| Badakhshān | |
|---|---|
| — Province — | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Government | |
| • Type | Provincial government |
| • Governor | Shah Waliullah Adeeb[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 44,059 km2 (17,011.3 sq mi) |
| Population [2] | |
| • Estimate (2010-2011) | more than 2,000,000 |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnicities | Tajik, Kyrgyz, Uzbek |
| • Languages | Persian, Pamiri, Pashto, Kyrgyz, Uzbek |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان - Badakhshān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, consisting of 28 districts. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya. It is part of the Badakhshan region.
Contents |
Badakhshan is primarily bordered by Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and Khatlon Province in Tajikistan to the north and east. In the east of the province a long spur called the Wakhan Corridor extends above northern Pakistan's Chitral and Northern Areas to a border with China. The province has a total area of 44,059 km², most of which is occupied by the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges. Badakhshan is the most populated province of Afghanistan with more than two million population. Badakhshan was a stopover on the ancient Silk Road trading path, and China has shown great interest in the province after the fall of the Taliban, helping to reconstruct roads and infrastructure in the province.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the following ecoregions are found within the boundaries of Badakshan: Temperate Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands Gissaro-Alai open woodlands—found along the Pamir River. Common plants are pistachio, almond, walnut, apple, and juniper. sagebrush. Montane Grasslands and Shrublands Hindu Kush alpine meadow—found in the high mountains in the northern and southwestern regions. Common vegetation includes meadow and birch forests. Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe—found in the Wakhan corridor. Pamir alpine desert and meadow—found in the Wakhan corridor. Deserts and Xeric Shrublands Afghan Mountains semi-desert—found south of Feyzabad. Common vegetation includes thorny bushes, zizyphus, acacia, and Amygdatus. Paropamisus xeric woodlands—found in northwestern and central areas. Common vegetation includes almond, pistachio, willows, and sea buckthorn.
Badakhshan's name was given by the Sassanids and derives from the word badaxš (an official Sassanian title). The suffix of the name, -ān, means the region belonged to someone with the title badaxš (analogous to Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Tehran, etc.).[3]
Badakhshan and Panjshir were the only provinces that were never occupied or could been captured by the Taliban during their drive to control the country.[4] However, during the course of the wars a non-Taliban Islamic emirate was established in Badakhshan by Mawlawi Shariqi, paralleling the Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan in neighboring Nuristan. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a Badakhshan native, and Ahmad Shah Massoud were the last remnants of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance during the peak of Taliban control in 2000 and 2001, and they used the province as their base of operations. At the end, starting from Badakhshan, the Northern Alliance defeated the Taliban.
The current Governor of the province is Munshi Abdul Majid. Previously, it was Sayed Amin Tareq.
Despite massive mineral reserves, Badakhshan is one of the most destitute areas in the world. Opium poppy growing is the only real source of income in the province and Badakhshan has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, due to the complete lack of health infrastructure, inaccessible locations, and bitter winters of the province.
Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sar-e-Sang mines, located in the Kuran wa Munjan District of Badakhshan, for over 6,000 years. The mines were the largest and most well-known source in ancient times.[5][6] Most recent mining activity has focused on lapis lazuli, with the proceeds from the lapis mines being used to fund Northern Alliance troops, and before that, anti-Soviet Mujahideen fighters.[7] Recent geological surveys have indicated the location of other gemstone deposits, in particular rubies and emeralds.[8] Exploitation of this mineral wealth could be key to the region's prosperity.[8]
Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan, sits on the Kokcha River and has an approximate population of 50,000. The chief commercial and administrative center of NE Afghanistan and the Pamir region, Fayzabad also has rice and flour mills. In winter the city is sometimes isolated by deep snow. In 1979 it was a focus of Afghan guerrillas attempting to repel the Soviet invasion. Fayzabad was taken by Soviet forces in 1980 and became a major Soviet garrison town.
The population of the province is estimated at 2,000,000 (two million) people.[2] The majority of them are Persian-speaking Tajiks. There are also
The residents of the province are largely Sunni, but many of the speakers of the Pamiri languages in the southern and eastern districts of the province are Ismaili.
Historical population estimates for Badakhshan Province are as follows:[10]
| District | Map # | Capital | Population[11] | 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 |
The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket competitions by the Badakhshan Province cricket team.
| Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province, Tajikistan | ||||
| Takhar Province | Xinjiang, China | |||
| Badakhstan Province | ||||
| Panjshir Province | Nuristan Province | Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
|
|||||||