Balkh Province

Balkh (Persian: بلخ) is one of the 32 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country. The capital is Mazar-e Sarif (in Tajik and Dari Mazār-e Šarīf, in Pashto Mazār-i Šarīf). Some important cities are Balkh, Dawlatabad (in Tajik and Dari Dawlātābād), Qarchi Gak, Sulgara (in Tajik and Dari Šulgara) and Tash Gozar.

Geography

The province is located in the northern part of Afghanistan, bordering Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, Kunduz Province to the east, Samangān Province to the southeast, Sar-e Province Pul to the southwest and with Jawzjān Province to the west. The province covers an area of 16,840 km². Almost half of that area is mountainous or semi-mountainous terrain (48.7%) while the other half (50.2%) comprises flat land.

Territorial organization

The province is divided into 15 districts, which are:

Demography

Balkh has a total population of 1,123,948. Tayks are the majority ethnic group in the province, followed by Pashtuns, Uzbeks and Hazaras. The languages spoken are Dari (50%), Pashto (27%), Turkmen (11.9%) and Uzbek (10.7%).