minority languages are used in everyday life. Bilingualism and multilingualism are the norm for Afghan society.

The status of women

In many ways, the well-being of society is determined by the situation of women in it. The first attempts to soften the legislation were made in the XIX century. The most successful emancipation of women took place during the communist regime and the presence of Soviet troops.

It did not last long. The Taliban regime became famous for its cruelty. Women were forbidden to go out without the support of a male relative. Without a veil, it was dangerous to appear in a public place. Girls have limited access to education. The women of Afghanistan could no longer get a job, so they completely fell into dependence on men.

Medical assistance was not available for the reason that only a female doctor could treat a woman. But girls were forbidden to work. Death during childbirth became commonplace.

New Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime has embarked on the path of liberalization. Access to education and work was re-opened. But not everything is so rosy.
The women of Afghanistan are mostly illiterate. They often do not even have proof of identity. 97% of women do not even know about the existence of contraception, 20% suffer from a deficiency in body weight.

Economic situation

Afghanistan today is among the poorest countries in the world. It can not be counted among the developing states: development and progress have stopped along with wars.

The industry here is completely undeveloped. The basis of the economy is traditional agriculture. Since the 1980s, the state of Afghanistan has become the main supplier of opium poppy in the world. The proceeds from the sale of drugs account for more than half of the national income.

Restoring the industrial complex is a matter of time.

The problem of terrorism

Since 2003, the international community has recognized the Taliban as a terrorist organization. Since the loss of control over most of Afghanistan, the Taliban have carried out acts of intimidation of the population.

Often, teenagers and children become victims. In 2007, the terrorists killed the boy. He was accused of studying English.

Migration from Afghanistan

The population of the country has decreased substantially as a result of wars. The number of inhabitants of the country has decreased not only because of the huge number of deaths, but also because of mass migration from Afghanistan.

The main aspiration of the Afghan refugees is to find peace and tranquility, which they can not receive in their country. Unfortunately, in other countries, migrants often find themselves in a helpless situation and are discriminated against on a national and religious basis.