Landlocked Afghanistan, a poor, largely arid land, lies in central Asia. Over several millennia it has been fought over and incorporated into the world's greatest empires — starting with that of Darius the Great of Persia in ancient times and ending, in the late 20th century, with the Soviet Union. Recent civil wars have culminated in the country being largely taken over by its present rulers, the Taliban.

History		Geography		The people		Who are the Taliban?

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