There are other small marginal communities of occupational specialists
based in eastern Afghanistan in provinces such as Laghman. They
are commonly referred to as Jat which is a generic term indiscriminately
applied by others with derogatory connotations implying low descent
and low occupations. The groups reject the term and refer to themselves
by specific names. Of Mediterranean-Indian type physically, speaking
Indo-Aryan dialects in addition to Pashto and Dari, they are primarily
gypsy-like itinerant petty traders, bangle sellers, fortune-tellers,
musicians, jugglers, snake-charmers and performers with animals
such as bears and monkeys. Some are specialized craftsmen, working
as weavers, potters, sievemakers, knife-makers, and leather-workers.
Some hire out as seasonal itinerant farm laborers. They rank lowest
on the social scale and are stigmatized by many in the society.
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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