Editing Afghanistan (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Afghanistan}}
{{Map of Afghanistan}}
Afghanistan is located in Southern-Central Asia.<ref>* {{cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470C/asiaGmap.html |title=U.S. maps |publisher=Pubs.usgs.gov |access-date=19 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225134851/http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470C/asiaGmap.html |archive-date=25 December 2013 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar |title=South Asia: Data, Projects, and Research |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301035209/http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar |archive-date=1 March 2015 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470C/asiaGmap.html |title=Maps Showing Geology, Oil and Gas Fields and Geological Provinces of South Asia (Includes Afghanistan) |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225134851/http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1997/ofr-97-470/OF97-470C/asiaGmap.html |archive-date=25 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |url=http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/catalog/soasia-b.html |title=University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies: The South Asia Center |access-date=2 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100846/http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/catalog/soasia-b.html |archive-date=2 April 2015 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/programs/sac/ |title=Syracruse University: The South Asia Center |date=26 March 2013 |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326065054/http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/programs/sac/ |archive-date=26 March 2015 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ii.umich.edu/csas |title=Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) |website= U-M LSA |access-date=2 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211204817/http://www.ii.umich.edu/csas/ |archive-date=11 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#asia |title=Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings |publisher=[[UNdata]] | date=26 April 2011 |access-date=13 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713041240/http://millenniumindicators.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm |archive-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7798/Afghanistan |title=Afghanistan |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=17 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225235842/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7798/Afghanistan |archive-date=25 February 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tan |first1=Anjelica |title=A new strategy for Central Asia |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/international/483511-a-new-strategy-for-central-asia |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=18 February 2020 |quote=, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has noted, Afghanistan is itself a Central Asian country. |access-date=28 March 2020 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816055841/https://thehill.com/opinion/international/483511-a-new-strategy-for-central-asia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Afghanistan {{!}} meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge University |isbn=9781107619500 |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/afghanistan |access-date=28 March 2020 |archive-date=6 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006145913/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/afghanistan |url-status=live }}</ref> The region centered at Afghanistan is considered the "crossroads of Asia",<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GB-JV2eOr2UC&pg=PA257|title=Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia|first=Jason|last=Neelis|date=19 November 2010|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004181595}}</ref> and the country has had the nickname Heart of Asia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/afgh01.html |title=Afghanistan: Cultural Crossroad at the Heart of Asia |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-date=30 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830013605/https://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/afgh01.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The renowned [[Urdu]] poet [[Allama Iqbal]] once wrote about the country:

{{Blockquote|Asia is a body of water and earth, of which the Afghan nation is the heart. From its discord, the discord of Asia; and from its accord, the accord of Asia.}}

At over {{convert|652864|km2|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Land area (sq. km) |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |work=World Development Indicators |publisher=World Bank |access-date=13 October 2011 |year=2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185313/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}</ref> Afghanistan is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|41st largest country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html#af |title=CIA Factbook – Area: 41 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency | date=26 November 1991 |access-date=4 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131115000/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html |archive-date=31 January 2014 }}</ref> It is slightly bigger than France and smaller than Myanmar, and about the size of Texas in the United States. There is no coastline, as Afghanistan is [[landlocked]]. Afghanistan shares its longest land border (the [[Durand Line]]) with Pakistan to the east and south, followed by borders with Tajikistan to the northeast, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the north-west, Uzbekistan to the north and China to the far northeast; India recognizes a border with Afghanistan through Pakistani-administered [[Kashmir]].<ref>[https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/BMIntro-1011.pdf "International Land Border."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308124901/https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/BMIntro-1011.pdf |date=8 March 2021 }} India Ministry of Home Affairs. Retrieved 13 November 2021.</ref> Clockwise from south-west, Afghanistan shares borders with the [[Sistan and Baluchestan Province]], South Khorasan Province and [[Razavi Khorasan Province]] of Iran; [[Ahal Region]], [[Mary Region]] and [[Lebap Region]] of Turkmenistan; [[Surxondaryo Region]] of Uzbekistan; [[Khatlon Region]] and [[Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region]] of Tajikistan; [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]] of China; and the [[Gilgit-Baltistan|Gilgit-Baltistan territory]], [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province]] and [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan province]] of Pakistan.<ref>{{cite book|author=Cary Gladstone|title=Afghanistan Revisited|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aH_KCWVB6W0C&pg=PA121|year=2001|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59033-421-8|page=121}}</ref>

