List of provinces of Afghanistan

Provinces of Afghanistan

District division of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces ( velayat ), each of which is headed by a governor ( waali ), who is appointed or confirmed by the central government in Kabul .

The last provincial restructuring took place on April 13, 2004. The provinces of Pandschir , Daikondi , Khost , Kunar , Nuristan and Sar-i Pul were recently created . The provinces themselves are in turn subdivided into smaller areas, the so-called districts.

The population figures shown in the table are estimates from 2015.

list

province	Capital	Area in km²	Residents	Remarks
Badakhshan بدخشان	Faizabad	44,059	951,000	bordered by Tajikistan to the north, China to the east and Pakistan to the southeast .
Badghis بادغیس	Qala-i-Naw	20,591	496,000	borders in the north with the state of Turkmenistan .
Baghlān بغلان	Pol-e Chomri	21,118	910.800
Balch بلخ	Mazar-e Sharif	17,249	1,325,700
Bāmiyān بامیان	Bamiyan	14,175	447.200
Daikondi دایکندی/ دايکندي	Nili	18,200	424,300	Province was created on March 28, 2004, formerly northern part of Orūzgān Province
Juzjan جوزجان	Scheberghan	11,798	540,300
Farah فراه	Farah	48,471	507,400
Fāryāb فاریاب	Maimana	20,293	998.100
Ghaznī غزنى/غزني	Ghazni	22,915	1,228,800
Ghor غور	Chaghcharan	36,479	690,300
Helmand هلمند	Laschkar Gah	58,584	924,700
Herat هرات	Herat	54,778	1,890,200
Kabul کابل	Kabul	4,462	4,373,000	The province is home to the state capital of the same name and has the most inhabitants, as well as the highest population density (around 980 inhabitants per km²); it is the most important settlement of the Tajiks in Afghanistan, who make up more than half of the population here.
Kandahar قندهار/کندهار	Kandahar	54.022	1,226,600
Kapisa کاپيسا	Mahmud-e Raqi	1,842	441,000
Chost خوست	Chost	4.152	574,600
Kunar کنر/کونړ	Asadabad	4,942	450,700
Kunduz کندوز	Kunduz	8,040	1,010,000
Laghmān لغمان	Mehtarlam	3,843	445,600
Lugar لوگر/لوګر	Pul-i-Alam	3,880	392,000
Nangahār ننگرهار/ننګرهار	Jalalabad	7,727	1,517,400
Nimrūz نیمروز	Saranj	41.005	165,000	the most sparsely populated province (only 4 inhabitants per km²)
Nuristan نورستان	Parun	9.225	148,000
Paktia پکتیا	Gardez	6,432	552,000
Paktika پکتیکا	Sharan	19,482	434,700
Punjjir پنجشیر/پنجشېر	Bazarak	3,610	153,500	Province was created on April 13, 2004, formerly northern part of Kapisa Province; The second smallest province both in terms of area and population
Parwan پروان	Charikar	5,974	664,500
Samangan سمنگان/سمنګان	Aybak	11,262	387,900
Sar-i Pul سرپل	Sar-i Pul	15,999	559,600
Tachar تخار	Taloqan	12,333	983,300
Uruzgan اروزگان/روزګان	Tarin Kut	12,600	386,800
Wardak وردک/وردګ	Maidan Shahr	8,938	596,300
Zabul زابل	Qalat-i-Ghilzai	17,343	304,100