Afghanistan is a country located in the South Central Asia. Known officially as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, this country is commonly mistaken as being part of the Middle East. Though this is a misconception, Afghanistan is near the Middle Eastern Region of the world.
As a country surrounded by land in all directions, Afghanistan shares borders with six other countries. In the north, Afghanistan is encompassed by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. In the opposite direction, Afghanistan shares its southern border with Pakistan, a country that also lies along Afghanistan's eastern border. To the west of Afghanistan lies Iran. China is northeast of Afghanistan.
The GPS coordinates of Afghanistan are 33.9391° N and 67.7100° E. With a latitude in the north, Afghanistan is located above the equator. The country is located in both the northern and eastern hemispheres.
The northernmost point of Afghanistan has a latitudinal coordinate of 38°22' N. This point is a few miles south of a location called Qal'Aikhum. In comparison to the other 195 countries in the world, the most extreme point of Afghanistan in the north is the sixty-second northernmost point of all 196 countries in the world. In the south, Afghanistan's furthest point lies along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. In terms of GPS coordinates, the southernmost point of Afghanistan is at a latitude of 29°23' N.
In the east, Afghanistan reaches an extreme point of 75°00' E. As the thirty-ninth most eastern easternmost point, Afghanistan extends as far as the border between China, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. In particular, the easternmost point of the country is in Badakhshan, which is one of thirty-four provinces in Afghanistan. The westernmost point of Afghanistan is situated along the Iranian-Afghan border. With a longitudinal coordinate of 60°30' E, this point is considered part of the Herat Province.
The total area of Afghanistan is approximately 252,071 square miles. With a population of 36,797,109 people, Afghanistan is the 40th largest country in the world in terms of population. From here, the population density can be calculated. This is essentially a value that identifies a numerical relationship between the total area and the population of a country. The population density of Afghanistan is a value of roughly 146 people per square mile. This means that there are just about 146 people in Afghanistan for every square mile of the country's total area.