[[File:FrontLines Environment Photo Contest Winner -5 (5808476109).jpg|thumb|Floodplain cultivation in the [[Wakhan Corridor]], [[Pamir Mountains]]]]

The geography in Afghanistan is varied, but is mostly mountainous and rugged, with some unusual mountain ridges accompanied by plateaus and river basins.<ref name="Fisher-2002">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LclscNCTz9oC&pg=PA59|title=The Far East and Australasia 2003|date=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=9781857431339|chapter=Afghanistan: Physical and Social Geography|last=Fisher|first=W. B.|pages=59–60}}</ref> It is dominated by the [[Hindu Kush]] range, the western extension of the [[Himalayas]] that stretches to eastern [[Tibet]] via the [[Pamir Mountains]] and [[Karakoram Mountains]] in Afghanistan's far north-east. Most of the highest points are in the east consisting of fertile mountain valleys, often considered part of the "[[Roof of the World]]". The Hindu Kush ends at the west-central highlands, creating plains in the north and southwest, namely the [[Turkestan]] Plains and the [[Sistan Basin]]; these two regions consist of rolling grasslands and semi-deserts, and hot windy deserts, respectively.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_AdBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT26|title=Afghanistan|first=Kim|last=Whitehead|date=21 October 2014|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781633559899}}</ref> Forests exist in the corridor between [[Nuristan]] and [[Paktika]] provinces (see [[East Afghan montane conifer forests]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cropwatch.unl.edu/documents/Forests%20of%20Afghanistan.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://cropwatch.unl.edu/documents/Forests%20of%20Afghanistan.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Forests of Afghanistan |website=cropwatch.unl.edu |access-date=28 June 2021 }}</ref> and [[tundra]] in the northeast. The country's highest point is [[Noshaq]], at {{convert|7492|m|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name="Factbook">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Afghanistan|access-date=24 September 2022|year=2022}}</ref> The lowest point lies in [[Jowzjan Province]] along the Amu River bank, at {{convert|258|m|abbr=on}} above sea level.

[[File:Afghan topo en.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|The mountainous [[topography]] of Afghanistan]]

Despite having numerous rivers and [[list of dams and reservoirs in Afghanistan|reservoirs]], large parts of the country are dry. The [[endorheic]] Sistan Basin is one of the driest regions in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/sistan.pdf |title=History of Environmental Change in the Sistan Basin 1976–2005 |access-date=20 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807214557/http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/sistan.pdf |archive-date=7 August 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Amu Darya]] rises at the north of the Hindu Kush, while the nearby [[Hari Rud]] flows west towards [[Herat]], and the [[Arghandab River]] from the central region southwards. To the south and west of the Hindu Kush flow a number of streams that are tributaries of the [[Indus River]],<ref name="Fisher-2002"/> such as the [[Helmand River]]. The [[Kabul River]] flows in an easterly direction to the Indus ending at the Indian Ocean.<ref name="afghanistans.com-1">{{cite web|url=https://www.afghanistans.com/Information/RiversLakes.htm|title=Afghanistan Rivers Lakes – Afghanistan's Web Site|website=afghanistans.com|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-date=15 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815172309/https://www.afghanistans.com/Information/RiversLakes.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Afghanistan receives heavy snow during the winter in the [[Hindu Kush]] and [[Pamir Mountains]], and the melting snow in the spring season enters the [[List of rivers of Afghanistan|rivers, lakes, and streams]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=16066 |title=Snow in Afghanistan: Natural Hazards |publisher=NASA | date=3 February 2006 |access-date=6 May 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235107/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=16066 |archive-date=30 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-snow-idINDEE80H0BR20120118 |work=Reuters |title=Snow may end Afghan drought, but bitter winter looms | date=18 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233432/http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/18/afghanistan-snow-idINDEE80H0BR20120118 |archive-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> However, two-thirds of the country's water flows into the neighboring countries of [[Iran]], Pakistan, and [[Turkmenistan]]. As reported in 2010, the state needs more than US$2&nbsp;billion to rehabilitate its irrigation systems so that the water is properly managed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0615/Afghanistan-s-woeful-water-management-delights-neighbors |title=Afghanistan's woeful water management delights neighbors |work=The Christian Science Monitor | date=15 June 2010 |access-date=14 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114131338/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0615/Afghanistan-s-woeful-water-management-delights-neighbors |archive-date=14 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In Afghanistan, [[forest cover]] is around 2% of the total land area, equivalent to 1,208,440 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. Of the naturally regenerating forest, 0% was reported to be [[primary forest]] (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 0% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under [[State ownership|public ownership]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Afghanistan |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/AFG/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref>

