The Kabul River, beside which the capital stands, is particularly famous because it leads to the Khyber Pass and thus S to Pakistan. Although warfare in Afghanistan from 1979 onward has caused substantial population displacement, with thousands of refugees fleeing into Pakistan and Iran, regional ethnicity is still generally the same. Tajiks live around Herat, Uzbeks live in the north, and nomadic Turkmen live in the Vakhan. In the central mountains are the Hazaras, of Mongolian origin. Largely subsistence crops include wheat and other grains, cotton, sugar beets, fruits, and nuts.
Grazing is also of great importance in the economy.
5 Mineral wealth is virtually undeveloped, except for natural gas, which is produced in exportable quantities. Industry was still only in the beginning stages at the end of the 1970s and has suffered substantial damage since then. Some small-scale manufactures produce cotton and other fabrics, fertilizer, cement, and processed agricultural goods. Once a major trade hub, the city of Kabul has been ravaged by war, and its industry has largely disappeared, as has its infrastructure. Road communications throughout the country are poor, with pack animals the primary means of transport in the interior.