A Least Developed Country: Afghanistan

[Afghanistan Map]

Another least developed country in the world is the country of Afghanistan ("About LDCs," "LIST").  Afghanistan has a population of about 32 million people.  It is about the size of the state of Texas, and is bordered by Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, China, Iran, and Uzbekistan ("Afghanistan").  About 72% of the people in Afghanistan are illiterate, and 99% are either Sunni or Shia Muslim.  Also, Afghanistan produces more opium than any other country ("More").

Ever since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Afghanistan has been in turmoil.  Many Afghans have traditionally been farmers, but this has been extremely difficult to accomplish with the turmoil, droughts, and lack of investments over the past three decades.  There is also a lack of good farmland in Afghanistan ("Rural").

To add on top of Afghanistan's troubles, there are approximately 1 million widows in the country, and around 50% of children under five years of age are malnourished ("Rural").  Afghanistan is also somewhat of a hotspot for human trafficking - they are  on the "Tier 2 Watch List" ("2012 Trafficking").  To read more about human trafficking in Afghanistan, click 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report - Afghanistan, AFGHANISTAN: Urgent need to tackle human trafficking, Human trafficking, prostitution thrive in Afghanistan.

Lastly, and education is not easy to obtain in Afghanistan.  Though the amount of children who go to school since the fall of the Taliban has improved greatly, there is still a shortage of books, class space, and adequate teachers ("Are Afghanistan's").

To read more about education in Afghanistan, click Are Afghanistan's Schools Doing As Well As Touted?, For Afghan Girl, Going To School Is Act Of Bravery.

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Works Cited

"2012 Trafficking in Persons Report - Afghanistan." Refworld. UNHCR, 19 June 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fe30cea3c.html>.

"About LDCs." UN-OHRLLS. UN-OHRLLS. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://unohrlls.org/about-ldcs/>.

"Afghanistan." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/country/afghanistan.html?pageno=1>.

[Afghanistan Map]. Digital image. Map by Artofanderson.com. Map by Artofanderson.com, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://www.artofanderson.com/afghan-map-outline/>.

"Are Afghanistan's Schools Doing As Well As Touted?" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/10/24/240482395/are-afghanistans-schools-doing-as-well-as-touted>.

"LIST OF LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES." United Nations. United Nations. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. <http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/cdp/ldc/ldc_list.pdf>.

"More Facts & Figures." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014 <http://www.infoplease.com/country/afghanistan.html?pageno=15>.

"Rural Poverty in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan." IFAD. IFAD, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014. <http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/afghanistan>.