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At the crossroads of Central Asia, the land now called Afghanistan has attracted a long line of invaders and would-be conquerors. Afghanistan is controlled by the Taliban, which has imposed its strict interpretation of Islamic law on an impoverished populace. The ravaging effects of civil war and a three-year drought have sent millions of refugees streaming out of the country.
FACTS AND FIGURES
POPULATION: 26,813,057 (July 2001 est.)
CAPITAL: Kabul, pop. 2,590,000 (2000 est.)
SIZE: 251,739 sq. miles
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