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The Herat Citadel towers over Herat’s Old City—the most complete traditional medieval city in Afghanistan. The citadel is the oldest building in Herat and is believed to stand on the foundation of a fort built by Alexander the Great. Since it was built, it has served as a seat of power, a home for military troops, and a prison.

Afghanistan at a Glance

Total Land Area

251,827 square miles

Climate

Arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Natural Resources

Natural gas, petroleum, coal, iron ore, zinc, lead, barite, talc, chromite, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land Agricultural land: 58.07 percent (20.5 percent arable land, 0.37 percent permanent crops, 79 percent permanent pasture); forest: 2.07 percent; other usage: 39.86 percent Kabul (4.012 million); Kandahar; Mazar-i-Sharif; Charikar; Herat; Jalalabad Southern Asia bordering China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan; plains in north and southwest; otherwise, mostly rugged mountains of the Hindu Kush; landlocked 25.5 percent of total population (2018)

Land Use

Urban Population

Major Urban Areas

Geography

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