The northeastern Hindu Kush [[mountain range]], in and around the [[Badakhshan Province]] of Afghanistan, is in a [[natural environment#Geological activity|geologically active]] area where earthquakes may occur almost every year.<ref>{{cite tech report |last=Crone |first=Anthony J. |title=Earthquakes Pose a Serious Hazard in Afghanistan |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3027/pdf/FS07-3027_508.pdf |publisher=[[US Geological Survey]] |access-date=14 October 2011 |id=Fact Sheet FS 2007–3027 | date=April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727072311/http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3027/pdf/FS07-3027_508.pdf |archive-date=27 July 2013 }}</ref> They can be deadly and destructive, causing [[landslide]]s in some parts or [[2009 Afghan avalanches|avalanches]] during the winter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Earthquake Hazards |url=http://afghanistan.cr.usgs.gov/earthquake-hazards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004040745/http://afghanistan.cr.usgs.gov/earthquake-hazards |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 October 2011 |work=USGS Projects in Afghanistan |publisher=US Geological Survey |access-date=13 October 2011 | date=1 August 2011 }}</ref> In June 2022, a [[June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake|destructive 5.9 earthquake]] struck near the border with Pakistan, killing at least 1,150 people and sparking fears of a major humanitarian crisis.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Noroozi |first1=Ebrahim |title=Deadly quake a new blow to Afghans enervated by poverty |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/deadly-quake-a-new-blow-to-afghans-enervated-by-poverty-1.5963026 |access-date=3 July 2022 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=[[CTV News]] |date=25 June 2022 |archive-date=3 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703044828/https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/deadly-quake-a-new-blow-to-afghans-enervated-by-poverty-1.5963026 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 7 October 2023, a [[October 2023 Afghanistan earthquake|6.3 magnitude earthquake]] struck northwest of Herat, killing over 1,400 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-earthquakes-herat-province-health-situation-report-no-12-november-2023|website=reliefweb.int|title=Afghanistan: Earthquakes in Herat Province, Health Situation Report No. 12, November 2023|date=2 December 2023|access-date=19 February 2024|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405192018/https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-earthquakes-herat-province-health-situation-report-no-12-november-2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map AFG present.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate map]] of Afghanistan<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F.|author6-link=Eric Franklin Wood |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |date=30 October 2018 |volume=5 |pages=180214 |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214 |pmid=30375988 |pmc=6207062 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B }}</ref>]]

Afghanistan has a [[continental climate]] with harsh winters in the [[Hazarajat|central highlands]], the glaciated northeast (around [[Nuristan]]), and the [[Wakhan Corridor]], where the average temperature in January is below {{convert|-15|C}} and can reach {{convert|-26|C}},<ref name="Fisher-2002"/> and hot summers in the low-lying areas of the [[Sistan Basin]] of the southwest, the [[Jalalabad]] basin in the east, and the [[Afghan Turkestan|Turkestan]] plains along the [[Amu River]] in the north, where temperatures average over {{convert|35|C}} in July<ref name="Factbook"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Afghanistan {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Capital, Population, & Languages|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan|access-date=23 March 2021|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|archive-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111113403/https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan|url-status=live}}</ref> and can go over {{convert|43|C}}.<ref name="Fisher-2002"/> The country is generally [[arid]] in the summers, with most rainfall falling between December and April. The lower areas of northern and western Afghanistan are the driest, with precipitation more common in the east. Although proximate to India, Afghanistan is mostly outside the [[monsoon]] zone,<ref name="Fisher-2002"/> except the [[Nuristan Province]] which occasionally receives summer monsoon rain.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=69V7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31|title=Terraced Landscapes|first=Drago|last=Kladnik|date=1 September 2017|publisher=Založba ZRC|isbn=9789610500193}}</ref>

