Kabul

Kabul (34°32′N 69°10′E, Kâb'l, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. It is an economic and cultural center strategically situated in a narrow valley along the Kabul River, high in the mountains before the Khyber Pass. Kabul is linked with the Tajikistan border via a tunnel under the Hindu Kush Mountains. It is about 1,800 metres (5,900 feet) above sealevel. Kabul's main products include ordnance, cloth, furniture, and beet sugar, though continual war since 1979 has limited the economic productivity of the city. Kabul remains one of the most mined cities in the world. Kabul's population is multicultural and multi-ethnic, reflecting the diversity of Afghanistan, with Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Hazaras all comprising the bulk of the city's population. Kabul is still in the process of being rebuilt following decades of war and devastation, so accurate census counts remain difficult and only rough estimates are available.