Badakhshan Province
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Badakshan is bordered by China to the east. The population is mainly Tajik with some small Kyrgyz and Russian minorities. The main source of income is the mining of gold, limestone and coal. The region was formerly under the control of the Mongols and the Arabs and then passed to Russian control in 1895. The area became the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in 1925. It was sometimes formerly known as Mountain-Badakhshan.
The province Badakhshan has an area of 44,059 km², the capital is Faizabad. According to the 1382 Afghanistan Statistical Yearbook (referring to the year 1381, i.e. March 21, 2002 - March 20, 2003), the province has an estimated population of 715,000 inhabitants.
Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan sits on the Kokcha River and has an approximate population of 15,000. The chief commercial and administrative center of NE Afghanistan and the Pamir region, Faizabad also has rice and flour mills. In winter the city is sometimes isolated by deep snow. In 1979 it was a focus of Afghan guerrillas attempting to repel the Soviet invasion. Faizabad was taken by Soviet forces in 1980 and became a major Soviet garrison town.
The districts of Badakhshan (in CSO spelling):
| District | Area | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Fayz Abad | n/a | 46,000 |
| Kishim | n/a | 63,000 |
| Jurm | n/a | 3,000 |
| Kuran wa Munjan | n/a | 8,000 |
| Zebak | n/a | 7,000 |
| Wakhan | n/a | 13,000 |
| Ishkashim | n/a | 11,000 |
| Baharak | n/a | 14,000 |
| Shighnan | n/a | 24,000 |
| Darwaz | n/a | 21,000 |
| Khwahan | n/a | 14,000 |
| Ragh Shahri Buzurg | n/a | 42,000 |
| Tashkan | n/a | 23,000 |
| Khash | n/a | 48,000 |
| Darayem | n/a | 65,000 |
| Yumgan | n/a | 20,000 |
| Yaftal | n/a | 39,000 |
| Sheki | n/a | 26,000 |
| Kofab | n/a | 16,000 |
| Darwaz-e-Bala | n/a | 11,000 |
| Urgu | n/a | 45,000 |
| Raghistan | n/a | 37,000 |
| Yawan | n/a | 27,000 |
| Kohistan | n/a | 12,000 |
| Shuhada | n/a | 31,000 |
| Wurduj | n/a | 17,000 |
| Tagab | n/a | 22,000 |
| Arghanjwa | n/a | 12,000 |
| total | 44,059km² | 715,000 |
Mining (minerals) is the major factor in economy, to a lesser degree agriculture and livestock breeding (sheep and goat).
| Provinces of Afghanistan |
|
|---|---|
| Badakhshan | Badghis | Baghlan | Balkh | Bamiyan | Daikondi | Farah | Faryab | Ghazni | Ghowr | Helmand | Herat | Jowzjan | Kabul | Kandahar | Kapisa | Khost | Kunar | Kunduz | Laghman | Lowgar | Nangarhar | Nimruz | Nurestan | Oruzgan | Paktia | Paktika | Panjshir | Parvan | Samangan | Sar-e Pol | Takhar | Vardak | Zabul | |
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