Although Afghanistan has contributed minimally to global [[greenhouse gas emissions]], it is one of the most vulnerable countries to [[climate change]] and least prepared to cope with its impacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative |title=Country Index Rankings |url=https://gain.nd.edu/our-work/country-index/rankings/ |access-date=2 December 2024}}</ref> [[Climate change in Afghanistan]] is causing more frequent and severe droughts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan: The alarming effects of climate change {{!}} OCHA |url=https://www.unocha.org/news/afghanistan-alarming-effects-climate-change |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=www.unocha.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Kate |date=6 November 2021 |title=Global Warming and Afghanistan: Drought, hunger and thirst expected to worsen |url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/economy-development-environment/global-warming-and-afghanistan-drought-hunger-and-thirst-expected-to-worsen/ |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=Afghanistan Analysts Network - English |language=ps-GB}}</ref> Severe drought conditions affect 25 of the country's 34 provinces, impacting over half the population.<ref name=":43">{{Cite web |last=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |date=1 August 2023 |title=Afghanistan: The alarming effects of climate change {{!}} OCHA |url=https://www.unocha.org/news/afghanistan-alarming-effects-climate-change |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=www.unocha.org |language=en}}</ref> These droughts cause [[desertification]],<ref name=":43"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Afghanistan. A Report to the Department for International Development |url=https://www.weadapt.org/sites/weadapt.org/files/legacy-new/placemarks/files/5345354491559sei-dfid-afghanistan-report-1-.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628173538/https://www.weadapt.org/sites/weadapt.org/files/legacy-new/placemarks/files/5345354491559sei-dfid-afghanistan-report-1-.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2020 |access-date=7 September 2021}}</ref> reduce [[Food security|food]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Food Programme |title=Afghanistan |url=https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/afghanistan-emergency |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=www.wfp.org |language=en}}</ref> and [[water security]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Akhundzadah |first1=Noor Ahmad |last2=Soltani |first2=Salim |last3=Aich |first3=Valentin |date=23 September 2020 |title=Impacts of Climate Change on the Water Resources of the Kunduz River Basin, Afghanistan |journal=Climate |language=en |volume=8 |issue=10 |pages=102 |doi=10.3390/cli8100102 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020Clim....8..102A |issn=2225-1154}}</ref> disrupt agriculture and cause [[Internally displaced person|internal displacement]].<ref name="actionaid.org">{{Cite web |date=22 July 2021 |title=Women and children most at risk as climate change and conflict drive migration in Afghanistan {{!}} ActionAid International |url=https://actionaid.org/news/2021/women-and-children-most-risk-climate-change-and-conflict-drive-migration-afghanistan |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=actionaid.org |language=en}}</ref> Extreme rainfall over short periods is also more likely, increasing the risk of [[flood]]s and [[landslide]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan's impending climate disaster – DW – 08/30/2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/amid-taliban-takeover-climate-change-could-drive-conflict/a-59025446 |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> Due to rising temperatures, almost 14% of Afghanistan's glacier coverage was lost between 1990 and 2015<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bjelica |first=Jelena |date=5 January 2021 |title=Shrinking, Thinning, Retreating: Afghan glaciers under threat from climate change |url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/economy-development-environment/shrinking-thinning-retreating-afghan-glaciers-under-threat-from-climate-change/ |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=Afghanistan Analysts Network - English |language=ps-GB}}</ref> increasing the risk of [[glacial lake outburst flood]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development |date=12 July 2019 |title=Learning from a disaster event: Investigating the 2018 Panjshir flood in Afghanistan |url=https://www.icimod.org/success-stories/learning-from-a-disaster-event-investigating-the-2018-panjshir-flood-in-afghanistan/ |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=ICIMOD}}</ref> By 2050, climate change could displace an additional 5 million people within Afghanistan.<ref name="actionaid.org"/><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |title=Amid Taliban takeover, climate change could drive conflict {{!}} DW {{!}} 30 August 2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/amid-taliban-takeover-climate-change-could-drive-conflict/a-59025446 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907131158/https://www.dw.com/en/amid-taliban-takeover-climate-change-could-drive-conflict/a-59025446 |archive-date=7 September 2021 |access-date=8 September 2021 |website=DW.COM |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
{{Main|Wildlife of Afghanistan}}
[[File:Schneeleopard- P1020498.jpg|thumb|The [[snow leopard]] is the official national animal of Afghanistan.]]

