Badghis Province Explained

Badghis
Native Name Lang:fa
Settlement Type:Province
Coordinates:35°N 108°W
Coor Pinpoint:Capital
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Afghanistan
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Qala e Naw
Seat1 Type:Largest city
Seat1:Bala Murghab
Leader Title:Governor
Leader Name:Maulvi Abdul Sattar[1]
Leader Title1:Deputy Governor
Leader Name1:Molwi Mohibullah Asad[2]
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:23000
Area Water Km2:0
Population Footnotes:[3]
Population Total:559,297
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Main languages
Blank Info Sec1:Dari, Pashto
Timezone1:Afghanistan Time
Utc Offset1:+4:30
Postal Code Type:Postal Code
Postal Code:33XX
Iso Code:AF-BDG

Bādghīs (Dari:) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Turkmenistan. It is considered to be one of the country's most underdeveloped provinces, with the highest poverty rate.[4] The capital is Qala e Naw, while the most populous city and the district are Bala Murghab. The ruins of the medieval city of Marw al-Rudh, the historical capital of the medieval region of Gharjistan, are located in the province near the modern city of Bala Murghab.

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 has a total area of 20,591 km2.[5] Hydrologically, the province is dominated by the Murghab River which is used for irrigation.[6] It contains some mountains but is predominantly characterized by rolling hills divided by ravines.[7]

The province is very windy; the name "Badghis" is a corruption of the Persian compound "bâd-khiz", meaning "wind source", referring to the steppe winds that blow into the province from the north and northwest. Its northern border extends to the edge of the part of the Karakum desert known as the Sarakhs desert. Northern Badghis includes the loess and other aeolian formations, known locally as the "chul",[8] through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs.[9] Across the border in Turkmenistan is the Badhyz State Nature Reserve in the Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert.[10]

History

Before the Arab conquest, the province was the center of the Kingdom of Badghis, whose king Tarkhan Tirek resisted an Umayyad invasion in 709 AD. After the Arab conquest, the province was rebellious and it served as a haven for religious dissenters until about 1000 AD.[7] Badghis' excellent grasslands were used as summer pastures by the Timurid dynasty in the fifteenth century. By the late 19th century, the province was devastated by Turkmen raids.[7] In 1964, the province was carved out of portions of Herat Province and Meymaneh Province.

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. Badghis Province came under complete control of the Taliban in 2021.

In January 2022, the province was struck by a 5.3 earthquake, killing dozens.[11]

Demographics

Like in the rest of Afghanistan, no exact population numbers are available. The Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation & Development (MRRD) along with UNHCR and the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) of Afghanistan estimated the population of the province to be around 559,297 in 2021.[3] [12] In 2013  - the single year for which the data is available at the moment  - Badghis male population was 241,200, and the female was 230,700.[13] Tajiks, and Pashtuns make up the majority of the province's population with smaller numbers of Hazaras (mostly Sunni Hazaras), Uzbeks, Turkmens, and Balochs.[14]

Politics

The major political parties are:[15]

At the province was a Provincial Reconstruction Team, which was led by Spain. In January 2019 a US service member from Texas, serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment, was fatally wounded during a combat operation in the province.[16]

Economy

Badghis is counted as one of the most underdeveloped of the country's thirty-four provinces.[17] Not only does it have the little infrastructure, and poor roads, it has a chronic shortage of water.[18] Agriculture is the main source of people's income and the existence of the Murghab River makes the available land suitable for cultivation. The province has suffered from severe drought beginning in the late 1990s and continuing. It has caused tens of thousands of residents to flee to refugee camps outside Herat.[19] The drought has been exacerbated by the excessive cutting of forests since 2001. Badghis is the leading province in Afghanistan in pistachio production. It is also one of the carpet-making areas of the country. The province produced Karakul sheep until the late 1970s.[7]

Transportation

Badghis Province suffers from a lack of adequate transportation. A single airport exists at the provincial seat--Qala i Naw Airport (OAQN), which is capable of handling light aircraft.[20] Work on a 233 km section of the Afghan ring road started up again in 2012.[21] This section would connect Bala Murghab with Herat in the southwest, and Maymana and Mazar-i Sharif in the northeast.

