Consider the following countries:

1. Azerbaijan
2. Kyrgyzstan
3. Tajikistan
4. Turkmenistan
5. Uzbekistan

Which of the above has borders with Afghanistan?

1. 1, 2 and 5 only
2. 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 3, 4 and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Explanation

Option (c) is the correct answer

• Afghanistan is a landlocked country bounded by the:
  • East & south by Pakistan and 106 km border length with India.
  • West by Iran
  • North by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan & Tajikistan
  • It also has a short border with Xinjiang, China, at the end of Wakhan Corridor
• It has a strategic location along the Silk Road connected to the Middle East and other parts of Asia.
• It is inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.
• The geography in Afghanistan is varied but is mostly mountainous and rugged, with some unusual mountain ridges accompanied by plateaus and river basins.
• It is dominated by the Hindu Kush range, the western extension of the Himalayas that stretches to eastern Tibet via the Pamir Mountains & Karakoram Mountains in Afghanistan’s far north-east.

Answer: (c) 3, 4 and 5 only; Difficulty Level: Medium