Changes

Since 1978, Afghanistan has experienced an unprecedented demographic catastrophe, with millions killed, wounded, or displaced.  The Soviet invasion and occupation slaughtered 1,750,000 Afghans (from a range of 1.5-2 million killed).<ref>“Communism in Afghanistan,” in Stephane Courtois, ed., The Black Book of Communism,

Since 1978, Afghanistan has experienced an unprecedented demographic catastrophe, with millions killed, wounded, or displaced.  The Soviet invasion and occupation slaughtered 1,750,000 Afghans (from a range of 1.5-2 million killed).<ref>“Communism in Afghanistan,” in Stephane Courtois, ed., The Black Book of Communism,

(Harvard University Press, 1999), p725</ref><ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Afghanistan</ref>  This is surely conservative when one considers all those killed by the Afghan Communists from 1978 to 1992.  The subsequent civil wars (89-92 and 92-96) resulted in the deaths of another 400,000 Afghans (according to the Christian Science Monitor), with at least 50,000 killed in Kabul alone.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Afghanistan</ref>  The Taliban seized power in 1996, and subsequently slaughtered hundreds of thousands.  According to UNICEF figures, in 5 years of Taliban rule, over 600,000 Afghans died just from Taliban restrictions on access to healthcare for women (120,000 per year).<ref>New York Times, February 1, 2002</ref>  The Taliban also executed tens of thousands throughout the country, and caused potentially scores of thousands of deaths through refusal to allow foreign aid and through miscellaneous "excess deaths."  In all, the Taliban was likely responsible for over 750,000 deaths (150,000 per year) on top of nearly half a million in the civil war.  The turmoil in Afghanistan from 1978 to 2001 killed nearly 3,000,000 Afghans, with 5,000,000 displaced.

(Harvard University Press, 1999), p725</ref><ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Afghanistan</ref>  This is surely conservative when one considers all those killed by the Afghan Communists from 1978 to 1992.  The subsequent civil wars (89-92 and 92–96) resulted in the deaths of another 400,000 Afghans (according to the Christian Science Monitor), with at least 50,000 killed in Kabul alone.<ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm#Afghanistan</ref>  The Taliban seized power in 1996, and subsequently slaughtered hundreds of thousands.  According to UNICEF figures, in 5 years of Taliban rule, over 600,000 Afghans died just from Taliban restrictions on access to healthcare for women (120,000 per year).<ref>New York Times, February 1, 2002</ref>  The Taliban also executed tens of thousands throughout the country, and caused potentially scores of thousands of deaths through refusal to allow foreign aid and through miscellaneous "excess deaths."  In all, the Taliban was likely responsible for over 750,000 deaths (150,000 per year) on top of nearly half a million in the civil war.  The turmoil in Afghanistan from 1978 to 2001 killed nearly 3,000,000 Afghans, with 5,000,000 displaced.

== Geography ==

== Geography ==

The country is known for its mountainous terrain. The huge Hindu Kush mountains form a barrier between the Northern provinces and the rest of the country. This mountain range has also divided Afghanistan int three very different geographic regions known as; The Central Highlands, The Northern Plains, and the Southwestern Plateau. The altitude, climate, and soil conditions in Afghanistan varies greatly on where in the country you are. <ref>http://www.afghan-web.com/geography/lr.html</ref>

The country is known for its mountainous terrain. The huge Hindu Kush mountains form a barrier between the Northern provinces and the rest of the country. This mountain range has also divided Afghanistan int three very different geographic regions known as; The Central Highlands, The Northern Plains, and the Southwestern Plateau. The altitude, climate, and soil conditions in Afghanistan varies greatly on where in the country you are.<ref>http://www.afghan-web.com/geography/lr.html</ref>

== People ==

== People ==