Healthcare

The percentage of households with clean drinking water fell from 11.6% in 2005 to 1% in 2011.[22] The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 15% in 2005 to 17% in 2011. Official government figures for 2007 indicated that 17% of the Badghis population had access to safe drinking water, while only 1% of births were attended by a skilled person.[23]

Education

According to information from the education department, there are 457 schools with 75 high and the rests are primary and secondary schools. There are as many as 120,000 students, with 35% of them being female students. There is one vocational high school of agriculture and one midwife training Institute in the province as well. However, as of 2007, the overall literacy rate was only 9.5%.

Districts

Badghis province is divided into seven districts.[24]

Districts of Badghis Province
DistrictCapitalPopulation[25] Area[26] Pop.
density		Ethnic groups
83,169 2,311 36 80% Tajiks, 20% Pashtuns.[27]
62,311 1,782 35 97% Pashtuns, 2% Aimaqs, 1% Baloch.[28]
89,148 6,105 15 Mixed Pashtuns and Tajiks.[29]
26,838 620 43 Mixed Pashtuns and Tajiks.[30]
109,874 4,237 26 85.6% Pashtuns, 7% Tajiks, 7% Turkmens, 0.3% Uzbeks.[31]
102,833 3,391 30 Mixed Pashtuns and Tajiks.[32]
75,410 841 90 Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pashtuns, Balochs, Turkmens, and Hazaras.[33]
Badghis549,58320,79426Ethnic Groups: 62% Tajik, 28% Pashtun, 5% Uzbek, 3% Turkmen, 2% Baluch;
Religious Groups: 90% Sunni, 10% Shi'a[34]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hunger forces Afghans to sell young daughters into marriage. 26 October 2021. DAWN.COM.
  2. Web site: Changing climate parches Afghanistan, exacerbating poverty. 5 January 2022. 5 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220105073945/https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/international/changing-climate-parches-afghanistan-exacerbating-poverty/article_c0f0100a-f69c-59e9-8f23-c0717dff50de.html. dead.
  3. Web site: Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22 . . April 2021 . National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA) . June 21, 2021 . 24 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204559/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf . dead .
  4. Web site: New Afghan Multidimensional Poverty Report | MPPN . 31 March 2019 .
  5. Encyclopedia: Bosworth . C. E. . D. . Balland . Yarshater . Ehsan . Ehsan Yarshater . . BAÚD¨GÚÈS . . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090102191649/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v3f4/v3f4a026.html . 2 January 2009 . dmy .
  6. Book: Shroder . John F. . 2016 . Hari Rud – Murghab River Basin . Transboundary Water Resources in Afghanistan: Climate Change and Land-Use Implications . Saint Louis . Elsevier . 410–412 . 978-0-12-801861-3.
  7. Encyclopedia: Paul. Jürgen . . Bādghīs . 10 June 2021 . 3rd . 2010 . Brill Publishers. 978-90-04-18390-2 . subscription.
  8. Book: Wily, Liz Alden . 2004 . Glossary . Looking for Peace on the Pastures: Rural Land Relations in Afghanistan . Kabul, Afghanistan . Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit . ii . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712044735/https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/14626/1/sr04wi01.pdf . 12 July 2018 . live . dmy.
  9. Badghis. 3.
  10. Web site: Badkhiz-Karabil semi-desert (PA1306) . . https://web.archive.org/web/20100308074406/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1306.html . 8 March 2010 . dead . dmy.
  11. News: 2022-01-18. 26 dead in twin Afghanistan earthquakes as rescuers search for survivors. 2022-01-20. The Independent. en.
  12. Web site: Project Development Plan: Badghis Provincial Profile . Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development . https://web.archive.org/web/20101202130249/http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/Provincial%20Profiles/Badghis%20PDP%20Provincial%20profile.pdf . 2 December 2010 . dead . dmy.
  13. Web site: Badghis - Population, Female . Badghis Population, Female, 2003-2013 . knoema.com . 2022-12-23.
  14. Web site: Badghis Provincial Overview . Program for Culture and Conflict Studies - Naval Postgraduate School . nps.edu. 2020-05-11.
  15. Web site: Badghis Provincial Overview . Naval Postgraduate School . United States . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712005602/https://my.nps.edu/web/ccs/badghis . 12 July 2018 . live . dmy.
