Is Afghanistan in South Asia or in Central Asia (or possibly in the Middle East)? This silly little question has attracted a surprising amount of wiki controversy over the years. I think the current, stable, version of the Afghanistan article gets things right: in the very first sentence it says the country is located at the crossroads of the two regions, and then never comes back to this question again. The other two linked articles devote some more screen space to the issue, and at least one of the two does an alright job of it.
I'm not interested in pursuing any changes here. I've just combed through the talk archives of Afghanistan, South Asia, Cental Asia and the Indian subcontinent articles, and compiled a catalogue of all relevant discussions I've been able to find. The list is as follows (I've excluded the numerous short unanswered edit-request threads, though I've left a few of those for flavour; bld indicates the thread was either particularly extensive or featured a lot of sources):
Notes
I can draw three conclusions from all the stuff above:
The above overview I also posted at Talk:Afghanistan#South Asia or Central Asia?. (I'm reproducing it here instead of simply linking to it as I think it forms an essential backdrop to what will follow and because I don't want all the links to break once all that ends up in the archives.) Now, a few points specific to how the matter is treated in the South Asia article.
Currently, the lede states that Afghanistan is part of the region, which is then reiterated at the start of the Definition section with the claim that sources are consistent
in including it (this claim is not supported by any of the sources cited, as I'll detail below). Now, there's footnote in the lede and some content further down in the Definition section which walk that statement back and then attempt to add some nuance. The whole matter was discussed in the threads on this talk page from 2017, 2018 and 2020, and the current state of affairs was then justified with reference to SAARC (Afghanistan is in SAARC, therefore it's in South Asia, and so any nuances should be left out of the lede). That's an obvious non-starter: membership in an international organisation is one among many aspects to a country's international orientation, and a country's international orientation is itself only one among several aspects that determine its inclusion in a region that's also significantly conceived on the basis of cultural, historic, physical geographic or other considerations.
As far as I can see, the only claim that we can make based on the sources so far is that some of them include the country and others don't. – Uanfala (talk) 19:29, 17 December 2022 (UTC)
According to ChatGPT, Afghanistan is a part of Central Asia. That should end all discussions about Afghanistan's status.
Link: https://aichatonline.org/chat/ 120.18.220.112 (talk) 08:41, 6 July 2023 (UTC
Really because chat gpt got also says this
"Afghanistan is considered part of South Asia due to its geographical location, historical ties, and cultural connections with the South Asian region. Here are some key reasons why Afghanistan is categorized as South Asian:
1.Geographic Proximity: Afghanistan is situated in the southern part of Central Asia, but it shares a border with several South Asian countries, including Pakistan to the east and south. Its geographical proximity to South Asia is a significant factor in considering it part of the region.
2.Historical Ties: Afghanistan has historical connections with South Asia, particularly with the Indian subcontinent. These ties date back centuries and are rooted in trade, migration, and cultural exchanges. The historical influence of empires such as the Mughal Empire on Afghanistan and vice versa has contributed to these connections.
3.Cultural Similarities: Afghanistan shares cultural elements, such as cuisine, music, and traditions, with South Asian countries. This cultural overlap is a reflection of the historical interactions and exchanges between the regions.
4.Membership in Regional Organizations: Afghanistan is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a regional organization composed of South Asian nations. Its membership in SAARC underscores its integration into South Asian regional affairs.
5.Linguistic Ties: While Pashto and Dari (a dialect of Persian) are the official languages of Afghanistan, there are linguistic ties between Afghanistan and South Asia. For example, Urdu, which is one of the official languages of Pakistan, shares linguistic roots with languages spoken in Afghanistan. For example Dari which is the Afghan variant of Persian (Farsi), has had a significant influence on Urdu. Persian was historically a language of administration, culture, and literature in the Indian subcontinent, including areas that are now part of India and Pakistan. Many Persian loanwords and expressions found their way into Urdu vocabulary, enriching the language.
Overall, Afghanistan's geographical location, historical ties, cultural connections, and participation in regional organizations like SAARC all contribute to its classification as part of the South Asian region."
185.13.106.113 (talk) 14:42, 14 January 2024 (UTC)