Welcome to Afghanistan, a beautiful country in Southern-Central Asia that is often called the “Heart of Asia.” About 40 million people live here! It is a land of giant, snowy mountains and wide-open plains, it is “landlocked”—which means it has no oceans or beaches at all.

Take a look at the map! Afghanistan is about 652,000 square kilometers, or 252,000 square miles. That makes it just a little bit bigger than France! To imagine its size, it’s like a giant sandbox made of 82 million soccer fields.

The people of Afghanistan are famous for being some of the most welcoming and hospitable people in the world. They love sports, too! Cricket is very popular, but their national sport is something you’ve probably never seen before: it’s called Buzkashi. In this sport, players on fast horses try to grab a heavy target and carry it to a scoring circle. It’s very fast and takes a lot of strength!

Afghanistan has some amazing symbols. Their national animal is the Snow Leopard—a beautiful, shy ghost of the mountains that lives high up in the rocks. They also have a national bird called the Golden Eagle. Another very important symbol is the Rooster, which you can find in Afghan stories and art, representing the start of a new day.

Now look at the flag. The most famous Afghan flag has three stripes: Black, Red, and Green.

Black stands for the dark times in the past.

Red stands for the bravery of the people.

Green stands for hope and a bright future.

The food in Afghanistan is delicious! You might eat Kabuli Pulao, which is a special rice dish with carrots and raisins, or a yummy fried pastry called Elephant’s Ears because of its funny shape.

Are you ready for a weird fact? In the national sport of Buzkashi, the “ball” isn’t a ball at all—it’s actually the body of a goat! The players have to be incredibly strong to lift it while riding a horse at full speed. Also, Afghanistan is famous for its smelly “Asafoetida” spice. It smells so much like stinky feet or rotting garlic that people call it “Devil’s Dung”—but when you cook with it, it makes the food taste amazing!

From the high peaks of the Hindu Kush mountains to the colorful markets of Kabul, Afghanistan is a land of brave people and ancient stories. Tashakor! That means “Thank you!”