Provinces of Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
The provinces of Afghanistan are the primary administrative division
s of Afghanistan
. As of 2004, there are thirty-four province
s (ولايت wilayat) in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts
.
Provincial governments are led by a governor. Each province is represented in the government of Afghanistan by two members in the House of Elders
. One is elected by the provincial council to a four year term while the second is elected by the district councils to a three year term. Representation in the House of the People
is directly from the districts, although in each province, two of the representatives must be women. They are appointed by the President of Afghanistan
.
Administrative division
An administrative division, subnational entity, or country subdivision is a portion of a country or other political division, established for the purpose of government. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of autonomy, and are required to manage themselves through their own...
s of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. As of 2004, there are thirty-four province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s (ولايت wilayat) in the country. Each province is further divided into smaller districts
Districts of Afghanistan
The provinces of Afghanistan are divided into Wolaswalei or districts. The number of districts in Afghanistan has fluctuated over the years, with new districts created by splitting or merging parts of others. Prior to 1979, there were 325 districts. This was increased to 329 and, in 2004, a major...
.
Provincial governments are led by a governor. Each province is represented in the government of Afghanistan by two members in the House of Elders
House of Elders
Mesherano Jirga or the House of Elders, is the upper house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the Wolesi Jirga .It has 102 members...
. One is elected by the provincial council to a four year term while the second is elected by the district councils to a three year term. Representation in the House of the People
House of the People (Afghanistan)
The House of the People or Wolesi Jirga , abbreviated WJ, is the lower house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan, alongside the House of Elders....
is directly from the districts, although in each province, two of the representatives must be women. They are appointed by the President of Afghanistan
President of Afghanistan
Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs...
.
Provinces of Afghanistan
 |
| Province | Map # | ISO 3166-2:AF ISO 3166-2:AF ISO 3166-2:AF is the entry for Afghanistan in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Afghanistan, ISO 3166-2 codes... |
Centers | Population | Area (km²) | Language | Notes | U.N. Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badakhshan Badakhshan Province Badakhshan 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.-Geography:... |
30 | AF-BDS | Fayzabad Fayzabad, Badakhshan See also: Faizabad Fayzabad is the provincial capital and largest city in Badakhshan Province, in northern Afghanistan, with around 50,000 people. It is situated in Fayzabad District and is at an altitude of 1,200 m. It is located in the northeast of Afghanistan, on the River Kokcha... |
819,396 | 44,059 | Dari Persian, Pamiri languages, Pashto Pashto language Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and... |
29 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Badghis Badghis Province Bādghīs is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. It includes the Chul formations through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs... |
4 | AF-BDG | Qala i Naw Qala i Naw, Afghanistan Qala i Naw is a town in Qala i Naw District and the capital of Badghis Province, of north-west Afghanistan. Its population is estimated 9,000 in 2006.It has a small airport, Qala i Naw Airport.... |
499,393 | 20,591 | Dari Persian, Pashto | 7 districts | West Afghanistan |
| Baghlan | 19 | AF-BGL | Puli Khumri | 741,690 | 21,118 | Dari Persian, Uzbek Uzbek language Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia... , Turkmen Turkmen language Turkmen is the national language of Turkmenistan... , Pashto |
16 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Balkh Balkh Province Balkh is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country and its name derives from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town... |
13 | AF-BAL | Mazari Sharif | 1,123,948 | 17,249 | Dari Persian, Pashto | 15 districts | North West Afghanistan |
| Bamyan | 15 | AF-BAM | Bamiyan | 343,892 | 14,175 | Dari Persian | 7 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Daykundi | 10 | AF-DAY | Nili Nili District Nili is a district in Daykundi Province, Afghanistan. The main town in the district, also called Nili is the capital of Daykundi Province. The town of Nili is at 2,022 m altitude and has a small airport with a gravel runway and a commercial radio station... |
477,544 | 8,088 | Dari Persian and Pashto | 8 districts Formed from Orūzgān Province Oruzgan Province Orūzgān or Urōzgān , also spelled Uruzgan or Rōzgān , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the center of the country, though the area is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar in the south. Its capital is Tarin Kowt... in 2004 |
South West Afghanistan |
| Farah Farah Province Farah is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Farah. Farah is a spacious and sparsely populated province that lies on the Iranian border... |
2 | AF-FRA | Farah Farah, Afghanistan Farah is a city in western Afghanistan, situated at 650 m altitude, and located on the Farah River. It is the capital of Farah Province, and has a population of approximately 109,409.... |
493,007 | 48,471 | Pashto, Dari Persian, Baloch Baloch people The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia.... |
11 districts | West Afghanistan |
| Faryab Faryab Province Fāryāb is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Maymana. The majority of the population is Uzbek.-History:... |
5 | AF-FYB | Maymana | 833,724 | 20,293 | Uzbek, Dari Persian, Pashto & Turkmen | 14 districts | North West Afghanistan |
| Ghazni Ghazni Province Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City... |
16 | AF-GHA | Ghazni Ghazni For the Province of Ghazni see Ghazni ProvinceGhazni is a city in central-east Afghanistan with a population of about 141,000 people... |
1,080,843 | 22,915 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 19 districts | South East Afghanistan |
| Ghor | 6 | AF-GHO | Chaghcharan Chaghcharan Chaghcharān , in historical literature as Chakhcherān, formerly known as Ahangaran, is a town and district in central Afghanistan, which serves as the capital of Ghor Province... |
635,302 | 36,479 | Dari Persian, Pashto | 10 districts | West Afghanistan |
| Helmand Helmand Province Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation.... |
7 | AF-HEL | Lashkar Gah | 1,441,769 | 58,584 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 13 districts | South West Afghanistan |
| Herat Herat Province Herat is one the 34 provinces of Afghanistan; together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the South-western region of the country... |
1 | AF-HER | Herat Herat Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan... |
1,762,157 | 54,778 | Dari Persian, Pashto, Turkmen | 15 districts | West Afghanistan |
| Jowzjan Jowzjan Province Jowzjān or Jōzjān or Jawzjan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Sheberghan.- Demographics :... |
8 | AF-JOW | Sheberghan Sheberghan Sheberghān or Shaburghān , also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan, is the capital city of the Jowzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.-Location:... |
426,987 | 11,798 | Uzbek, Turkmen,Pashto & Dari Persian | 9 districts | North West Afghanistan |
| Kabul Kabul Province Kābul , situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital. The population of Kabul province is 3.5 million people as of 2009, of which almost 80 percent live in the urban areas... |
22 | AF-KAB | Kabul Kabul Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan... |
3,314,000 | 4,462 | Dari Persian, Turkmen, Pashto and Uzbek | 18 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Kandahar Kandahar Province Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly... |
12 | AF-KAN | Kandahar Kandahar Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level... |
2,913,000 | 54,022 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 16 districts | South East Afghanistan |
| Kapisa Kapisa Province Kapisa is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Mahmud-i-Raqi, and other districts include Kohistan, Nijrab and Tagab. The population of Kapisa is estimated to be 364,900, although there has never been an official estimate... |
29 | AF-KAP | Mahmud-i-Raqi Mahmud-i-Raqi The town of Mahmud Raqi is the capital of Kapisa Province and center of Mahmud Raqi District in Afghanistan.... |
