Dari is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan, with 25-50% of the population of speaking Dari as their native language. It is also known as Afghan Persian, Eastern Farsi, and Eastern Persian.

Dari and Farsi, or Persian, are very similar. They both share the common ancestor of Middle Persian, but Farsi developed first, then Dari. They both use a modified Arabic script and are highly mutually intelligible. There are differences, however. For instance, Dari has a few more consonants than Farsi, and different vowels. Dari is generally pronounced differently as well, with accents being stressed much less than in Farsi.

Within Afghanistan, the highest concentrations of Dari speakers live in the north, west, and central regions. The ethnic group in Afghanistan with the most Dari native speakers is the Tajiks, followed by the Hazaras and the Aymāqs.

The Afghan Economy

Afghanistan is not known for its booming economy; in fact, it is one of the world’s poorest countries as a result of too few foreign investments and decades of war. However, in the past 10 years there has been a 10% increase in economic growth, thanks to remittances and international aid.

Afghanistan’s most important economic sector is agriculture, and it produces pomegranates, melons, grapes, apricots, and a variety of fresh and dried nuts. Crude oil, natural gas, lithium, copper, and gold are just a few of the natural resources that Afghanistan has in good quantities. There have also been some agricultural and transportation improvements in recent years that have helped prop up the economy.

Afghanistan has good economic relations with a number of countries, namely the U.K., the U.S., Germany, and Turkey. The U.S. and Afghanistan set up the U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2012, as a way to provide a basis for relations between the two countries. Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, China, India, Russia, South Korea, and several other countries maintain friendly relations with Afghanistan.

Just as Pashto translation services are important for those who are trying to help a struggling nation, Dari translation services need to be available as well. Those who do disaster relief work rely heavily on translation services to help them communicate effectively.