Afghanistan was once well known on the backpacking circuit as the place to stop for unparalleled hospitality, fantastic food, and great hiking. More than 20 years of war have left the dramatic countryside peppered with landmines and reduced many of the finest monuments and minarets to rubble. When the Taliban, an orthodox Muslim faction with harsh interpretations of Islamic law and conduct, had control of the country between 1996 and 2001, having fun was branded as evil, women were banned from school and work, forcibly veiled and brutally punished for 'crimes' such as going to market without a male relative in tow.

PEOPLE
Afghanistan's ethnically and linguistically mixed population reflects its location astride historic trade and invasion routes leading from Central Asia into South and Southwest Asia. Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic group, accounting for about 38-44% of the population. Tajik (25%), Hazara (10-19%), Uzbek (6-8%), Aimaq, Turkmen, Baluch, and other small groups also are represented. Dari (Afghan Persian) and Pashto are official languages.

HISTORY
Afghanistan, often called the crossroads of Central Asia, has had a turbulent history. In 328 BC, Alexander the Great entered the territory of present-day Afghanistan, then part of the Persian Empire, to capture Bactria (present-day Balkh). Invasions by the Scythians, White Huns, and Turks followed in succeeding centuries. In AD 642, Arabs invaded the entire region and introduced Islam.

ECONOMY
In the 1930s, Afghanistan embarked on a modest economic development program. The government founded banks; introduced paper money; established a university; expanded primary, secondary, and technical schools; and sent students abroad for education. In 1956, the Afghan Government promulgated the first in a long series of ambitious development plans.

U.S.-AFGHAN RELATIONS
The first extensive American contact with Afghanistan was made by Josiah Harlan, an adventurer from Pennsylvania who was an adviser in Afghan politics in the 1830s and reputedly inspired Rudyard Kipling's story "The Man Who Would be King." After the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1934, the U.S. policy of helping developing nations raise their standard of living was an important factor in maintaining and improving U.S.-Afghan ties.

Area: 652,000 sq km
Population: 28.71 million
People: Pashtun (38%), Tajik (25%), Hazara (19%), Uzbek (6%), other (12%)
Language: Persian
Religion: Sunni Muslim (84%), Shi'a Muslim (15%), Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, Baha'i (1%)
Government: interim government
Head of State: Interim Government Chair Hamid Karzai
GDP: US$21 billion
GDP per capita: US$800
Annual Growth: unavailable%
Major Industries: Textiles and rugs, fruits and nuts, wool, cotton, fertilizer, soap, fossil fuels, gemstones
Major Trading Partners: FSU (Former Soviet Union), Pakistan, Iran, EU, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea