Provinces of Afghanistan
In the following article, we will explore Provinces of Afghanistan and its impact on our lives in detail. Provinces of Afghanistan is a topic that has captured the attention of many people in recent years, sparking debate and interest in a variety of fields and sectors. Throughout these pages, we will examine the different aspects and perspectives of Provinces of Afghanistan, addressing its historical relevance, its current situation and possible future implications. We hope that this article will be enlightening and stimulating, offering new ideas and approaches to Provinces of Afghanistan for our readers.
| Provinces of Afghanistan | |
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| Category | Unitary state |
| Location | Afghanistan |
| Number | 34 provinces |
| Populations | 167,425 (Nuristan) – 5,211,452 (Kabul) |
| Areas | 737 sq mi (1,908 km2) (Kapisa) – 22,512 sq mi (58,305 km2) (Helmand) |
| Government |
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| Subdivisions | |
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 Afghanistan portal |
The provinces of Afghanistan (ولايت wilāyat) are the primary administrative divisions. Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces. Each province encompasses a number of districts or usually over 1,000 villages.
Provincial governors played a critical role in the reconstruction of the Afghan state following the creation of the new government under Hamid Karzai.[1] According to international security scholar Dipali Mukhopadhyay, many of the provincial governors of the western-backed government were former warlords who were incorporated into the political system.[1]
Provinces of Afghanistan
Administrative
The following table lists the province, capital, number of districts, UN region, region, ISO 3166-2:AF code and license plate code.[2]
| Province | Capital | Districts | UN Region | Region | ISO | Plate code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badakhshan | Fayzabad | 29 | North East | North | AF-BDS | BDN |
| Badghis | Qala i Naw | 7 | West | Central | AF-BDG | BDG |
| Baghlan | Puli Khumri | 16 | North East | North | AF-BGL | BAG |
| Balkh | Mazar-i-Sharif | 15 | North West | North | AF-BAL | BLH |
| Bamyan | Bamyan | 7 | West | Central | AF-BAM | BAM |
| Daykundi | Nili | 8 | South West | South | AF-DAY | DYK |
| Farah | Farah | 11 | West | Central | AF-FRA | FRH |
| Faryab | Maymana | 14 | North West | North | AF-FYB | FYB |
| Ghazni | Ghazni | 19 | South East | South | AF-GHA | GAZ |
| Ghor | Chaghcharan | 11 | West | Central | AF-GHO | GHR |
| Helmand | Lashkargah | 13 | South West | South | AF-HEL | HEL |
| Herat | Herat | 15 | West | Central | AF-HER | HRT |
| Jowzjan | Sheberghan | 9 | North West | North | AF-JOW | JZJ |
| Kabul | Kabul | 18 | Central | Central | AF-KAB | KBL |
| Kandahar | Kandahar | 16 | South West | South | AF-KAN | KRD |
| Kapisa | Mahmud-i-Raqi | 7 | Central | Central | AF-KAP | KPS |
| Khost | Khost | 13 | South East | South | AF-KHO | KST |
| Kunar | Asadabad | 15 | East | Central | AF-KNR | KNR |
| Kunduz | Kunduz | 7 | North East | North | AF-KDZ | KDZ |
| Laghman | Mihtarlam | 5 | East | Central | AF-LAG | LGM |
| Logar | Pul-i-Alam | 7 | Central | Central | AF-LOG | LGR |
| Nangarhar | Jalalabad | 23 | East | Central | AF-NAN | NGR |
| Nimruz | Zaranj | 5 | South West | South | AF-NIM | NRZ |
| Nuristan | Parun | 7 | East | Central | AF-NUR | NUR |
| Paktia | Gardez | 11 | South East | South | AF-PIA | PAK |
| Paktika | Sharana | 15 | South East | South | AF-PKA | PKT |
| Panjshir | Bazarak | 7 | Central | Central | AF-PAN | PJR |
| Parwan | Charikar | 9 | Central | Central | AF-PAR | PRN |
| Samangan | Aybak | 5 | North West | North | AF-SAM | SAM |
| Sar-e Pol | Sar-e Pol | 7 | North West | North | AF-SAR | SRP |
| Takhar | Taloqan | 16 | North East | North | AF-TAK | TAK |
| Uruzgan | Tarinkot | 6 | South West | South | AF-URU | ORZ |
| Wardak | Maidan Shar | 9 | Central | Central | AF-WAR | WDK |
| Zabul | Qalat | 9 | South West | South | AF-ZAB | ZAB |
Demographic
The following table lists the province, population in 2024,[3][4] area in square kilometers[2] and population density.
