Badakhshan Province

Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان - Badakhshān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has 28 Districts. The capital is Feyzabad. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya.

Badakhshān
Province
Coordinates: 38°N 71°E
Country	Afghanistan
Government
• Type	Provincial government
• Governor	Shah Waliullah Adeeb[1]
Area
• Total	44,059 km2 (17,011 sq mi)
Population [2]
• Estimate  (2011-2012)	889,700
Demographics
• Ethnicities	Tajik, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Pashtun
• Languages	Persian, Pamiri, Pashto, Kyrgyz, Uzbek
Time zone	UTC+4:30

A Kuchi caravan traveling to the Shewa Valley in northern Badakhshan

Geography

Badakhshan is bordered by Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and Khatlon Province in Tajikistan to the north and east. In the east is the Wakhan Corridor. The province has a total area of 44,059 km². Much of the land is the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Economy

Classic lazurite specimen from Sar-e-Sang district. Size 7.4 x 5 x 5 cm.

Badakhshan is one of the poorest areas in the world. Opium poppy growing is the only real source of income in the province.

Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sar-e-Sang mines for over 6,000 years. The mines were the largest and most well-known source in ancient times.^[3]

Demographics

The population of the province is estimated at 889,700 people.^[2] The majority of them are Persian-speaking Tajiks.

The residents of the province are largely Sunni.

Districts of Badakhshan

District map of Badakhshan Province

Districts of Badakhshan Province

District	Map #	Capital	Population[4]	Area	Notes
Arghanj Khwa	6		12,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Argo	6		45,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Baharak	7	Baharak	14,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Darayim	6		65,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Darwaz	1	Nusay	21,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Darwazi Bala	1		11,000		Created in 2005 within Darwaz District
Fayzabad	6	Fayzabad	46,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Ishkashim	8	Ishkashim	11,000
Jurm	10		3,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Khash	10		48,000		Created in 2005 within Jurm District
Khwahan	2	Khwahan	14,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Kishim	9		63,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Kohistan	7		12,000		Created in 2005 within Baharak District
Kuf Ab	2		16,000		Created in 2005 within Khwahan District
Kuran wa Munjan	11	Kuran wa Munjan	8,000
Ragh	4	Ragh	37,000		Sub-divided in 2005
Shahri Buzurg	5	Shahri Buzurg	42,000
Shighnan	3		24,000
Shiki	6		26,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Shuhada	7		31,000		Created in 2005 within Baharak District
Tagab	6		22,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Tishkan	9		23,000		Created in 2005 from Kishim District
Wakhan	13		13,000
Warduj	7		17,000		Created in 2005 within Baharak District
Yaftali Sufla	6		39,000		Created in 2005 within Fayzabad District
Yamgan	7		20,000		Created in 2005 within Baharak District
Yawan	4		27,000		Created in 2005 within Ragh District
Zebak	12	Zebak	7,000

Sport

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket competitions by the Badakhshan Province cricket team.

Notable people from Badakhshan

• Burhanuddin Rabbani - leader of the Jamiat-e Islami political party and former president of Afghanistan
• Tahir Badakhshi - political activist
• Latif Pedram - political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
• Mahboobullah Kushani - political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
• Mohammad Wali (Prime Minsiter) - Prime Minsiter (Amanullah Khan)
• Shah Wali Taranasaz - Musician
• Nasratullah Nasrat - Afghan cricketer

Related pages

• Badakhshan