Badakhshan Province
Template:Infobox Badakhshan Province
Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان Badakhshān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, consisting of 29 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.
Geography
Badakshan is primarily bordered by Tajikistan to the north and east. A slim sliver of the province, called the Wakhan Corridor, also extends above northern Pakistan's Chitral 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 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, probably with an interest in the province's mineral wealth.
History
Badakhshan was the only province not occupied by the Taliban during their drive to control the country. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a Badakhshan native, and Ahmed 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. The province was about to fall to the Taliban when the American invasion allowed the Northern Alliance to reclaim control of the country with the aid of American military air power and assistance.
The current Governor of the province is Munshi Abdul Majid. Previously, it was Sayed Amin Tareq.
Economics
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 once 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.
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. Recent geological surveys have indicated the location of gemstone deposits, in particular rubies and emeralds.[1] Exploitation of this mineral wealth could be key to the country's future prosperity. [2]
Capital City
Fayzabad, the capital of Badakhshan sits on the Kokcha River and has an approximate population of 15,000. 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.
Demographics
The population of the province is estimated at 715,000 people.[1][2][3] Majority of them are Tajiks, with Uzbek and Kyrgyz minority. The residents of the province are largely Sunni but a small volume of Ismailia Muslims are also in the area.
Historical population estimates for Badakhshan Province are as follows[4]:
- 2004: 725,700 (Central Statistics Office)
- 2000: 923,144 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
- 1998: 924,747 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
- 1997: 663,700 (Central Statistics Office)
- 1991: 615,156 (ProMIS UNIDATA)
- 1990: 554,374 (USAID)
- 1979: 497,798 (Central Statistics Office]])
Districts of Badakhshan
|
| District | Map # | Capital | Population[5] | 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 | 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 | |||
| 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 | ||
| Shahri Buzurg | 5 | Shahri Buzurg | 42,000 | ||
| Shighnan | 3 | 24,000 | |||
| Shiki | 6 | 26,000 | |||
| Shuhada | 7 | 31,000 | |||
| Tagab | 6 | 22,000 | |||
| Tishkan | 9 | 23,000 | Created in 2005 from Kishim District | ||
| Wakhan | 13 | 13,000 | |||
| Warduj | 7 | 17,000 | |||
| Yaftali Sufla | 6 | 39,000 | |||
| Yamgan | 7 | 20,000 | |||
| Yawan | 4 | 27,000 | |||
| Zebak | 12 | Zebak | 7,000 |
Notable people
- 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
References
- ^ Afghanistan Information Management Services
- ^ USAID-Afghanistan: Badakhshan
- ^ LINK
- ^ Afghanistan Geographic & Thematic Layers
- ^ 1382 Afghanistan Statistical Yearbook of the Central Statistics Office, Afghanistan
External links
- Recent activities and developments in Badakhshan
- Dupree, Nancy Hatch (1977): An Historical Guide to Afghanistan. 1st Edition: 1970. 2nd Edition. Revised and Enlarged. Afghan Tourist Organization. [3]
