Many different cultures have moved through or invaded the land of Afghanistan. Today the people of Afghanistan, known as
Afghans, have many traits passed down from these groups. The largest ethnic group is the
Pashtuns (or ethnic Afghans), who make up about half the Afghan people.[SUP]
[12][/SUP]
Tajiks are the second-largest group, making up about one-fifth of the population.[SUP]
[13][/SUP] Before the 20th century, Tajiks were called Sarts[SUP]
[14][/SUP] and some come from the Iranian peoples.[SUP]
[15][/SUP] Pashtuns are also related to the Iranian peoples, and many Pashtuns and Tajiks marry each other but at the same time they are rivals. The country's other ethnic groups include the
Hazaras,
Uzbeks,
Aimaks,
Turkmens,
Nuristani,
Baloch, Pashai and few others. The Hazaras live in the mountains of central Afghanistan, some people believe that the Hazaras have connection to the 13th century
Mongol invaders, because their language has many Mongol words.[SUP]
[11][/SUP]
The language of the Pashtuns, called
Pashto, is the first official language of Afghanistan.[SUP]
[1][/SUP] The second official language is
Dari[SUP]
[1][/SUP] (Afghan dialect of
Farsi (Persian). Most people who live in cities can speak more than one language. Dari is spoken by the Tajik, Hazara, and some other groups. Both Pashto and Dari belong to the
Indo-European languages, but they are usually written with the
Arabic alphabet.
Uzbek and
Turkmen are widely spoken in the north and
Nuristani and
Pashai are spoken in the east.[SUP]
[1][/SUP] Almost all Afghans follow the religion of
Islam.
Afghanistan is a largely
rural country, which means that there are few cities and much spaced-apart land. Only about one fifth of the population lives in cities.
Kabul, the capital, is the largest city. It is along the
Kabul River south of the
Hindu Kush range. Other cities in Afghanistan include
Kandahar,
Herat,
Mazar-e Sharif, and
Jalalabad. The rural population is made up of farmers and nomads (people who move or travel from place to place). The farmers live mainly in small villages along the rivers. The nomads live in tents while moving from place to place with their animals and belongings. Few people live in the high central mountains or the deserts in the south and southwest. Millions of people fled (left) Afghanistan for Pakistan and Iran during the war that happened in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
