View source for Sar-e Pol Province

{{short description|Province of Afghanistan}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Sar-e Pol
| native_name = {{nq|سرپل}}
| native_name_lang = prs
| settlement_type = [[Provinces of Afghanistan|Province]]
| image_skyline = Balkhab District.JPG
| image_alt =
| image_caption = [[Balkhab District]]
| image_flag =
| flag_alt =
| image_seal =
| seal_alt =
| image_shield =
| shield_alt =
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map  = Sar-e Pol in Afghanistan.svg
| map_caption = Map of Afghanistan with Sar-e Pol highlighted
| image_map1 = Sare Pol districts.png
| map_alt1 =
| map_caption1 = Districts of Sar-e Pol
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates      = {{coord|35.6|66.3|region:AF_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint = Capital
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| subdivision_type1 =
| subdivision_name1 =
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Afghanistan|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Sar-e Pol District|Sar-e Pol]]
| established_title =
| established_date =
| founder =
| seat_type = Capital
| seat = [[Sar-e Pol (city)|Sar-e Pol]]
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party =
| leader_title = [[List of governors of Sar-e Pol|Governor]]
| leader_name = Abdul Rahman<ref name="azamnews">{{Cite web|url=http://azamnews.com/?p=108148|title = د نږدې شلو ولایاتو لپاره نوي والیان او امنیې قوماندانان وټاکل شول|date = 7 November 2021}}</ref>
| leader_title1 =  Deputy Governor
| leader_name1 = Mohammad Nader<ref name="azamnews"/>
| unit_pref = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 16360
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_percent =
| area_note =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_footnotes = <ref name=nsia>{{cite web |url=https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf |title=Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2021-22 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=April 2021 |website= |publisher=National Statistic and Information Authority (NSIA)|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204559/https://www.nsia.gov.af:8080/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Estimated-Population-of-Afghanistan1-1400.pdf|url-status=live |access-date=June 21, 2021 |quote=}}</ref>
| population_total = 632182
| population_as_of = 2021
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_note =
| blank_name_sec1 = [[Languages of Afghanistan|Main languages]]
| blank_info_sec1 = [[Dari-Persian]], [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] and [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]]
| timezone1 = Afghanistan Time
| utc_offset1 = +4:30
| timezone1_DST =
| utc_offset1_DST =
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 21xx
| area_code_type =
| area_code =
| iso_code = AF-SAR
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Sar-e Pol''', also spelled '''Sari Pul''' ([[Dari]]/[[Pashto]]: {{nq|سرپل}}), is one of the thirty-four [[provinces of Afghanistan]], located in the north of the country. It borders [[Ghor Province|Ghor]] and [[Bamyan Province|Bamyan]] to the south, [[Samangan Province|Samangan]] to the east, [[Balkh Province|Balkh]] and [[Jowzjan Province|Jowzjan]] to the north, and [[Faryab Province|Faryab]] to the west. The province is divided into 7 [[Districts of Afghanistan|districts]] and contains 896 villages. It has a population of about 632,000,<ref name=nsia/> which is multi-ethnic and mostly a tribal society. The province was created in 1988, with the support of northern Afghan politician [[Sayed Nasim Mihanparast]].<ref name="Nojumi2002">{{cite book|author=Neamatollah Nojumi|title=The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan: mass mobilization, civil war, and the future of the region|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wR-4qmiOAvUC&pg=PA80|access-date=30 March 2011|year=2002|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-29584-4|pages=80–}}</ref> The city of [[Sar-e Pol (city)|Sar-e Pol]] serves as the provincial capital.
In 2021, the [[Taliban]] gained control of the province during the [[2021 Taliban offensive]].
==History==
{{Further|History of Afghanistan}}
Between the early 16th century and the mid-18th century, the territory was ruled by the [[Khanate of Bukhara]]. It was given to [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] by [[Mohammad Murad Beg|Murad Beg]] of [[Bukhara]] after a treaty was signed in or about 1750, and became part of the [[Durrani Empire]]. It was ruled by the [[Durrani dynasty|Durranis]] followed by the [[Barakzai dynasty]]. The area was untouched by the [[British Raj|British]] during the three [[Anglo-Afghan War|Anglo-Afghan wars]] that were fought in the 19th and 20th centuries. It remained peaceful for about one hundred years until the 1980s [[Soviet–Afghan War]].
