The capital city Kabul is said to be over three and a half thousand years old. That's one and a half thousand years older than London!

School children in Afghanistan

Not everybody speaks the same language in Afghanistan but Persian is the main language. Poetry is popular in Afghanistan, and some very famous Persian poets once lived there.

Ninety nine per cent of the people in Afghanistan are Muslim. In Kandahar City, the cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammed can be found stored away in the famous Friday Mosque or 'Khalka Sharifa'.

Afghanistan can be a difficult place for girls to grow up. There aren't many female teachers in Afghanistan and some parents won't allow their daughters to be taught by men. A lot more men than women can read. Just over half of all children (53 per cent) go to primary school, but there are many more boys than girls getting an education.

It can also be a dangerous place to live. Over two decades of wars have left behind millions of landmines, which kill and injure many people every month. Over half the population (61 per cent) don't have access to clean, safe water to drink and diseases like malaria and diarrhoea are very common. Sadly, about one in four children (257 out of every 1000) die before they reach their fifth birthday.