Consider the following countries:
- 1.Azerbaijan
- 2.Kyrgyzstan
- 3.Tajikistan
- 4.Turkmenistan
- 5.Uzbekistan
Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 3, 4 and 5 only
Afghanistan's northern neighbours are three Central Asian republics — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan — along with Iran to the west, Pakistan to the east and south, and China at the tip of the Wakhan Corridor. Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan do not touch it.
- ✗ 1. Azerbaijan lies in the South Caucasus on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, with Iran and Turkmenistan's sea front between it and Afghanistan.
- ✗ 2. Kyrgyzstan lies north of Tajikistan; the narrow Wakhan Corridor keeps Afghanistan from reaching it.
- ✓ 3. Tajikistan shares Afghanistan's long north-eastern border, much of it along the Amu Darya (Panj) river.
- ✓ 4. Turkmenistan borders Afghanistan in the north-west.
- ✓ 5. Uzbekistan has a short border with Afghanistan along the Amu Darya, near Termez.
Remember · Afghanistan's six neighbours: Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China (via the Wakhan Corridor). India also claims a border through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Sources
- FAO AQUASTAT: Irrigation in the Near East region in figures, Afghanistan (geography) ↗ “Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia with a total area of about 652 000 km. It is bordered by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the north, China to the north-east, Pakistan to the east and south and Iran to the west.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·