===Recent history ===
During the [[Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghan Civil War]], the area was controlled by forces loyal to [[Abdul Rashid Dostum]]. It was captured by the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Taliban]] in 1998. [[Aminullah Amin]], the first senior member of the Taliban to be captured, was the former governor of the province.<ref name=Bbc20011220>
{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1721323.stm |title=Pakistan holds senior Taleban official |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=20 December 2001 |access-date=2008-02-20}}</ref>
[[Sweden|Swedish]]-led [[Provincial Reconstruction Team]] (PRT), which has been based in Mazar-e Sharif since about 2005 and responsible for four provinces including Sar-e Pol, established an office and some troops in the province. The [[Afghan National Security Forces]] (ANFS) began expanding in the last decade and slowly took over security from [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF). The Afghanistan-Turkmenistan border is maintained by the [[Afghan Border Police]] (ABP) while law and order for the rest of the province is provided by the [[NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan|NATO-trained]] [[Afghan National Police]] (ANP).
In 2009, the provincial Police Chief stated that weapons had been collected from many people and three districts, namely, [[Sangcharak]], [[Gosfandi District|Gosfandi]], and [[Sozama Qala]] areas termed as the peaceful districts of the province. In operations against militants, the police chief said they had arrested a prominent Taliban commander Mullah Nader along with 11 other people during the recent operations. He said scores of kilograms of [[hashish]] and [[opium]] had also been seized from people during the operations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2010/03/28/armed-groups-challenge-sar-i-pul |title=Zabeehullah Ihsas, "Armed groups a challenge in Sar-i-Pul", Pajhwok Afghan News, March 28, 2010 |access-date=April 3, 2011 |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328034444/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2010/03/28/armed-groups-challenge-sar-i-pul |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The biggest threat to travelers in Sar-e Pol province remains highway bandits and thieves, corrupt militiamen and police, and road hazards. During the [[War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)|American-Afghan war]], small groups of cadres were active throughout the province. These groups often relied on larger support networks in neighboring provinces.
On August 8, 2021, the Taliban regained control of the provincial capital.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/aug/8/taliban-continues-capturing-more-cities-afghanista/|title=Taliban captures three provincial capitals in lightning offensive|website=[[The Washington Times]]}}</ref>
==Healthcare==
{{Further|Health in Afghanistan}}
The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 8% in 2005 to 15% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org">Archive, Civil Military Fusion Centre, {{cite web |url=https://www.cimicweb.org/AfghanistanProvincialMap/Pages/SarePul.aspx |title=Pages - SarePul |access-date=2014-05-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531105303/https://www.cimicweb.org/AfghanistanProvincialMap/Pages/SarePul.aspx |archive-date=2014-05-31 }}</ref>
The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 0% in 2005 to 20% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>
==Education==
{{Further|Education in Afghanistan}}
The overall literacy rate (6+ years of age) increased from 12% in 2005 to 23% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>
The overall net enrolment rate (6–13 years of age) increased from 22% in 2005 to 46% in 2011.<ref name="cimicweb.org"/>
==Geography==
{{Further|Geography of Afghanistan}}
Sar-e Pol is a mountainous province, especially in its southern part. It covers an area of 16,360&nbsp;km. Three quarters (75%) of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain while one-seventh (14%) of the area is made up of flat land. The province is divided into 7 [[districts of Afghanistan|districts]], containing 896 of villages.
==Demography==
[[File:Sare Pol districts.png|thumb|250px|Districts of Sar-e-Pol]]
{{Further|Demographics of Afghanistan}}
As of 2021, the total population of the province was about 632,000. The major ethnic group were [[Uzbeks]], followed by [[Hazaras]] and [[Pashtuns]], with some [[Tajiks]] and [[History of Arabs in Afghanistan|Arabs]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nps.edu/web/ccs/sar-i-pol | title=Sar-i-Pol - Program for Culture and Conflict Studies - Naval Postgraduate School }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+ Districts of Sar-e-Pol Province
|-
!District
!Capital
!Population
!Area
!Pop.<br />density
!Demographics
|-
|[[Balkhab District|Balkhab]] ||  || 56,864 || 2,958 || 19 || Predominantly [[Hazaras]], few [[Pashtuns]].
