Zabul Province of Afghanistan

Zabul is a historic province of Afghanistan. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963, with Qalat being named the provincial capital. It should not be confused with the city Zabol, on the Iranian side of the border with Afghanistan.

Political and Security Situation;

With its sparse population, insecure border with Pakistan and little central authority, Zabul is a fertile ground for insurgents fighting against the current Afghan government, although the province is considered more secure than some of its southern neighbours. The province has especially struggled with retaining NGO's and teachers in the face of Taliban attacks and threats.

Demographics;

The population of the province is estimated to be around 275,100 people. The major ethnic group in the province is Pashtun. The main Pashtun tribes are: Tokhi, Hotak, Suleiman khel, Popalzai, Kakar, Naser and Ludin.

Geography;

Zabul borders Oruzgan in the north, Kandahar in the west and in the south, Ghazni and Paktika in the east. It has an international border with Pakistan in the south. 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 Ghorat-Hazarajat alpine meadow ecoregion, which is characterized by meadows, willows, and sea buckthorn.

District	Population
Argahandab
Atghar	13,973
Daychopan
Kakar
Mizan	21,162
Naw Bahar	21,144
Qalat	36,560
Shah Joy	71,348
Shamulzayi & Nasar	33,351
Shinkay	28,344
Tarnak Wa Jaldak	19,017

Capital;

Qalat

Area;

17,343 km² (6,696 sq mi)

Population;

276,100

Main language;

Pashto