358,268 | 1,842 | Dari Persian, Pashto, Pashayi | 7 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Khost Khost Province Khost is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the east of the country. Khost province used to be part of Paktia province in the past... |
26 | AF-KHO | Khost Khost Khost or Khowst is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Khost province, which is a mountainous region near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan... |
638,849 | 4,152 | Pashto | 13 districts | South East Afghanistan |
| Kunar Kunar Province Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces... |
34 | AF-KNR | Asadabad Asadabad, Afghanistan Asadabad or Asad Abad is the capital city of Kunar Province in Afghanistan. It is located in the eastern portion of the country adjacent to Pakistan... |
413,008 | 4,942 | Pashto | 15 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Kunduz | 18 | AF-KDZ | Kunduz Kunduz Kunduz also known as Kundûz, Qonduz, Qondûz, Konduz, Kondûz, Kondoz, or Qhunduz is a city in northern Afghanistan, the capital of Kunduz Province. It is linked by highways with Mazari Sharif to the west, Kabul to the south and Tajikistan's border to the north... |
820,000 | 8,040 | Pashto, Dari Persian, Uzbek & Turkmen | 7 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Laghman | 32 | AF-LAG | Mihtarlam District Mihtarlam District Mehterlam district is located in the center of Laghman Province and consists of the urban centre and provincial capital Mihtarlam and 24 major villages and 269 sub-villages. Mihtarlam derives its name from Mihtarlam baba , who was purported to be the father of the prophet Noah... |
382,280 | 3,843 | Pashto, Pashai Pashayi language Pashayi - also known as Pashai - is a language spoken by the Pashai people in parts of Kapisa, Laghman, Nuristan, Kunar, and Nangarhar Provinces in Northeastern Afghanistan.... , Nuristani & Dari Persian |
5 districts | East Afghanistan |
| Logar | 23 | AF-LOW | Pul-i-Alam Pul-i-Alam Pul-i-Alam is the provincial capital of Logar Province, Afghanistan as well as of Pul-i-Alam District. The population of Pul-i-Alam is estimated at around 108,000, which is composed of Pashtuns, Tajiks, and some Hazaras.... |
322,704 | 3,880 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 7 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Nangarhar Nangarhar Province Nangarhar 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, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais.... |
33 | AF-NAN | Jalalabad | 1,342,514 | 7,727 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 23 districts | East Afghanistan |
| Nimruz Nimruz Province Nimruz is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the south-west of the country on the borders of Iran and Pakistan. The name Nimruz means "mid-day" or "half-day" in Persian. Nimruz covers 41,000 km² and has a population of 149,000... |
3 | AF-NIM | Zaranj Zaranj Zaranj or Zarang is a border town in south-western Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 49,851 people as of 2004. It is the capital of Nimruz province and is situated next to Milak, Iran. It is linked by highways with Lashkar Gah to the east, Farah to the north and Zabol in Iran to the... |
117,991 | 41,005 | Balochi Balochi language Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel... , Pashto & Dari Persian |
5 districts | South West Afghanistan |
| Nuristan | 31 | AF-NUR | Parun Parun, Afghanistan Parun is a small town and administrative center of Nuristan Province and its Parun District in Afghanistan.... |
130,964 | 9,225 | Nuristani Nuristani languages The Nuristani languages are one of the three groups within the Indo-Iranian language family, alongside the much larger Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups. They are spoken primarily in eastern Afghanistan... , Pashto |
7 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Orūzgān Oruzgan Province Orūzgān or Urōzgān , also spelled Uruzgan or Rōzgān , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the center of the country, though the area is culturally and tribally linked to Kandahar in the south. Its capital is Tarin Kowt... |
11 | AF-ORU | Tarin Kowt Tarin Kowt Tarinkot or Tarin Kowt is the capital of Orūzgān province in southern Afghanistan in Tarin Kowt District. It is a town of about 10,000 people, with some 200 small shops in the city's bazaar... |
320,589 | 22,696 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 6 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Paktia Paktia Province Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:... |
