Afghanistan: Flag and Facts
The flag of Afghanistan has three equal vertical stripes of black, red, and green, with a white emblem of a mosque framed by wheat sheaves sitting in the middle.
- Official name
- Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
- Capital
- Kabul
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Population
- 49 million (2025)
- Languages
- Dari, Pashto, Turkmen
- Currency
- Afghan afghani
- Area
- 652,230 km² (251,827 sq mi)
- People
- Afghan
- Calling code
- +93
- Highest point
- Noshak 7,492 m
- Independence
- 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
- National symbols
- lion
- Borders
- Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China
About Afghanistan
Look closely at the white emblem and you can spot a pulpit, small flags, a rising sun, and Arabic writing above the mosque. Tucked under the building are numerals for the solar year 1298, which matches 1919, the year Afghans gained independence from the UK. The colors carry meaning too: black points to the past, red honors blood spilled for freedom, and green can stand for hope, farming, or Islam.
Ahmad Shah Durrani pulled the Pashtun tribes together and founded the country in 1747. For a long stretch it sat as a buffer zone between the British and Russian empires. Today about 49 million people live in this landlocked land of rugged peaks, with plains in the north and southwest. Kabul, the capital, holds roughly 4.6 million residents, and the summit of Noshak climbs to 7,492 meters.
Did you know?
- By one count, Afghanistan changed its national flag 19 times during the 20th century, more than any other country.
- The lion is the national symbol of Afghanistan.
- Afghanistan is slightly smaller than Texas, yet almost six times as big as Virginia.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Afghanistan
What is the capital of Afghanistan?
Kabul is the capital, with about 4.6 million people as of 2023.
What languages are spoken in Afghanistan?
Dari and Pashto are the main languages, and Turkmen is also listed as an official language.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.