Urgun Explained

Official Name:Urgun
Native Name:Pushto; Pashto: ارګون
Pushpin Map:Afghanistan
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates:32.9006°N 69.1569°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Afghanistan
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name1:Paktika Province
Subdivision Name2:Urgun District
Unit Pref:Metric
Elevation M:2315
Population Total:0.5 million
Population Footnotes:2014 elections
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank1:Pashtuns
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Population Blank2:Islam/Sunni/Hanafi

Urgun (Pushto; Pashto: ارګون) is the main town of the Urgun District of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. With an estimated population of 10,665,[1] Urgun is the largest city of Paktika, while Urgun District, with a population of 89,718, is also the most populous district of the province. Urgun historically used to be the capital of Paktika, but in the 1970s, the capital was shifted from Urgun to Sharana in the west because Urgun was not easily accessible from the main Kabul–Kandahar Highway.

Names

The town of Urgun is also called Loy Urgun (Pushto; Pashto: لوی ارګون), "Greater Urgun".

Like many place names in Afghanistan, Urgun can be spelled a number of different ways. Orgun, Urgin, Urgum, Urgim, Urghim, Wargun, Warghun, Arghun, Urgon, and Orgon are the most popular alternative spellings.

Urgun with some land for agriculture has recently seen progress of a poorly made road connecting it to the angorada border with Pakistan. It has also been the witness of disastrous attacks including the one that left 106 civilians dead on a single day on June 14, 2014.

History

The site of a large fortress, Urgun used to be the capital of the largely undeveloped and remote province of Paktika. In the 1970s, however, the provincial capital was moved from Urgun to the town of Sharana, due to Sharana's proximity with the main highway connecting it to the larger cities and commercial centers of Kabul and Kandahar.

The Siege of Urgun during the Soviet–Afghan War took place between 1983 and 1984. It devastated the town.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.tiptopglobe.com/city?n=Orgun&p=10665 Orgun: map, population, location.