Badakhshan Province



Badakhshan (Persian: بدخشان - Badakhshān) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has 28 Districts. The capital is Feyzabad. It is located in the north-east of the country, between the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya.

Geography
Badakhshan is bordered by Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province and Khatlon Province in Tajikistan to the north and east. In the east is the Wakhan Corridor. The province has a total area of 44,059 km². Much of the land is the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Economy
Badakhshan is one of the poorest areas in the world. Opium poppy growing is the only real source of income in the province.

Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Sar-e-Sang mines for over 6,000 years. The mines were the largest and most well-known source in ancient times.

Demographics
The population of the province is estimated at 889,700 people. The majority of them are Persian-speaking Tajiks.

The residents of the province are largely Sunni.

Sport
The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket competitions by the Badakhshan Province cricket team.

Notable people from Badakhshan

 * Burhanuddin Rabbani - leader of the Jamiat-e Islami political party and former president of Afghanistan
 * Tahir Badakhshi - political activist
 * Latif Pedram - political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
 * Mahboobullah Kushani - political activist and candidate for Afghanistan's presidency
 * Mohammad Wali (Prime Minsiter) - Prime Minsiter (Amanullah Khan)
 * Shah Wali Taranasaz - Musician
 * Nasratullah Nasrat - Afghan cricketer

Related pages

 * Badakhshan