| Nangarhar (ننګرهار) | |
| Province | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Capital | Jalalabad |
| - coordinates | |
| Area | 7,727 km2 (2,983 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,334,000 (2009) [1] |
| Governor | Gul Agha Shirzai |
| Timezone | GMT+4:30 |
| Main language | Pashto |
|
Map of Afghanistan with Nangarhar highlighted
|
|
Nangarhar (Pashto: ننګرهار Nangarhār) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000,[1] which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais.[2]
Contents |
Once a major center of opium poppy production in Afghanistan, the province had reportedly decreased its production of poppy by up to 95% in 2005, one of the success stories of the Afghan eradication program. However, the eradication program has often left peasant farmers destitute and, in 2006, farmers were reported to have surrendered their children to opium dealers in payment on their debts.
Nangarhar shares a border with Pakistan, and the two regions share very close ties, with large amounts of migration in both directions. Most of the province still uses Pakistani currency rather than Afghan money for commercial transactions. The Pakistani government constructed a road from Torkham to Jalalabad to ease traffic and encourage trade.
The United States and the multi-national coalition forces, ISAF, are active in the area. The Shinwar district of Nangarhar was the site of the 2007 Shinwar shootings and the Dih Bala district was the site of the Deh Bala wedding party bombing.
The illicit poppy cultivation takes place in Khogiani, Ghanikhil, Chaparhar, and other remote districts. The farmers cite the lack of water and also poverty as the reasons for poppy cultivation. Poppy was also cultivated in Goshta District, Lalpura which borders Pakistan; but now the people just cultivate wheat and other legal crops.
khater
The province was where Osama bin Laden was cornered in the 2001 Tora Bora campaign. He ultimately escaped.[3]
On March 4, 2007, F platoon of the US Marine Corps Special Operations Company responded to a suicide bomber.[4]
On July 6, 2008 were bombed by the Taliban
Nangarhar province is administratively subdivided into 22 districts, these are:
| District | Capital | Population[5] | Area[6] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achin | 95,468 | |||
| Bati Kot | 71,308 | |||
| Bihsud | 118,934 | Created in 2005 within Jalalabad District | ||
| Chaparhar | 57,339 | |||
| Dara-I-Nur | 28,202 | |||
| Dih Bala | 33,294 | |||
| Dur Baba | 13,479 | |||
| Goshta | 31,130 | |||
| Hisarak | 28,376 | |||
| Jalalabad | 205,423 | Sub-divided in 2005 | ||
| Kama | 52,527 | |||
| Khogyani | 111,479 | |||
| Kot | 52,154 | Created in 2005 within Rodat District | ||
| Kuz Kunar | 42,823 | |||
| Lal Pur | 18,997 | |||
| Momand Dara | 42,103 | |||
| Nazyan | 16,328 | |||
| Pachir Wa Agam | 40,141 | |||
| Rodat | 63,357 | Sub-divided in 2005 | ||
| Sherzad | 63,232 | |||
| Shinwar | 64,872 | |||
| Surkh Rod | 91,548 |
The province is represented in domestic cricket competitions by the Nangarhar province cricket team. National team member Hamid Hasan was born in the province and he currently represents Afghanistan in international cricket.
Most of the Afghanistan National Team players belong to Nangarhar Province.
| Laghman Province | Kunar Province | |||
| Kabul Province | ||||
| Nangarhar Province | ||||
| Logar Province | Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan |
|
|||||||