The unitary state of Afghanistan in Central Asia has an administrative division into provinces or, as the locals call them, Vilayats. The country is divided into 34 regions, they have self-government.
The provinces of Afghanistan have a different area, a different population and economic importance.
general characteristics
The total territory of the country is 647.5 thousand km 2 , about 29 million people live.
The smallest province is Kapisa, its area is about 2 thousand km 2 . Most of the provinces of Afghanistan have an area of about 10-15 thousand km 2 . The largest of all is Helmand, its territory occupies 58.5 thousand km 2 .
The territorial division of the country is directly related to the ethnic characteristics of the people who live in it. Most of the Afghan population is Pashtuns and Dari.
Administrative device
Afghan President appoints provincial governors. In the government of the country - the House of Elders - the provinces are represented by 2 members, one of whom is elected for 4 years by the provincial council, and the other for 3 years by the district councils. Representatives are elected in the House of People at the district level.
The provinces of Afghanistan are largely underdeveloped economically. On the territory of many, military operations are still taking place.
List of provinces of Afghanistan
The administrative division was completed by 2004, and 34 provinces include 328 districts.
It is worth listing them in alphabetical order: Baghlan, Badakhshan, Badgis, Balkh, Bamian, Wardak, Ghazni, Herat, Helmand, Gore, Daikundi, Jauzjan, Zabul, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Kunar, Kunduz, Lagman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimarhim , Nuristan, Paktika, Paktia, Pajshar, Parvan, Samangan, Sari-Pul, Tahar, Uruzgan, Farah, Faryab, Host.
Later, in 2004, they were allocated to separate administrative units of the provinces of Pajscher and Daykundi.
Helmand
The southern province of Helmand (Afghanistan) is divided into 14 districts, where more than 900 thousand people live. The city of Lashar Gah is the capital.
Residents are ethnic Pashtuns united in tribes and rural communities. Religion is Sunni Islam.
The rivers flowing through the territory of Helmand form fertile valleys where tobacco, cotton, corn, wheat and other crops are grown. It is believed that this province is the main supplier of opium in the world, 80% of the drug is grown and produced here. Residents are engaged in animal husbandry, using camels and donkeys to work, the technical level is extremely low.
In the 60s of the last century, American troops were based here, so the province was called "Little America."
There are practically no roads in Helmand; some of the existing ones operate seasonally. The main communication runs along the Kandahar-Helmand-Delaram ring road.
Kunar
Kunar, a province in Afghanistan, consists of 16 districts; it occupies 28th place in the country in terms of area. Residents of Kunar are Pashtun by nationality, therefore Pashto is the official language. The capital of the province is Asadabad.
Mostly residents of Kunar live in rural areas (96%), are illiterate (literacy is 20%).
The ancient Silk Road and the Great Highway passed through the province in ancient times.
Most of the territory is occupied by mountains, picturesque gorges and rivers. The largest of them are the Kunar River and its tributary Pechdor. Rough rivers and high mountains make it difficult to develop a transport network.
Economic growth is hampered by constant rebel incidents, 65% of armed clashes in the country occur in the Kunar province. Therefore, the forces of American and Afghan security are concentrated here. The border of the province with Pakistan is called the Durand line, it is extremely dangerous due to the constant military clashes and movements of smugglers.
Attractions in the provinces
Despite the fact that military operations are still ongoing in Afghanistan, and military groups seek to destroy cultural and historical monuments, the provinces may still surprise.
So, in Kandahar there is a mosque called Da-Kerka-Sarif-Ziarat, where a particle of the cloak of the Prophet Muhammad is stored. In the northern province of Balkh, where, according to legend, Zarathustra was born, there is a mosque of the 9th century. - The oldest monument of Islamic religion in the country. The city of Mazar-e-Sharif was built next to the burial place of the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad.
In Ghazni, the most impressive citadel in the country, built in the 13th century, as well as the mausoleum where the remains of the poet Sanai and the Buddhist stupa temple of the 3rd-6th centuries are preserved. 22 m high.
Near Jalalabad, the capital of the province of Nangarhar, there is an incredible number of Buddhist stupa temples - it is believed that, being in one of his reincarnations, Buddha lived here.