Afghánistán

Abstract

Afghánistán is a country of Asia lying between parallels 30° and 38° 20’ of north latitude, and 60° 30’ and 74° 30’ of east longitude. On the north-east, the boundary is uncertain; but from about longitude 70° westward to Khamiab theOxus is the northern limit. From Khamiab, the line, as drawn by the Afghan Boundary Commission, runs in a south-westerly direction to Zulfikar, on the river Harí-Rúd, and thence south to Knh Malik-i-Siyah, a conspicuous peak south-east of the Helmand river. Here the boundary turns round and runs generally eastwardly to the Kwája Amran range. The eastern boundary of Afghánistán is difficult, if not impossible, to define exactly, for though geographically it may be said to march with the north-western boundary of British India, from a political point of view there are a number of tribes inhabiting the Zhob Valley and the Wazíri country, besides those of the region between the Hindu Kush and the western confines of Kashmir, embracing Káifiristan, Chitrál, Swát, and part of the Indus basin, which are either independent or are more or less under British protection. The extreme breadth of Afghánistán from north to south is about 500 miles; its length from the Herát frontier to the Kháibar Pass, about 600 miles.