Badghis Province

Badghis بادغیس
Province of Afghanistan
A village in Badghis
Location within Afghanistan
Districts prior to 2005 realignment
Coordinates: 35°0′N 63°45′E / 35.000°N 63.750°E / 35.000; 63.750Coordinates: 35°0′N 63°45′E / 35.000°N 63.750°E / 35.000; 63.750
Country	Afghanistan
Provincial seat	Qala i Naw
Districts	7 Ab Kamari Ghormach Jawand Muqur Murghab Qadis Qala i Naw
Government
• Governor	Jamaluddin Ishaq
Area
• Total	20,590.6 km2 (7,950.1 sq mi)
• Water	0 km2 (0 sq mi)
Population (2013)[1]
• Total	499,393
• Density	20.9/km2 (54/sq mi)
Demographics
• Ethnic groups	Tajiks, Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Turkmen
• Languages	Dari Persian, Pashto, Turkmen
ISO 3166 code	AF-BDG

Bādghīs (Pashto/Persian: بادغیس‎‎) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country next to Turkmenistan. The name means "home of the winds" in Persian and Pashto languages, referring to the steppe winds that blow into the province from the north and northwest. Badghis is irrigated by the Murghab and Hari rivers. Its northern border extends to the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. Badghis includes the Chul formations through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs.^[2] The province was carved out of portions of Herat Province and Meymaneh Province in 1964 and has a total area of 20,591 km².^[3] It is counted as one of the most underdeveloped of the country's 34 provinces. Qala i Naw, a small town halfway between Maimana and Herat, serves as the provincial center.

History

The province was one of the last captured by the Taliban in their military offensive before the American invasion in 2001. The province was quickly retaken by Northern Alliance forces as the United States initiated hostilities, which was followed by a brutal cleansing of the Pashtun minority in the province.

Various influential warlords have traded control of the province in recent years, including: General Abdul Rashid Dostum, Abdul Zahir Naibzadah, Gul Mohammad Arifi, Mohammad Yaqoub Sorkhabi and Qazi Sulaiman Hamid. During the fight against the Taliban, the Northern Alliance commanders received military aid from Shi'ite Iran, fearful of the Sunni Taliban. In one notable incident, Malik temporarily switched his allegiances from Dostum, allowing the Taliban to gain control of the province.

Politics

The current Governor of the province is Jamaluddin Ishaq.

At the province is a Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is led by Spain.

Economy

Agriculture is the main source of people's income and the existence of Murghab and Hari rivers makes the available land suitable for cultivation. The province faced severe drought during the late 1990s and early 2000s, causing tens of thousands of residents to flee to refugee camps outside Herat. The situation has since improved.^[4] Badghis is the leading province in Afghanistan in pistachio production. It is also one of the carpet-making capitals of the country.

Transportation

Badghis Province suffers from a lack of adequate transportation. A single airport exists at the provincial seat--Qala i Naw Airport (QAQN), which is capable of handling light aircraft.^[5] Work on a 233 km section of the Afghan ring road has started in 2012.^[6] This will connect Herat to Mazar-i Sharif and open up Badghis to the rest of Afghanistan. This section goes from Laman in Herat Province to Qaisar in Faryab Province, through Qala-i Nao, Muqur, Bala Murghab and Ghormach. It is scheduled for completion in 2016. The Asian Development Bank has agreed to fund the estimated $ 397 million that this project will cost.^[7] The construction of this road has been undertaken by a joint venture between an American road engineering firm and a Turkish construction company. This project will provide employment opportunities to more ten thousand people in this province.

Healthcare

The percentage of households with clean drinking water fell from 11.6% in 2005 to 1% in 2011.^[8] The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 15% in 2005 to 17% in 2011. ^[9]

Education

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) fell from 11% in 2005 to 9% in 2011. ^[10] The overall net enrolment rate (6-13 years of age) increased from 19% in 2005 to 30% in 2011. ^[11]

Geography

Badghis Province is located in the isolated hills of northwestern Afghanistan and shares its borders with Herat, Ghor, and Faryab provinces as well as Turkmenistan. The province is dominated by the Murghab River in the north and the Hari-Rud River in the south.

Districts

• Ab Kamari
• Ghormach District
• Jawand District
• Muqur District, Badghis
• Murghab District
• Qadis District
• Qala i Naw District

Demography

Like in the rest of Afghanistan, no exact population numbers are available. According to AIMS and NPS, the population of Badghis consists of 62% Tajik, 28% Pashtun, 5% Uzbek, 3% Turkmen, and 2% Baloch.^[12]

References

• Afghanistan Information Management Service

External links

• Map of Badghis Province (PDF)
• Badghis Province Overview - Slides (University of Montana)

		Mary Province,  Turkmenistan	Faryab Province
		Badghis Province
	Herat Province		Ghor Province

Provinces of Afghanistan Badakhshan Badghis Baghlan Balkh Bamyan Daykundi Farah Faryab Ghazni Ghor Helmand Herat Jowzjan Kabul Kandahar Kapisa Khost Kunar Kunduz Laghman Logar Maidan Wardak Nangarhar Nimruz Nuristan Paktia Paktika Panjshir Parwan Samangan Sar-e Pol Takhar Urozgan Zabul

