CULTURE PROFILE| << | CHAPTER |
| AFGHANS
— THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE
CULTURE PROFILE |
|||||
|
CONTENTS | PREFACE | INTRODUCTION | LAND | ECONOMY | PEOPLE | HISTORY | RELIGION | SOCIETY | FAMILY | VALUES | FESTIVITIES | FOOD | DRESS | MUSIC & LITERATURE | LANGUAGE & LITERACY | EDUCATION | CULTURAL CHALLENGES | BIBLIOGRAPHY | ||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
Mountains dominate Afghanistan. |
The Land Located in south-central Asia, Afghanistan is a high, landlocked country a little smaller than Texas. It is bordered on the west by Iran and on the east and south by Pakistan. Its northern neighbors are Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. China lies to the northeast. In terms of its mountain ruggedness and its climate of hot summers and bitterly cold winters, it is much like Wyoming. Temperatures vary according to altitude, but in general the average highs are above 90° F in the summers, and the winter lows drop well below freezing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As the map shows, the mountains of the Hindu Kush and the Pamir Knot dominate the country. The Hindu Kush runs roughly east to west through the central part of Afghanistan, with peaks averaging 15,000 to 16,000 feet. The Pamir Knot is a range of high peaks in the Wakhan Corridor, the finger of territory extending from the northeast part of the country. Well over 80% of the Pamir Knot is over 10,000 feet in altitude, with peaks soaring to 24,000 feet. While there are a number of passes through the mountains, primarily the Hindu Kush, most are closed by snow in the winter, and only a few have paved roads. During the summers, the passes are navigable by heavy vehicles, but horses, mules, and camels are probably the most efficient means of transport. The Panjshir Valley runs through the Hindu Kush, north of Kabul. To the west of the Hindu Kush, the land gradually slopes downward into sparsely inhabited, arid to semiarid rocky deserts, broken only by the river systems – the Amu Darya (Oxus), the Hari Rud, the Hilmand-Arghandab, and the Kabul. Most of the water in Afghanistan comes from these great river systems that carry the snowmelt from the mountains into the lower areas of the country, in yearly floods that frequently destroy crops and villages. It has long been recognized that the river systems have the capability to irrigate extensive drier areas through dams, water storage, and irrigation programs. Afghanistan does not suffer from a lack of water but rather from the inability to control and use the water it has. |
|
 |
|
|
|||
|
The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net,
for more information contact sanja@cal.org |
