Kunduz Province

Kunduz
قندوز
Province
Map of Afghanistan with Kunduz highlighted
Map of Afghanistan with Kunduz highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 36°48′N 68°48′E / 36.8°N 68.8°E / 36.8; 68.8
Country Afghanistan
CapitalKunduz
Government
 • GovernorVacant
 • Deputy GovernorHabib-ur-Rehman Sohaib[1]
 • Police ChiefAzizullah[1]
Area
 • Total8,040 km2 (3,100 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total1,136,677
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Postal code
35xx
ISO 3166 codeAF-KDZ
Main languagesPashto
Dari
Uzbek
Turkmen

Kunduz (Dari: قندوز) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northern part of the country next to Tajikistan. The population of the province is around 1,136,677,[2] which is mostly a tribal society; it is one of Afghanistan's most ethnically diverse provinces with many different ethnicities in large numbers living there.[3][4][5] The city of Kunduz serves as the capital of the province. It borders the provinces of Takhar, Baghlan, Samangan and Balkh, as well as the Khatlon Region of Tajikistan. The Kunduz Airport is located next to the provincial capital.

The Kunduz River valley dominates the Kunduz Province. The river flows irregularly from south to north into the Amu Darya river which forms the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. A newly constructed bridge crosses the Amu Darya at Sherkhan Bandar and the international trade is a large source of Kunduz's economy. The river, its tributaries, and derivative canals provide irrigation to the irrigated fields that dominate land usage in the agricultural province. There are also rain-fed fields and open range land that span several miles. Kunduz was once a major economic center for Afghanistan, but the wars since 1978 have changed fortunes for the province.[4] Initially during the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), Kunduz was one of the more stable regions of Afghanistan, but during the 2010s quickly turned into one of the most unstable provinces of the country, resulting in large parts falling under Taliban insurgent control.[6] In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during their nationwide summer offensive.

  1. ^ a b "د نږدې شلو ولایاتو لپاره نوي والیان او امنیې قوماندانان وټاکل شول". 7 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nsia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nps was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Do you know why Kunduz is called 'Little Afghanistan". YouTube.
  5. ^ Benjamin Dubow (2009). "Ethnicity, Space, and Politics in Afghanistan" (Urban Studies Senior Seminar Papers). University of Pennsylvania, Urban Studies Program.
  6. ^ Gossman, Patricia (30 June 2020). ""You Have No Right to Complain": Education, Social Restrictions, and Justice in Taliban-Held Afghanistan". Human Rights Watch.