Zabul Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became a separate province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zabulistan region. Qalat serves as the capital of the province. The major ethnic group are Pashtuns. Primary occupations within Zabul are agriculture and animal husbandry.

According to Iranic legend, Zabul is the birthplace of the hero Rostam.

Geography

Zabul borders Uruzgan in the north, Kandahar in the west and in the south, Ghazni and Paktika in the east. It borders Pakistan in the east.

The province covers an area of 17293 km2. Two-fifths of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain (41%) while more than one quarter of the area is made up of flat land (28%).

The primary ecoregion of the province is the central Afghan mountains xeric woodlands. Common vegetation is listed as dry shrub-land and pistachio. The high mountains of the northern portion of the province are in the Ghor-Hazarajat alpine meadow ecoregion, which is characterized by meadows, willows, and sea buckthorn.

Administrative divisions

+ Districts of Zabul ProvinceDistrictCapitalPopulation (2021)AreaPop.densityNotesArghandab 36,934 1,490 25 100% Pashtun. Sub-divided in 2005Atghar 14,059 458 31 100% Pashtun. Daychopan 44,508 1,491 30 100% Pashtun. Kakar 27,234 981 28 99% Pashtun, 1% Hazara. Created in 2005 within Arghandab District Also known as Khak-e-Afghan Province.Mezana 21,623 1,079 20 100% Pashtun. Naw Bahar 24,534 1,137 22 100% Pashtun. Created in 2005 from parts of Shamulzayi and Shinkay DistrictsQalat Qalat 44,928 1,914 23 95% Pashtun, 5% Tajik. Shah Joy 79,889 1,878 43 100% Pashtun. Shamulzayi 36,515 3,295 11 100% Pashtun. Shinkay 31,911 1,861 17 100% Pashtun. Tarnak Aw Jaldak 22,214 1,434 15 100% Pashtun. Zabul384,349 17,472 2299.4% Pashtuns, 0.6% Tajiks, <0.1% Hazaras.

Economy

In 2006, the province's first airstrip was opened near Qalat, to be operated by the Afghan National Army, but also for use by commercial aviation. Twice weekly service was scheduled by PRT Air between Qalat and Kabul. The airstrip is not paved.First Airstrip in Zabul Province, USAID The ANA Chief in Zabul is Major General Jamaluddin Sayed

Zabul Province is bisected by Highway 1 and travelers going between Kandahar and Kabul via road typically pass through the province.

On 4 September 2016, at least 38 people were killed and 28 were injured during the September 2016 Afghanistan road crash.

Demographics

Population As of 2021, the total population of the province is about 391,150, which is mostly a rural tribal society. 60.8% of the population lived below the national poverty line, one of the highest figures of all of Afghanistan's provinces.

Ethnicity, languages and religion According to the Naval Postgraduate School, the population is primarily Pashtuns, sprinkled throughout around 2,500 remote villages. Major tribal groups include the Tokhi, Hotak, Nasar, Kharoti, Taraki, Ghilji and the Noorzai and Panjpai Durrani.

Pashto is the dominant language in the area. The people of Zabul are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. Primary occupations within Zabul are agriculture and animal husbandry.

Zabul is by many indications one of Afghanistan's most religious conservative provinces.

+ Estimated ethnolinguistic and -religious composition Ethnicity Pashtun Others Sources Period 2004–2021(Islamic Republic) ≤100% ≥0% 2020 EU 1st ∅ 2018 UN predominant – 2015 CSSF predominant ∅ 2015 NPS majority – 2011 PRT 100% – 2011 USA ∅ – 2009 ISW overwhelming majority – Legend: ∅: Ethnicity mentioned in source but not quantified –: Ethnicity not mentioned specifically Source abbreviations: , ,

Education

The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 1% in 2005 to 19% in 2011. The overall net enrollment rate (6–13 years of age) fell from 31.3% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.

Health

The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 0% in 2005 to 32% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 1% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.

Culture

Sports

The province is represented in Afghan domestic cricket by the Zabul Province cricket team.

Gallery

Notable people Alauddin Khalji Mullah Omar Mullah Yaqoob Akhund Rustam-I-Pahlavan Jalauddin Khilji Sohrab Sām Zal Tegin Shah

See also Provinces of Afghanistan Zabulistan Zabol Abu Ali Lawik

Notes

References

External links