24 | AF-PIA | Gardez Gardez, Afghanistan -History:According to the Encyclopaedia Iranica, Gardēz is a city "belonging to a network of old isolated Tājīk settlements in southern Afghanistan that are remnants of a time when Pashto had not yet reached the area."... |
415,000 | 6,432 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 11 districts | South East Afghanistan |
| Paktika Paktika Province Paktika is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the south-east of the country. Most of the population is Pashtun. Its capital is Sharan.-Political and military situation:... |
25 | AF-PKA | Sharan | 809,772 | 19,482 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 15 districts | South East Afghanistan |
| Panjshir Panjshir Province Panjshir is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Containing the Panjshir Valley, in April 2004 it was created from parts of Parwan Province, which now lies along its southwestern border. Panjshir's population is about 139,000 and covers an area of 3,610 square kilometers... |
28 | AF-PAN | Bazarak Bazarak, Panjshir Bazarak is a town in the Panjshir Valley, in northern Afghanistan. It is also the provincial capital of Panjshir Province. It has six villages: Khanez, Jangalak, Malaspa, Parandeh, Rahmankhil... |
128,620 | 3,610 | Dari Persian | 5 districts Created in 2004 from Parwan Province |
North East Afghanistan |
| Parwan | 20 | AF-PAR | Charikar Charikar Charikar is the main town of the Kohdaman Valley and the capital of Parwan Province in northern Afghanistan. The city lies on the road 69 km from Kabul to the northern provinces. Travelers would have to pass by the city when going to Mazari Sharif, Kunduz or Puli Khumri. Charikar is at the... |
491,870 | 5,974 | Dari Persian, Pashto | 9 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Samangan Samangan Province Samangan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The province covers and has a population of approximately 313,211, as of 2006.Its capital, Samangan, is known for its ancient ruins including, notably, the Takht e Rostam... |
14 | AF-SAM | Aybak Aybak Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. - Izz al-Din AybakThe name Aybeg or Aybak is a combination of two Turkic words, "Ay" = Moon and "Beg" or variant "Bak" = Emir in Arabic. -(Al-Maqrizi, Note... |
378,000 | 11,262 | Dari Persian, Uzbek | 5 districts | North West Afghanistan |
| Sar-e Pol Sar-e Pol Province Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Sar-e-Pul Province is situated between the central highlands and the northern Turkmen plains. Sar-e-Pul borders Ghor and Baniyan provinces to the south, Faryab, Jawzjan and... |
9 | AF-SAR | Sar-e Pol | 505,400 | 16,360 | Dari Persian, Pashto and Uzbek | 7 districts | North West Afghanistan |
| Takhar Takhar Province Takhār is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It was established in 1964 when Qataghan Province was divided into three provinces: Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar. It is in the north-east of the country. Its capital is Taloqan. Its salt mines are one of Afghanistan's major mineral resources... |
27 | AF-TAK | Taloqan Taloqan Tāloqān is the capital of Takhar Province, in northern Afghanistan. It is located in the Taluqan District. The population was estimated as 196,400 in 2006.-History:The old city to the west on the riverside was described by Marco Polo in 1275 CE as:... |
830,319 | 12,333 | Dari Persian, Uzbek, Pashto | 12 districts | North East Afghanistan |
| Wardak Wardak Province Maidan Wardak Province is one of thirty four provinces of Afghanistan located in the central east region of Afghanistan. It has a population of approximately 540,100. The capital of the province is Maidan Shar... |
21 | AF-WAR | Meydan Shahr | 529,343 | 9,934 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 9 districts | Central Afghanistan |
| Zabul Zabul Province Zabul is a historic province of Afghanistan. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963, with Qalat being named the provincial capital. It should not be confused with the city Zabol, on the Iranian side of the border with Afghanistan.- Political and security situation... |
17 | AF-ZAB | Qalat Qalat (Zabul) Qalat is a town in southern Afghanistan and the capital of Zabul Province. It is linked by a highway with Kandahar to the west and Ghazni to the east. In 2006, Zabul's first airstrip was built near Qalat. It is also home the U.S... |
244,899 | 17,343 | Pashto, Dari Persian | 9 districts | South East Afghanistan |
Historical provinces