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Badghis بادغیس |
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| — Province of Afghanistan — | |
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| Coordinates: 35°0′N 63°45′E / 35°N 63.75°ECoordinates: 35°0′N 63°45′E / 35°N 63.75°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Provincial seat | Qala i Naw |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| - Governor | Enayatullah Enayat |
| Area | |
| - Total | 20,591 km2 (7,950.2 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population [1] | |
| - Total | 499,393 |
| - Density | 20.9/km2 (54.1/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | |
| - | Tajiks |
| - | Pashtuns |
| - | Uzbeks |
| - | Turkmen |
| Languages | |
| - | Dari Persian Pashto Turkmen |
| ISO 3166-2 code | AF-BDG |
Bādghīs (Persian/Pashto: بادغیس Lap of Wind) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. It includes the Chul formations through which the Russo-Afghan boundary runs.[2] The province was carved out of portions of Herat Province and Meymaneh Province in 1964 and has a total area of 20,591 km².[3] Its name is from Persian word Bādkhīz (بادخیز) meaning "where the winds arise" or "home of the winds".
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The name "Badghis" is from the Pashto word Bādghezz (باد غېږ) meaning "lap of wind" or "home of the winds". The region was surveyed by the boundary commission of 1885. Since that date it was largely settled by the amir with purely Afghan tribes.[2] The province was one of the last captured by the Taliban in their military offensive before the American invasion in 2001. Even after their official takeover of the province, the largely Tajik population of the province never welcomed the Pashtun Taliban. The province was quickly retaken by Northern Alliance forces as the United States initiated hostilities, which was followed by a brutal cleansing of the Pashtun minority in the province.
Various influential warlords have traded control of the province in recent years, including: Abdul Malik, Rashid Dostum, Juma Khan and Ismail Khan. During the fight against the Taliban, the Northern Alliance commanders received military aid from Shia Iran, fearful of the Sunni Taliban. In one notable incident, Malik temporarily switched his allegiances from Dostum, allowing the Taliban to gain control of the province.
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 is dominated by the Murghab River in the north and the Hari-Rud River in the south.
Persian speaking Tajiks (including Hazara[4] and Aimaks[5]) are 56% of the population, and Pashtuns are 40% of the population, followed by a 4% of Uzbeks, Turkmens and Balochs.[6][7] According to AIMS and NPS, the population of Badghis consists of 62% Tajik, 28% Pashtun, 5% Uzbek, 3% Turkmen, and 2% Baloch.[8] It is counted as one of the most underdeveloped of the country's 34 provinces. Qala i Naw, a small town half-way between Sheberghan and Herat serves as the provincial center.
The current Governor of the province is Enayatullah Enayat.
At the province is a Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is led by Spain.
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| District | Capital | Population[9] | Area[10] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km² | sq mi | ||||
| Ab Kamari | Sang Atesh | 81,843 | 1,817 km2 | 702 sq mi | |
| Ghormach | Ghormach | 52,566 | 2,083 km2 | 804 sq mi | Created in 2004 within Murghab District |
| Jawand | 77,635 | 7,146 km2 | 2,759 sq mi | ||
| Muqur | 20,480 | 1,133 km2 | 437 sq mi | ||
| Murghab | Murghab | 109,381 | 4,491 km2 | 1,734 sq mi | |
| Qadis | Qadis | 88,139 | 3,385 km2 | 1,307 sq mi | |
| Qala i Naw | Qala i Naw | 69,349 | 760 km2 | 290 sq mi | |
Agriculture is the main source of people's income and the existence of Murghab and Hari rivers makes the available land suitable for cultivation. The province faced severe drought during the late 1990s and early 2000s, causing tens of thousands of residents to flee to refugee camps outside Herat. The situation has since improved.[11] Badghis is also one of the carpet-making capitals of the country.
Badghis Province suffers from a lack of adequate transportation. A single airport exists at the provincial seat--Qala i Naw Airport (QAQN) which is capable of handling light aircraft.[12]
"Badghis". Encyclopædia
Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
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