50 free Afghanistan trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Afghanistan sits at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, landlocked, mountainous, and fought over by everyone from Alexander the Great to the Soviet Union, which is why it is called the graveyard of empires. This quiz covers the country from every angle: its six neighbours, Noshaq and the Hindu Kush, the Wakhan Corridor that touches China, and Kabul at nearly 1,800 metres. The history questions run from Bactria and the Silk Road lapis trade through the Ghurids' Minaret of Jam, the Timurid Renaissance in Herat, Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Durand Line, independence in 1919, the last king Zahir Shah, the Soviet-Afghan War and the Lion of Panjshir. Culture gets equal weight: Kabuli palaw, Nowruz, buzkashi, the national dance attan, Rumi of Balkh, war rugs, the karakul hat, the Afghan hound, the Kite Runner, the Afghan Girl photograph and the national cricket team formed in 2001. There are questions on the Bamiyan Buddhas, Band-e Amir's blue lakes and the Salang Tunnel too. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on Afghanistan, its cities, history and culture, so the dates, heights and names are reliable.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Afghanistan is landlocked and shares borders with how many countries?
Six
Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China.
Q 02Which mountain range dominates Afghanistan, separating the northern plains from the south-west?
The Hindu Kush
It is the western extension of the Himalayas, reaching the Pamirs in the far north-east.
Q 03Afghanistan's highest point, Noshaq, rises to roughly what height?
7,492 m
The lowest point is just 258 m, on the bank of the Amu River in Jowzjan Province.
Q 04Afghanistan is roughly the size of which US state?
Texas
At 652,864 sq km it is the world's 41st-largest country, slightly bigger than France.
Q 05Afghanistan's longest land border, the Durand Line, is shared with which country?
Pakistan
Abdur Rahman Khan agreed the line in 1893, dividing Pashtun and Baloch lands.
Q 06The narrow Wakhan Corridor in the far north-east connects Afghanistan to which country?
China
It was carved out in the 1890s so that Russian and British territory would never touch.
Q 07At about 5,900 feet above sea level, Kabul is one of the world's highest what?
Capital cities
The city, on the Kabul River, is thought to be over 3,500 years old.
Q 08The name Afghanistan is usually translated as what?
Land of the Afghans
The Persian suffix -stan means 'place of'; some trace 'Afghan' to a Sanskrit word for horsemen.
Q 09Because so many invaders have failed to hold it, Afghanistan is popularly nicknamed what?
The graveyard of empires
Persians, Alexander, Mongols, British, Soviets and a US-led coalition have all campaigned there.
Q 10Alexander reached Afghanistan in 330 BCE, the year after defeating Darius III at which battle?
Gaugamela
The Seleucids then held the region until handing much of it to the Mauryas in 305 BCE.
Q 11Which blue stone, mined in Badakhshan, did ancient Afghanistan trade along the Silk Road?
Lapis lazuli
It was ground into cobalt blue for Chinese porcelain and reached Mesopotamia and Turkey.
Q 12The Buddhas of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001, were how tall at their largest?
55 m
The smaller eastern Buddha was 38 m; carbon dating puts them at around 570 and 618 CE.
Q 13The Minaret of Jam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built around 1190, was the work of which dynasty?
The Ghurids
The 65 m brick tower stands in a remote valley of Ghor Province and is on the danger list.
Q 21Zahir Shah, the last king, reigned from 1933 until he was deposed by his cousin in which year?
1973
He was in Italy for medical treatment when Daoud Khan's coup ended over 225 years of monarchy.
Q 22The Soviet-Afghan War ran from December 1979 until the Soviet withdrawal in which month?
February 1989
It is often called 'the Soviet Union's Vietnam'.
Q 23Ahmad Shah Massoud, the 'Lion of Panjshir', was assassinated by al-Qaeda on which date?
9 September 2001
The Tajik commander had held the Panjshir Valley against the Soviets and then the Taliban.
Q 14Which 'Pearl of Khorasan' was the focus of the Timurid Renaissance under Shah Rukh?
Herat
Its Thursday poetry nights and Great Mosque continue the tradition.
Q 15The 13th-century mystic poet Rumi was born in which Afghan city?
Balkh
Ansari of Herat and Sanai of Ghazni are the other two 'national glories', though Iran claims all three.
Q 16The world's earliest known use of oil painting was found where in Afghanistan?
In cave murals
Gandhara art, a fusion of Greco-Roman and Buddhist styles, also flourished here.
Q 17The modern Afghan state is generally dated from which ruler's empire, founded in 1747?
Ahmad Shah Durrani
The polity founded in 1747 was not actually called Afghanistan in its own day.
Q 18Which Mughal founder captured Kabul in 1504 and made it his headquarters?
Babur
His garden tomb, the Bagh-e Babur, remains one of Kabul's landmarks.
Q 19Afghanistan served as a buffer state in the 19th-century 'Great Game' between which two empires?
Britain and Russia
One emir likened his country to a goat between two lions.
Q 20Afghanistan's Independence Day, 19 August, marks the treaty that ended which war in 1919?
The Third Anglo-Afghan War
Emir Amanullah Khan had invaded British India via the Khyber Pass; he proclaimed himself king in 1926.
Q 24The Taliban returned to power in which year after capturing Kabul?
2021
They had first controlled most of the country by 1996 before the 2001 US invasion.
Q 25The flag adopted by the Taliban in 2021 is a white field bearing what?
The Shahada
The internationally recognised tricolour is black, red and green with a mosque emblem.
Q 26What are Afghanistan's two official languages?
Dari and Pashto
Dari, a variety of Persian, is the lingua franca; bilingualism is common.
Q 27According to 2019 research, which ethnic group is Afghanistan's largest, at about 42%?
Pashtuns
Tajiks are next at 27%, with Hazaras and Uzbeks around 9% each.
Q 28What is Afghanistan's currency?
The afghani
Introduced in 1923, it is nominally divided into 100 puls, though no pul coins circulate.
Q 29Kabuli palaw, the national dish, is steamed rice with marinated meat, raisins and what?
Caramelised carrots
It is often garnished with almonds and pistachios; in Saudi Arabia it is called Bukhari rice.
Q 30Afghanistan's official new year is which ancient festival at the spring equinox?
Nowruz
It is celebrated with music, dance and buzkashi tournaments; Yalda marks the longest night.