Afghanistan is a place.
Afghanistan . It has a population of 33 million , making it the 42nd most populous country in the world . It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east ; Iran in the west ; Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan , and Tajikistan in the north ; and China in the far northeast . The political history of the modern state of Afghanistan began with the Hotak and Durrani dynasties in the 18th century .