Districts of Afghanistan by province Badakhshan Arghanj Khwa Argo Baharak Darayim Maimay Nusay Fayzabad Ishkashim Jurm Khash Khwahan Kishim Kohistan Kuf Ab Kuran Wa Munjan Raghistan Shahri Buzurg Shighnan Shekay Shuhada Tagab Tishkan Wakhan Wurduj Yaftali Sufla Yamgan Yawan Zebak Badghis Ab Kamari Ghormach Jawand Muqur Murghab Qadis Qala i Naw Baghlan Andarab Baghlan Baghlani Jadid Burka Dahana i Ghuri Dih Salah Dushi Farang Wa Gharu Guzargahi Nur Khinjan Khost Wa Fereng Khwaja Hijran Nahrin Puli Hisar Puli Khumri Tala Wa Barfak Balkh Balkh Charbolak Charkint Chimtal Dawlatabad Dihdadi Kaldar Kholm Kishindih Marmul Mazar-e Sharif Nahri Shahi Sholgara Shortepa Zari Bamyan Bamyan Kahmard Panjab Sayghan Shibar Waras Yakawlang Daykundi Gizab Ishtarlay Kajran Khadir Kiti Miramor Nili Sangtakht Shahristan Farah Anar Dara Bakwa Bala Buluk Farah Gulistan Khaki Safed Lash Wa Juwayn Pur Chaman Pusht Rod Qala i Kah Shib Koh Faryab Almar Andkhoy Bilchiragh Dawlat Abad Gurziwan Khani Chahar Bagh Khwaja Sabz Posh Kohistan Maymana Pashtun Kot Qaramqol Qaysar Qurghan Shirin Tagab Ghazni Ab Band Ajristan Andar Bahrami Shahid Dih Yak Gelan Ghazni Giro Jaghori Khogyani Khwaja Umari Malistan Muqur Nawa Nawur Qarabagh Jaghatu Rashidan Waghaz Zana Khan Ghor Chaghcharan Charsada Dawlat Yar Du Layna Lal Wa Sarjangal Pasaband Saghar Shahrak Taywara Tulak Helmand Baghran Dishu Garmsir Kajaki Khanashin Lashkar Gah Musa Qala Nad Ali Nahri Saraj Nawa-I-Barakzayi Nawzad Sangin Washir Herat Adraskan Chishti Sharif Farsi Ghoryan Gulran Guzara Herat Injil Karukh Kohsan Kushk Kushki Kuhna Obe Pashtun Zarghun Shindand Zinda Jan Jowzjan Aqcha Darzab Fayzabad Khamyab Khaniqa Khwaja Du Koh Mardyan Mingajik Qarqin Qush Tepa Shibirghan Kabul Bagrami Chahar Asyab Deh Sabz Farza Guldara Istalif Kabul Kalakan Khaki Jabbar Mir Bacha Kot Mussahi Paghman Qarabagh Shakardara Surobi Kandahar Arghandab Arghistan Daman Ghorak Kandahar Khakrez Maruf Maywand Miyanishin Nesh Panjwayi Reg Shah Wali Kot Shorabak Spin Boldak Zhari Kapisa Alasay Hesa Awal Kohistan Hesa Duwum Kohistan Koh Band Mahmud Raqi Nijrab Tagab Khost Bak Gurbuz Zazi Maidan Khost (Matun) Mandozayi Musakhel Nadir Shah Kot Qalandar Sabari Shamal Spera Tani Tirazayi Kunar Asadabad Bar Kunar Chapa Dara Chawkay Dangam Dara-I-Pech Ghaziabad Khas Kunar Marawara Narang Aw Badil Nari Nurgal Shaigal Aw Shiltan Sirkanay Wata Pur Kunduz Ali Abad Archi Chahar Dara Imam Sahib Khan Abad Kunduz Qalay-I-Zal Laghman Alingar Alishing Dawlat Shah Mihtarlam Qarghayi Logar Azra Baraki Barak Charkh Kharwar Khoshi Mohammad Agha Pul-i-Alam Nangarhar Achin Bati Kot Bihsud Chaparhar Dara-I-Nur Dih Bala Dur Baba Goshta Hisarak Jalalabad Kama Khogyani Kot Kuz Kunar Lal Pur Momand Dara Nazyan Pachir Aw Agam Rodat Sherzad Shinwar Surkh Rod Nimruz Chahar Burjak Chakhansur Kang Khash Rod Zaranj Nuristan Bargi Matal Du Ab Kamdesh Mandol Nurgaram Paroon Wama Waygal Paktia Ahmadabad Tsamkani Dand Aw Patan Gardez Zazi Janikhel Lazha Ahmadkhel Sayid Karam Shwak Wuza Zadran Zurmat Paktika Barmal Dila Gayan Gomal Janikhel Mata Khan Nika Omna Sar Hawza Surobi Sharana Terwa Urgun Waza Khwa Wor Mamay Yahyakhel Yusufkhel Zarghun Shar Ziruk Panjshir Anaba Bazarak Darah Khenj Paryan Rokha Shotul Parwan Bagram Chaharikar Ghorband Jabul Saraj Kohi Safi Salang Sayed Khel Shekh Ali Shinwari Surkhi Parsa Samangan Aybak Dara-I-Sufi Balla Dara-I-Sufi Payan Feroz Nakhchir Hazarati Sultan Khuram Wa Sarbagh Ruyi Du Ab Sar-e Pol Balkhab Gosfandi Kohistanat Sancharak Sari Pul Sayyad Sozma Qala Takhar Baharak Bangi Chah Ab Chal Darqad Dashti Qala Farkhar Hazar Sumuch Ishkamish Kalafgan Khwaja Baha Wuddin Khwaja Ghar Namak Ab Rustaq Taluqan Warsaj Yangi Qala Urozgan Chora Deh Rawud Khas Urozgan Shahidi Hassas Tarinkot Wardak Chaki Wardak Day Mirdad Hisa-I-Awali Bihsud Jalrez Markazi Bihsud Maidan Shar Nirkh Saydabad Zabul Argahandab Atghar Dey Chopan Kakar Mizan Naw Bahar Qalat Shahjoy Shamulzayi Shinkay Tarnak Aw Jaldak