Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South Asia that lies east of Iran and northwest of Pakistan. It is home to approximately 30 million people, with two official languages: Dari and Pashto.

Approximately the size of Manitoba, Afghanistan is a land of rugged mountains and plains, cold winters and hot summers. One of the world's most impoverished countries, Afghanistan is slowly recovering from years of war, oppression, and more recently, a devastating drought.

Do you want to learn more about Afghanistan?

• Read books on Afghanistan.
• Check out maps of Afghanistan: World Atlas, and Relief Web.
• Browse through our photo gallery.
• Find out more about Canadian organizations that support Afghanistan: CARE Canada, MEDA, UNICEF Canada, World University Service of Canada, CANADEM, Aga Khan Foundation, Canadian Women for Afghan Women, and Rights & Democracy to name a few.
• Have fun playing games and quizzes while learning about development issues throughout the developing world: Food Force, Water Quiz, UNICEF quiz game, and MDG Match Game.

Check out the following valuable sources of information about women in Afghanistan:

• Afghan Women's Network, a network of organizations seeking to empower Afghan women.
• Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, a network of volunteers working in solidarity across Canada to support rights and opportunities for Afghan women.
• Association for Women's Rights in Development, an international membership organization that connects, informs and mobilizes its members to achieve gender equality.
• Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals, a portal of resources and tools on addressing gender equality in all of the Millennium Development Goals.
• WomenWatch, a gateway to information and resources on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women throughout the UN system.

Learn more about children in Afghanistan

• Read about the Millennium Development Goals and how they relate to youth.
• Find out about the ten basic rights of all children.
• Play UNICEF's quiz game to learn about the various issues that affect children worldwide.
• Visit the following youth-focussed websites:
  • TakingITGlobal: Afghanistan, a web-based platform for ideas and expression, a resource of opportunities, and a network of inspirational young people and their projects.
  • Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan, a site managed by a network of young girls who raise funds to support education in Afghanistan.
  • UNICEF Kids' Room, a place for kids to learn about children around the world, play games, read stories and have fun!
  • Cyberschoolbus, the United Nations' Global teaching and learning project.