The landlocked nation of Afghanistan extends over an area of 251,772 square miles in the south-central part of the Asian continent. The great cultural diversity of the region is impressive. Afghanistan is an Islamic nation. The vast majority of its inhabitants are followers of Islam . Muslims are basically divided into 2: Sunnis and Shiites. About 80% of Afghans are Sunni, while 19% are Shiites.
There are followers of other religions , such as Sikhs and Hindus, but these are a very small number. The geographic diversity of this landlocked country facilitates the growth of numerous crops. The most important are: wheat, corn, barley and rice. Spices such as saffron, coriander, cardamom, black pepper and mint are an integral part of the local cuisine. The best known foods are Shorba (soup) and Koftas (meatballs).
Traditionally, Afghan clothing is characterized by beautiful patterns in varied colors. However, the emergence of a certain section of society has established strict standards on the dress code. Men usually wear the salwar-kameez, while women must wear the burqa .
Afghanistan has 2 national languages: Dari and Pashto. Dari is the dialect of the Persian language, and is widely used in the northern and central region of Afghanistan. Pashto is used more in the southern region of the nation. The culture of Afghanistan is also very rich when it comes to arts and literature. Poetry, in the Persian language, predominates in the most classical books.