Mapping Afghanistan

I took a good look at some maps and images of Afghanistan and it seems like it has its positives and negatives. Afghanistan is a very mountainous country full of dry land with limited fresh water. From what I learned, the Afghanistan's land is full of minerals like gold, silver, copper, zinc, etc. However, there was a piece of information that struck me as a bit surprising. I did not know that Afghanistan was home to some petroleum and natural gas reserves. Obviously we all know the Middle East is a major source of the globe's oil supply, but the ones I just mentioned remain unused due to the Soviet conflict and the civil war that followed.

After looking at some pictures of the country, it appears to be a beautiful country geologically. There are many mountains with sweeping views. But this scenery is offset by the the pictures muddled by combat. The country is in obvious turmoil and things are not easy for anyone over there. Some pictures promote peace while others are directly opposite.

I think the map basically explains how desperate Afghanistan really is...It is next to Iran, a country full of nuclear suspicion. Also, if I remember correctly from Olivia's lesson Monday, Afghanistan was/still is home to Al Qaeda forces. And as everyone knows, the Middle East has more than its fair share of conflict globally and internally. I just think the pictures I saw say a lot about the culture; they are looking for peace, but peace is hard to come by in such a historically conflicted country.