| Province | Population | Area km2 |
Density /km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badakhshan | 1,130,535 | 44,836 | 25.2 |
| Badghis | 575,212 | 20,794 | 27.7 |
| Baghlan | 1,093,013 | 18,255 | 59.9 |
| Balkh | 1,560,365 | 16,186 | 96.4 |
| Bamyan | 531,344 | 18,029 | 29.5 |
| Daykundi | 553,372 | 17,501 | 31.6 |
| Farah | 604,420 | 49,339 | 12.3 |
| Faryab | 1,192,381 | 20,798 | 57.3 |
| Ghazni | 1,461,703 | 22,461 | 65.1 |
| Ghor | 833,304 | 36,657 | 22.7 |
| Helmand | 1,552,838 | 58,305 | 26.6 |
| Herat | 2,332,654 | 55,869 | 41.8 |
| Jowzjan | 648,804 | 11,293 | 57.5 |
| Kabul | 5,966,395 | 4,524 | 1,319.0 |
| Kandahar | 1,532,662 | 54,845 | 27.9 |
| Kapisa | 523,201 | 1,908 | 274.2 |
| Khost | 682,333 | 4,235 | 161.1 |
| Kunar | 535,488 | 4,926 | 108.7 |
| Kunduz | 1,233,223 | 8,081 | 152.6 |
| Laghman | 528,879 | 3,978 | 132.9 |
| Logar | 465,698 | 4,568 | 101.9 |
| Nangarhar | 2,140,831 | 7,641 | 240.9 |
| Nimruz | 197,513 | 42,410 | 4.7 |
| Nuristan | 175,507 | 9,267 | 18.9 |
| Paktia | 830,994 | 5,583 | 148.8 |
| Paktika | 656,430 | 19,516 | 33.6 |
| Panjshir | 182,054 | 3,772 | 48.3 |
| Parwan | 792,273 | 5,715 | 138.6 |
| Samangan | 552,763 | 13,438 | 41.1 |
| Sar-e Pol | 666,737 | 16,386 | 40.7 |
| Takhar | 1,175,306 | 12,459 | 94.3 |
| Uruzgan | 467,659 | 11,474 | 40.8 |
| Wardak | 707,486 | 10,348 | 68.4 |
| Zabul | 412,150 | 17,472 | 23.6 |
Regions of Afghanistan
Red: Central
Green : South
The following tables summarize data from the demographic table.[3]
| Region | Population | Area km2 |
Density /km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 16,594,746 | 237,335 | 69.9 |
| North | 9,253,127 | 161,730 | 57.2 |
| South | 8,347,654 | 253,801 | 32.9 |
UN regions
| Region | Population | Area km2 |
Density /km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 8,637,107 | 30,835 | 280.1 |
| East | 3,080,705 | 25,812 | 119.4 |
| North East | 4,632,077 | 83,631 | 55.4 |
| North West | 4,621,050 | 78,100 | 59.2 |
| South East | 3,631,460 | 51,795 | 70.1 |
| South West | 4,716,194 | 202,006 | 23.3 |
| West | 4,876,934 | 180,688 | 27.0 |
Former provinces of Afghanistan
During Afghanistan's history it had a number of provinces in it. It started out as just Kabul, Herat, Qandahar, and Balkh but the number of provinces increased and by 1880 the provinces consisted of Balkh, Herat, Qandahar, Ghazni, Jalalabad, and Kabul.[5]
- Southern Province – dissolved in 1964 to create Paktia Province.
- Turkestan Province – dissolved somewhere between 1929 and 1946.
- Qataghan-Badakhshan Province – dissolved in 1963 into Badakhshan Province and Qataghan Province, the latter of which was also dissolved that same year.
- Qataghan Province – dissolved in 1963 into Baghlan Province, Kunduz Province, and Takhar Province.
- Eastern Province – dissolved in 1964 to create Nangarhar Province.
- Farah-Chakansur Province – dissolved in 1964 into Farah Province and Nimruz Province.
- Mazar-i-Sharif Province – dissolved in 1964 into Balkh Province and Jowzjan Province.
- Meymaneh Province – dissolved in 1964 into Badghis Province and Faryab Province.
See also
References
- ^ a b Mukhopadhyay, Dipali (2014). "Building a Theory of Strongman Governance in Afghanistan". Warlords, Strongman Governors, and the State in Afghanistan. p. 43. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139161817.001. ISBN 9781139161817.
- ^ a b "Afghan school books - Geography G-12" (PDF). moe.gov.af. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Library". nsia.gov.af. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Estimated Populatin of Afghanistan 2024-25". National Statistics and Information Authority. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ Andrew, W. P. (1880). Our Scientific Frontier.
External links
