Land Use
by Vince Dizon
How is the land used in Afghanistan?
Economic Activity
The land use in Afghanistan is very limited. About more than one half of the land is made of mountain ranges, the other half is mostly made of deserts. In Kabul, the land is used for farming, airports, parks, stadiums, cemeteries, urban areas, and rural areas. Farming in Afghanistan is very harsh because the land is mostly dry, because of the dryness in the country, farmers still make money but not at a normal rate. If I had a job there and I get payed about an estimate of $20 per week, I would demand for more money per week (like $50) so I can afford a house (or a better house).
Landmines in Afghanistan?
Landmine population
Other parts of the land have landmines. The mines are located along main routes and near major cities. Kabul is the city that has the most landmines. About 1,000 people died from those landmines. The people that died from landmines could have died by stepping on a spot that was mined, hit by mine shards, body parts blew off, or maybe held onto a landmine and accidentally triggered it. I think that the mines were placed by the Taliban (or the Soviets). Since there are landmines almost everywhere, it's very hard to find places to plant crops nearby cities. Plus, if you try to mine in Afghanistan, you might get killed by a landmine, that's why you should always look at a map like the one on the right. Basically, you will have a hard time making money. Also, mining might just be a waste of time and people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------>
War On Terror
US troops in Afghanistan
The War On Terror is affecting Afghanistan, it was affecting the country because people thought that Osama bin Laden was in Afghanistan. Somehow he was moved to Pakistan without anyone knowing (other than the Taliban or Al-Qaeda). Also, some people (maybe the Taliban) tried to blow up parts of the cities that are well known and re-building them is kind of a waste of money. US soldiers are trying to prevent bombings by using bomb robots to move the bombs to unoccupied areas where soldiers can disarm them. The Taliban still cause so much trouble in Afghanistan. In the past, right after the Afghans forced the Soviets out of Afghanistan, there was a lot of wreckage and many people lost their homes (or lives). Those people didn't have any homes because they were either blown up or the land was very limited. In Shooting Kabul, N. H. Senzai described the walls in Jalalabad as "riddled with bullet holes and grenade blasts" (described after Soviets invaded). Now that there was a truce, the War On Terror ended, after that, US troops were pulled out of Afghanistan.
Mining in Afghanistan
Other things the land is used for in Afghanistan is mineral mining. According to Brookings.edu, Afghanistan has over $1 trillion in mineral wealth. Afghanistan has so many valuable minerals. Some of the minerals are lithium, copper, gold, coal, and iron ore. If Afghanistan mined the most valuable minerals, the country would be very rich (maybe over $7 trillion). They would also have a lot of power so it would be a hot spot for mining, if that happens, miners from all around the world would move there and try to mine anything they think exists in Afghanistan. Also, in what you see in the picture on the left, those miners are being forced to mine. If you don't mine, you get shot, you mine, you still don't get any money, anyways, it's a lose lose situation. There is also oil there and many countries want part of that oil.
Works Cited
Links:
"Afghanistan's Web Site - Afghanistan Natural Regions." Afghanistan's Web Site - Afghanistan Natural Regions. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.afghanistans.com/information/NaturalR.htm>.
"AIMS, Kabul City Land Use, Afghanistan, 2005." At GeoCommons. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://geocommons.com/overlays/4205>.
"Deposits Could Aid Ailing Afghanistan." The Brookings Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2010/06/16-afghanistan-minerals-ohanlon>.
Senzai, N. H. Shooting Kabul. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
Souter, Janet, and Gerry Souter. War in Afghanistan and Iraq. London: Carlton, 2011. Print.
"Afghanistan's Web Site - Afghanistan Natural Regions." Afghanistan's Web Site - Afghanistan Natural Regions. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.afghanistans.com/information/NaturalR.htm>.
"AIMS, Kabul City Land Use, Afghanistan, 2005." At GeoCommons. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://geocommons.com/overlays/4205>.
"Deposits Could Aid Ailing Afghanistan." The Brookings Institution. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2010/06/16-afghanistan-minerals-ohanlon>.
- Michael E. O'Hanlon
Director of Research
Senzai, N. H. Shooting Kabul. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
Souter, Janet, and Gerry Souter. War in Afghanistan and Iraq. London: Carlton, 2011. Print.