  16. https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/US-soldier-from-Texas-dies-of-wounds-from-attack-in-Afghanistan-504548121.html US soldier from Texas dies of wounds from attack in Afghanistan
  17. News: Background profile of Badghis province . 2014 . Pajhwok Afghan News . https://web.archive.org/web/20140302122047/http://elections.pajhwok.com/en/content/background-profile-badghis-province . 2 March 2014 . live . dmy.
  18. Web site: Provincial profile for Badghis Province . Regional Rural Economic Regeneration Strategies (RRERS) . Naval Postgraduate School . United States . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712004234/https://my.nps.edu/documents/105988371/107571254/Badghis_Profile.pdf . 12 July 2018 . live . dmy.
  19. News: Sarwar . Mustafa . Almost Two-Thirds Of Afghanistan Hit By Drought . 5 June 2018 . Gandhara .
  20. Web site: Qala-i-Naw Airport . Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225246/http://www.caa-af.org/airports/qalainaw.htm . 27 September 2007 . dead . dmy.
  21. News: Ring Road Construction Restarts After Five Years . Tolo News . 27 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130930213651/http://tolonews.com/en/business/7355-ring-road-construction-restarts-after-five-years- . 30 September 2013 . dead . dmy .
  22. Web site: Badghis Province . Civil-Military Fusion Centre . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105418/https://www.cimicweb.org/AfghanistanProvincialMap/Pages/Badghis.aspx . 31 May 2014 .
  23. Web site: Badghis Province In A Glance . Afghanistan Provincial Health Profile: Situational Analysis of Provincial Health Services . MoPH HMIS Department . 3 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712052143/http://moph.gov.af/Content/files/HMIS%20Provincial%20Profile%201391%20(English%20Version).pdf . 12 July 2018 . live . dmy.
  24. Web site: Province of Badghis: A Socio-Economic and Demographic Profile . 2003 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20180712011610/https://afghanag.ucdavis.edu/country-info/province/files/All-Badghis.pdf . 12 July 2018 . live . dmy.
  25. Web site: Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22 . . April 2021 . National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA) . June 21, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204559/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf . dead .
  26. Web site: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. www.fao.org. 16 February 2024.
  27. Web site: Afghanistan District Profile: Ab Kamari, Badghis Province. 26 August 2002 . UNHCR Sub-Office Hirat . https://web.archive.org/web/20051027195013/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/western/badghis/ab_kamari/ab_kamari.pdf . 27 October 2005 .
  28. Web site: ((National Area Based Development Programme, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan)) . Summary of District Development Plan, Ghurmach District, Badghis Province . UNDP . https://web.archive.org/web/20100106030324/http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/DDP/Badghis/Ghurmac%20DDP%20Summary.pdf . 6 January 2010 . dead .
  29. https://web.archive.org/web/20100505065742/http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/DDP/Badghis/Jawand%20DDP%20Summary.pdf Jawand
  30. https://web.archive.org/web/20100505065805/http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/DDP/Badghis/Muqur%20DDP%20Summary.pdf Muqur
  31. Web site: Afghanistan District Profile: Murghab, Badghis Province . 26 August 2002 . UNHCR Sub-Office Herat . https://web.archive.org/web/20051027194014/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/western/badghis/murghab/D_Murghab.pdf . 27 October 2005 . dead .
  32. https://web.archive.org/web/20100505065826/http://www.mrrd.gov.af/nabdp/DDP/Badghis/Qadis%20DDP%20Summary.pdf Qadis
  33. Web site: Afghanistan District Profile: Qalay-i-Naw, Badghis Province . 26 August 2002 . UNHCR Sub-Office . https://web.archive.org/web/20051027200756/http://www.aims.org.af:80/afg/dist_profiles/unhcr_district_profiles/western/badghis/qalay_i_naw/qalay_i_naw.pdf . 27 October 2005 . dead . Note: Hazaras are not given a percentage in this source.
  34. Web site: Badghis - Program for Culture and Conflict Studies - Naval Postgraduate School . 26 April 2024 . nps.edu.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Badghis Province".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.