some of the fables. Later the stories were
translated into other languages. An early
English-language version of the stories
was published in 1692. The fables familiar
to readers today were translated into
English during the 1800s. Most of the
fables are about animals with human
characteristics. Most end with a moral,
or a statement of the lesson that the
fable teaches.
#More to explore
Fable Folktale
In Aesops fable of The Hare and the Tortoise,
a speedy hare teases a tortoise
about his slow pace. The tortoise challenges
the hare to a race. The hare is so sure that
he will win that he takes a nap. When he
wakes up, the tortoise has already won. The
moral is Slow but steady wins the race.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Aesop 35
Afghanistan
The country of Afghanistan lies at the
heart of central Asia. The capital is
Kabul.
Geography
Afghanistan borders Iran, Pakistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
The Amu Darya river forms part of
the northern border. A narrow piece of
land called the Vakhan, orWakhan Corridor,
connects Afghanistan with China.
Afghanistan is a mountainous country.
The main range is the Hindu Kush, in
the northeast. North of the central
mountains are fertile plains. Deserts,
including the sandy Rigestan, lie in the
southwest. Afghanistan generally has a
dry climate with cold winters and hot
summers.
Plants and Animals
Southern Afghanistan has little vegetation.
Cedar, oak, walnut, alder, and ash
trees grow in the north. The mountains
have forests of pine and fir.
Wolves, foxes, hyenas, jackals, bears, and
wild goats roam the mountains.
Gazelles, wild dogs, and wild cats are
widespread. The countrys birds include
vultures and eagles.
People
The people of Afghanistan, known as
Afghans, are a mixture of many different
groups. The Pashtuns make up about
half of the population. Tajiks make up
about a fifth of the population. Other
ethnic groups include the Hazara,
Uzbeks, Chahar Aimaks, and Turkmen.
Pashto, the language of the Pashtuns,
and Dari (Persian) are the two official
languages, but others are spoken. Almost
all Afghans are Muslims.
Kabul is the largest city, but most
Afghans live in rural areas. Farmers live
in villages along the rivers. Nomads live
in tents and move from place to place.
Few people live in the mountains or the
deserts.
Economy
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries
in the world. Most people grow
crops and raise animals for their own
use. The main food crops are wheat,
rice, grapes, barley, and corn. Sheep,
goats, and cattle are the main livestock.
Some farmers grow opium poppies,
which are used to make illegal drugs.
36 Afghanistan BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Manufacturers make processed foods,
leather, fur, and textiles. The country has
deposits of natural gas, but warfare has
prevented Afghans from using them.
History
Major trade routes crossed what is now
Afghanistan thousands of years ago. The
Persians and Macedonian king Alexander
the Great ruled the land more
than 2,300 years ago. In the AD 600s
Arab invaders introduced the religion of
Islam. In 1219 Genghis Khan made the
area part of his Mongol Empire. Beginning
in the 1300s Turkic peoples, the
Mughal Empire, and the Persians ruled
parts of the land.
Ahmad Shah Durrani, a Pashtun leader,
unified Afghanistan under his rule in
1747. Great Britain invaded in the
1800s. After winning independence
from Britain in 1919, Afghanistan continued
as a monarchy. In 1973 Afghans
overthrew the king. The countrys new
leaders made Afghanistan a republic, led
by a prime minister.
Soviet Invasion
In 1978 Communists seized control of
Afghanistans government. The Soviet
Union invaded in December 1979. For
nearly a decade Islamic forces known as
mujahideen fought the Soviets. Millions
of Afghans left the country for Pakistan
and Iran. The Soviet Army left in 1989.
The Taliban
Various Afghan groups then fought for
control. By the late 1990s a group called
the Taliban had gained control over
most of Afghanistan. The Taliban ruled
according to a strict version of Islamic
law.
The Taliban angered other countries by
allowing terrorists to live in Afghanistan.
When the Taliban refused to hand over
suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden,
the United States and its allies bombed
Afghanistan in October 2001.Within
months the Taliban abandoned Kabul.
In 2004 Afghanistan adopted a new
constitution and elected a president. But
fighting continued between U.S. forces
and the Taliban.
..More to explore
Alexander the Great bin Laden, Osama
Communism Islam Kabul
Mongol Empire Mughal Empire
Persia Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics
The blue-tiled mosque in Mazar-e Sharif,
Afghanistan, is important to all Muslims. It
marks the tomb of !Ali, the son-in-law of the
prophet Muhammad.
Facts About
AFGHANISTAN
Population
(2008 estimate)
28,266,000
Area
249,347 sq mi
(645,807 sq km)
Capital
Kabul
Form of
government
Islamic republic
Major cities
Kabul, Kandahar
(Qandahar),
Herat, Mazar-e
Sharif
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Afghanistan 37
Africa
Africa is the worlds second largest continent.
More than 50 countries make up
the continent. More than one eighth of
the worlds population lives there.
Land and Climate
Africas landscape is varied. The northern
and western parts of the continent
are generally lower and more level than
the eastern and southern areas. Africa is
the oldest continent. Therefore most of
its mountains are not as high as those on
other continents. They have been worn
down over millions of years by wind and
water.
Africas most striking feature is a series
of great rifts, or troughs, in the east
known as the Rift Valley system. These
rifts span two continents, from western
Asia through eastern Africa. In Africa
they are deep, long, narrow valleys.
The worlds longest river, the Nile, flows
through northern Africa. The continents
other long rivers include the
Congo in central Africa, the Niger in the
west, and the Zambezi in the south.
Eastern Africa has a chain of lakes
known as the great lakes.
The continent is crossed midway by the
equator. This means that most of
Africathe middle portionlies within
the tropics, an area where it is hot yearround.
In the lowlands near the equator,
rain falls throughout the year. To the
north and south of this rainy area are
large regions that have a rainy season
followed by a dry season. It is very hot
A pair of giraffes is at home near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
38 Africa BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Africa 39
and dry year-round in Africas major
desertsthe Sahara in the north and the
Kalahari and the Namib in the south.
Plants and Animals
The vegetation growing in each region
depends on the rainfall it receives. Near
the equator, where it rains year-round,
there are dense rain forests. These forests
contain thousands of different types of
trees and other plants. Between the rain