Several types of mammals exist throughout Afghanistan. [[Snow leopard]]s, [[Siberian tiger]]s and [[brown bear]]s live in the high elevation [[alpine tundra]] regions. The [[Marco Polo sheep]] exclusively live in the [[Wakhan Corridor]] region of north-east Afghanistan. Foxes, [[wolves]], [[otter]]s, [[deer]], [[wild sheep]], [[lynx]] and other big cats populate the mountain forest region of the east. In the semi-desert northern plains, wildlife include a variety of birds, [[hedgehog]]s, [[gopher]]s, and large carnivores such as [[Golden jackal|jackal]]s and [[Striped hyena|hyena]]s.<ref name="Gritzner-2009">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5QY3vCg338C&pg=PA22|title=Afghanistan, Second Edition|first1=Jeffrey A.|last1=Gritzner|first2=John F.|last2=Shroder|date=14 June 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9781438104805}}</ref>

[[Gazelle]]s, [[wild boar|wild pigs]] and jackals populate the [[steppe]] plains of the south and west, while [[mongoose]] and cheetahs exist in the semi-desert south.<ref name="Gritzner-2009"/> [[Marmot]]s and [[ibex]] also live in the high mountains of Afghanistan, and [[pheasant]]s exist in some parts of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afghanistans.com/Information/PlantAnimal.htm|title=Afghanistan Plant and Animal Life – Afghanistan's Web Site|website=afghanistans.com|access-date=14 June 2020|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711065504/http://www.afghanistans.com/information/PlantAnimal.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Afghan hound]] is a native breed of dog known for its fast speed and its long hair; it is relatively known in the west.<ref name="Wahab-2007">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y20MTE0C9kwC&pg=PA10|title=A Brief History of Afghanistan|first1=Shaista|last1=Wahab|first2=Barry|last2=Youngerman|date=14 June 2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9781438108193}}</ref>

[[Endemic]] fauna of Afghanistan includes the [[Afghan flying squirrel]], [[Afghan snowfinch]], ''[[Paradactylodon]]'' (or the "[[Paghman]] mountain salamander"), ''[[Stigmella kasyi]]'', ''[[Vulcaniella kabulensis]]'', [[Afghan leopard gecko]], ''[[Wheeleria parviflorellus]]'', among others. Endemic flora include ''[[Iris afghanica]]''. Afghanistan has a wide variety of birds despite its relatively arid climate – an estimated 460 species of which 235 breed within.<ref name="Wahab-2007"/>

The forest region of Afghanistan has vegetation such as [[pine tree]]s, [[spruce tree]]s, [[fir tree]]s and [[larch]]es, whereas the steppe grassland regions consist of [[broadleaf tree]]s, short grass, [[perennial plant]]s and [[shrubland]]s. The colder high elevation regions are composed of hardy grasses and small flowering plants.<ref name="Gritzner-2009"/> Several regions are designated [[List of protected areas of Afghanistan|protected areas]]; there are three [[national parks]]: [[Band-e Amir]], [[Wakhan National Park|Wakhan]] and [[Nuristan National Park|Nuristan]]. Afghanistan had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 8.85/10, ranking it 15th globally out of 172 countries.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>