19 August: Afghanistan Independence Day

Afghanistan celebrates its Independence from the UK, which happened on this date in 1919.

1. Afghanistan was a monarchy until 1973, when the last king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, was overthrown in a coup. He went into exile for a while, but eventually returned and was given the title 'Father of the Nation', which he held until his death.
2. The correct word for a person from Afghanistan is Afghan. Afghani, a word which is sometimes erroneously used is actually the currency.
3. 99% of the people are Muslims. Of the other minority religions, Judaism is the smallest, as there is just one Jewish person living in the entire country. His name is Zablon Simintov. He is a carpet trader and restaurateur aged about 56, who chose to remain when his family moved to Israel. He acts as a caretaker for the only synagogue in Kabul and had to get special permission from the nearest rabbi (in Uzbekistan) to be able to slaughter his own kosher meat. He was certainly still there in 2007, although at that time he was beginning to express interest in joining his family in Israel.
4. The Afghan hound is one of the oldest breeds of Dog in existence, and, for some genetic markers, shows the least divergence from Wolves.
5. The capital and largest city is Kabul. Other major cities include Kandahar, Herat, and Jalalabad.
6. Poetry is important in Afghan culture. The 14th Century poet Rumi is from there. Today, in Herat and other cities, Thursday night is poetry night, when families get together to read and share poetry with each other.
7. The national anthem dates from 2006, and mentions fourteen different ethnic groups.
8. There are a couple of UNESCO Heritage Sites in Afghanistan. One is the Minaret of Jam, a 62 metre high brick tower, thought to have been built around 1190, and the other is the caves of Bamiyan, which were once used by Buddhist monks for meditation and contain ancient cave paintings. They once held the two largest Buddha statues in the world, until the Taliban destroyed them in 2001, and used the caves for storing weapons.
9. The country's highest point is Noshaq, at 7,492 m (24,580 ft) above sea level.
10. The country's national game, buzkashi, or goat-grabbing, is regarded as the world's wildest game. It involves men on horseback competing to grab a dead Goat, ride off with it and drop it in a chalk circle. It has been played for centuries, and was once the sport of rich warlords. Nowadays, the sport is sponsored by airlines and phone companies. It's said Afghans would like to see buzkashi become an Olympic sport, although this is highly unlikely.