The Nuristani reside throughout a 5,000 square mile area in the
east bordering Pakistan that is heavily forested and so rugged
that much of it is accessible only by foot trails. The Nuristani
designate themselves by the local geographical names of the five
major north-south valleys and 30 east-west lateral valleys leading
into the major valleys where they live. They speak Indo-Iranian
dialects of Nuristani and Dardic called by village and valley
names; many are mutually unintelligible from valley to valley.
In 1990 the province of Nuristan was created from parts of the
provinces of Laghman and Kunar. The population in the 1990s is
estimated at 125,000 by some; the Nuristani prefer a figure of
300,000.
The Nuristani are of the Mediterranean physical type with mixtures
from Indian stocks on the fringes. Historians accompanying Alexander
the Great in the fourth century BC described this group as differing
culturally and religiously from other peoples in the area. They
were forcibly converted to Sunni Islam in 1895 during the reign
of Amir Abdur Rahman but retain many unique features in their
material culture.
The Nuristani are mountaineer herders, dairymen and farmers.
They hold a respected place in the social order and many have
risen to high government positions, particularly in the army.
Country
name Afghanistan conventional long form Islamic State of
Afghanistan conventional short form Afghanistan local long
form Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form Afghanestan former Republic of Afghanistan
Area
- total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Terrain
- mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Climate
- arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Geography
- landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide
the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in
the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Waterways
- 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)
Natural hazards - damaging earthquakes
occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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