Afghanistan - download georeferenced map set

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Afghanistan is a country in south-western Asia. It borders on Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, China, India and Pakistan in the east, Pakistan in the south and Iran in the west. The area of Afghanistan is 647 600 sq km.

Relief. Afghanistan is a mountainous country. About three quarters of the territory are covered by mountains and hills. There are several river valleys to the north, while there are desert areas in the south and south-west. The Hindu Kush is the main mountain system in the country, which stretches over 965 km from the Pamirs in the north-east to the Iranian border in the west. The average height of the Hindu Kush is about 4,270 m, while some peaks reach a height of 7,620 m through multiple passes linked interior of the country. The Shibar Pass, the lowest pass of the Hindu Kush, stands at an altitude of 2,987 m and connects the state capital of Kabul with the northern regions of the country. The Haiber Pass on the north-eastern border connects Afghanistan with Pakistan.

Mountains. The Hindu Kush is a mountain range in Central Asia. The mountains of the Hindu Kush are folded mountains and they emerged as a result of pressure of the Indian plate against the Central Asian continental mass. The Hindu Kush spreads for 1200 km from west to east and its width from north to south is about 240 km. In the north-east, the Hindu Kush is bounded by the Amu Darya River and the river that precedes it, the Pyanj, ahead of which the Pamirs start. The eastern border of the Hindu Kush is formed by the Chitral River. The major ranges are the Baba, the Pagman and the Hindu Kush proper. The western Hindu Kush is relatively low (with a dominant height of 3,500-4,000 m). The ridges of the central Hindu Kush (up to 6,059 m high) extend to the east and north-east of Kabul, their southern spurs and the Hindu Radj forming Nuristan, a complex mountainous region. The eastern Hindu Kush reaches over 6,000 m in its western part and has large glaciers. Its lowest pass is the Barogil Pass (3,777 m). The snow line there reaches about 5,000 m high.

The Baba (Mountain Range) (Kohi Baba, Baba Koohe) is a mountain range in central Afghanistan, part of the Hindu Kush. It reaches about 60 km in length and it is up to 5,143 m high (Mount Shahfuladi). It is a hydrographic hub and a watershed range, which has the origins of such rivers as the Gerirud, the Helmand (River), the Surhab (the left tributary of the Amu Darya) and the Kabul (the right tributary of the Indus).

Rivers. Afghanistan's major rivers include the Amu Darya River with such tributaries as the Kunduz, the Kokga, the Shiva; the Kabul and the Helmand with such tributaries as the Tarnak, the Laura and the Argandab; the Gerirud. The Tejen is longest river. It is 1150 km long. Other rivers flowing in Afghanistan include the Farahrud, the Sarpanak, the Murgat and the Indus with such tributaries as the Gomal, the Kabul, the Kunnar and the Kurram.

Lakes. The most important lakes are such lakes as Lake Sabaru, Dagi-Tundi, Gaudi-Zira, Abi-Ystad and Nazar.

Sightseeing.

The Hindu Kush, consisting of two massive mountain ranges, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful mountain systems in the world. These mountains, valleys and lakes are a perfect place for hiking tourism and mountaineering.

Kabul is the capital of the country, located at the heart of eastern Afghanistan, in the valley of the Kabul River, at an altitude of about 1,800 m above the sea level. It is one of the world’s most elevated capitals. There are a lot of interesting places around Kabul: the Karha Lake District, Tangi-Garu, a scenic ravine on the road to Jalalabad, the Hord-Kabul nature reserve, the picturesque Guldara valley (the Valley of Flowers) and Logar, the Shevaki and Minar-e-Chakari stupas, the Tajik village of Deh-Yahiyya (the birthplace of the famous Haji Sahib), the village of Hvadja-Mosafer and the Darr Gardens.

The Haiber pass, 53 km long, in the Hindu Kush mountain range; it connects Afghanistan with Pakistan.

The Bamyan province is one of the oldest cultural centres of the region, located in the north-west of the capital, on the northern slopes of the Baba Range and the Bamyan valley, at an altitude of about 2,590 m.

Other well-known places include Lake Anjuman, a beautiful mountain lake and the Anjuman Pass (4,450 m), the Bahi Umumi park, the Havak ravine and the Panjshir River proper, five splendid Kashkana valleys, the ruins of the Saffarid province capital near Gavar, the picturesque lake Naglu, the Tangi-Gary Valley and the beautiful Guldara valley (the Valley of Flowers).

Tourism. A huge number of mountain ranges, picturesque valleys and a unique natural environment provide excellent conditions for active forms of recreation. However, for many reasons, this type of tourism is underdeveloped here. The excellent natural conditions for tourism can be found in the northern Karez-ah-Amir, near the Charikar valley and the Chakardara valley, in the Hindu Kush Mountains, and near the Badakhshan and Samangan rivers.

Climate. Afghanistan's subtropical climate is continental and dry with sharp daily and annual temperature fluctuations. Kabul, situated at an altitude of 1,830 m above the sea level, has quite cold winters and warm summers (+25°C in July and from -4°C to +7°C in January). Jalalabad (550 m above the sea level) practically has a subtropical climate (the average temperatures of +30°C in July, and +2°C January), while Kandahar (1,070 m above the sea level) has a relatively mild and humid climate. The rainfall is no more than 370-400 mm a year, and it falls mostly in winter and spring.