| Kabul کابل | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
 | |
  Kabul | |
| Coordinates: 34°31′59″N 69°09′58″E / 34.53306°N 69.16611°ECoordinates: 34°31′59″N 69°09′58″E / 34.53306°N 69.16611°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Kabul Province |
| No. of sectors | 18 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Mohammad Yunus Noandesh |
| Area | |
| - City | 275 km2 (106.2 sq mi) |
| - Metro | 425 km2 (164.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,790 m (5,873 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| - Metro | 2,850,000 |
| Time zone | Afghanistan Standard Time (UTC+4:30) |
Kabul (Persian: کابل Kābol IPA: [kɒːˈbol]; Pashto: کابل Kābul IPA: [kɑˈbul]; archaic Caubul), is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, located in the Kabul Province. According to the 2008 official estimates, the population of Kabul metropolitan area is 2.8 million people.
It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 ft (1,800 m) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. The city is linked with Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif via a circular highway that stretches across the country. It is also the start of the main road to Jalalabad and further to Peshawar, Pakistan.
Kabul's main products include munitions, cloth, furniture and beet sugar, but since 1978, a state of nearly continuous war has limited the economic productivity of the city. Economic productivity has improved since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in late 2001.
It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 ft (1,800 m) above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River. The city is linked with Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e Sharif via a circular highway that stretches across the country. It is also the start of the main road to Jalalabad and further to Peshawar, Pakistan.
Kabul's main products include munitions, cloth, furniture and beet sugar, but since 1978, a state of nearly continuous war has limited the economic productivity of the city. Economic productivity has improved since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Kabul is about 3,500 years old, many empires have long fought over the city for its strategic location along the trade routes of South and Central Asia. From 1504 to 1526, Kabul was the first and original capital of the Mughal dynasty under Babur. It remained under Mughal rule until 1738, when Nader Shah Afsharid and his forces confiscated it. After the death of Nader Shah in 1747, the city fell to Ahmad Shah Durrani who quickly added it to his new Afghan Empire. In 1776, Timur Shah Durrani made it the capital of modern Afghanistan.Since the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, the city has been a target of militia or rebel groups. It is currently being re-developed but bomb attacks by Taliban militants are slowing down the reconstruction process.
