Zabul is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a mostly rural population of about 289,300. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zabulistan region. Qalat serves as the capital of the province.
History
Geography
Zabul borders Oruzgan in the north, Kandahar in the west and in the south, Ghazni and Paktika in the east. It borders Pakistan in the east; the Zhob district of Pakistani Balochistan which is the eastern part of Zabul and historic Zabulistan. The province covers an area of 17293 km2. Two-fifths of the province is mountainous or semi mountainous terrain while more than one quarter of the area is made up of flat land. 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 Ghor-Hazarajat alpine meadow ecoregion, which is characterized by meadows, willows, and sea buckthorn.
In 2006, the province's first airstrip was opened near Qalat, to be operated by the Afghan National Army, but also for use by commercial aviation. Twice weekly service was scheduled by PRT Air between Qalat and Kabul. The airstrip is not paved. The ANA Chief in Zabul is Major General Jamaluddin Sayed Zabul Province is bisected by Highway 1 and travelers going between Kandahar and Kabul via road typically pass through the province. On 4 September 2016, at least 38 people were killed and 28 were injured during the September 2016 Afghanistan road crash.
Healthcare
The percentage of households with clean drinking water increased from 0% in 2005 to 32% in 2011. The percentage of births attended to by a skilled birth attendant increased from 1% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.
Education
The overall literacy rate increased from 1% in 2005 to 19% in 2011. The overall net enrollment rate fell from 31.3% in 2005 to 5% in 2011.
Demographics
The total population of the province is about 289,300, which is mostly a rural tribal society. According to the Naval Postgraduate School, the population is primarily Pashtun, sprinkled throughout around 2,500 remote villages. Major tribal groups include the Tokhi and Hotaki Ghilji and the Noorzai and Panjpai Durrani. Pashto is the dominant language in the area. The people of Zabul are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. Primary occupations within Zabul are agriculture and animal husbandry.
