1.) General Information
2.) Places to Visit
3.) Visas and Customs
4.) Accommodation
5.) Transportation
6.) Travel Agencies and Tourism
7.) Banks
8.) Shopping
9.) Restaurants in Kabul
10.) Internet Access
11.) Mobile Phones
12.) Beauty Salons and Dry Cleaning
13.) Shipping Outlets
General Information
Afghanistan is known as the crossroads of Asia.
It is bordered in the north by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan,
in the west by Iran, in the south by Pakistan, and China to
the east. For more than 2000 years, this area has been the site
of ancient trade routes collectively known as the Silk Road.
Always an important link between east and west, Afghanistan
remains a critical and dynamic place on earth.
Full Name
Islamic State of Afghanistan
Capital City
Kabul
Area
652,000 sq km
251,737 sq miles
Population
29,863,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +4.5 ()
Languages
Pashto and Dari are Afghanistan’s official languages.
Afghanistan’s Consitution stipulates that all other languages
are “official” in the areas in which they are spoken
by a majority of the population. Dari is spoken by more than
one-third of the population and Pashto is spoken throughout
Kabul and eastern and southern Afghanistan. Many Afghans are
multi-lingual. Tajik and Turkic languages are spoken widely
in the north. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak
more than 70 other languages and numerous dialects.
Currency 
Afghanistan afghani (Afg)
1 US Dollar = 50.22000 Afghanistan Afghani
1 Afghanistan Afghani (AFA) = 0.01991 US Dollar (USD)
Electricity
220V 50HzHz
Country Dialing Code
93
Source: Lonely Planet
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. The two official languages of the country are Dari and
Pashto. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak more
than 70 other languages and numerous dialects.
Afghanistan is an Islamic country. An estimated
80% of the population is Sunni, following the Hanafi school
of jurisprudence; the remainder is predominantly Shi'a.
Geography and Climate
Afghanistan is a beautiful country with soaring
mountains and steep plateaus. The terrain contains numerous
mountain ranges, but also deserts, rivers, lakes, plains and
forests. Afghanistan has a relatively dry climate with four
distinct seasons. Summers are hot with plenty of sunshine; during
the spring flowers bloom across the country; falls are mild;
and winters are cold with snow in most areas. Average rainfall
is 250 mm per year, but amounts vary greatly regionally.
Archaeology
During the past fifty years, an ever-increasing number of archaeological
expeditions have come to Afghanistan. As a result, the country’s
heritage has become ever more rich and varied, and new discoveries
are being made each year. Many of these artifacts are displayed
at the Kabul Museum. As late as 1957 the world knew nothing
of the existence of the Minaret of Jam. Standing at the very
heart of the remote province of Ghor, it is the second tallest
minaret in the world.