|-
|[[Gosfandi District|Gosfandi]]||  || 64,038 || 620 || 103 || Majority Hazaras, minority [[Uzbeks]]. Used to belong to [[Sancharak District]].
|-
|[[Kohistanat District|Kohistanat]]||  || 90,477 || 5,771 || 16 || Mixed Uzbeks, Pashtuns, Hazaras.
|-
|[[Sancharak District|Sancharak]]|| || 115,050 || 1,316 || 87 || Majority Hazaras, minority Uzbeks, few [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]].
|-
|[[Sar-e Pol District|Sare-Pol]]|| Sar-e-Pol || 176,994 || 2,442 || 72 || Majority Uzbeks, minority Pashtuns.
|-
|[[Sayyad District|Sayyad]]|||| 61,646 || 1,334 || 46 || Predominantely Uzbeks, few Pashtuns.
|-
|[[Sozma Qala District|Sozma Qala]]||  || 55,933 || 531 || 105 || Mixed Pashtuns and Hazaras.
|- bgcolor="#d3d3d3"
|'''[[Sar-e Pol Province|Sar-e Pol]]'''
|
|'''621,002'''
|'''16,386'''
|'''38'''
|43.3% [[Uzbeks]], 38.6% [[Hazaras]], 18.1% [[Pashtuns]], 0.2% [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]].{{refn|group=note|Note: "Predominantely" or "dominated" is interpreted as 99%, "majority" as 70%, "mixed" as 1/(number of ethnicities), "minority" as 30% and "few" or "some" as 1%.}}
|}
{{reflist|group=note}}
==Economy==
{{Further|Economy of Afghanistan}}
[[Mining in Afghanistan|Mining]] and [[agriculture in Afghanistan|agriculture]] are the main industries of the province. The Government of Afghanistan signed a deal with [[China National Petroleum Corporation]] (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the [[Amu Darya]] basin, a project expected to earn billions of dollars over two decades; the deal covers drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol and [[Faryab Province|Faryab]] and is the first international oil production agreement entered into by the Afghan government for several decades.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/afghanistan-cnpc-idUSL3E7NS3PR20111228|title=REFILE-Afghanistan signs major oil deal with China's CNPC|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|last=Harooni|first=Mirwais|date=2011-12-28|access-date=2012-01-01}}</ref> Production of the Afghan oil began in October 2012, which was expected to increase to 1 million barrels per year in 2013.<ref name=Shalizi>[http://uk.news.yahoo.com/chinas-cnpc-begins-oil-production-afghanistan-131607723--finance.html China's CNPC begins oil production in Afghanistan] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130105121021/http://uk.news.yahoo.com/chinas-cnpc-begins-oil-production-afghanistan-131607723--finance.html |date=2013-01-05 }}, by Hamid Shalizi. October 21, 2012.</ref>
On October 5, 2018, in [[Washington, D.C.]], Afghan officials signed a 30-year contract involving a $56 million investment by investment group Centar and its operating company Afghan Gold and Minerals Co. for exploration of an area covering 500 square km for copper, with development of mining due to begin thereafter.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mackenzie |first1=James |last2=Qadir Sediqi |first2=Abdul |title=Afghanistan signs major mining deals in development push|date=2018-10-07 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-mining/afghanistan-signs-major-mining-deals-in-development-push-idUSKCN1MH0FM |website=reuters.com |publisher=Reuters |access-date=30 June 2020}}</ref>
Communications in and around the province are provided by [[Afghan Wireless]], [[Roshan (telco)|Roshan]], [[Emirates Telecommunications Corporation|Etisalat]], and [[MTN Group]].
==See also==
* [[Sar-e Pol city]]
* [[Sar-e Pol District]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Sar-e Pol Province}}
{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Sar-e Pol Province
|North     = [[Jowzjan Province]]
|Northeast = [[Balkh Province]]
|East      = [[Samangan Province]]
|Southeast = [[Bamyan Province]]
|South     = [[Ghor Province]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Faryab Province]]
|Northwest =
}}
{{Provinces of Afghanistan}}
{{Sar-e Pol Province}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Sar-e Pol Province| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Hazarajat]]
[[Category:Provinces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]]