Nimruz Province
Nimruz or Nimroz (Balochi: نݔمرۏچ; Dari, Pashto: نیمروز) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also bordering the Afghan provinces of Farah and Helmand. It has a population of about 186,963 people. The province is divided into five districts, encompassing about 649 villages.
Nimruz
ولایت نیمروز د نیمروز ولایت نیمروچ ولایت | |
|---|---|
Chakhansur in Nimruz Province | |
Map of Afghanistan with Nimruz highlighted | |
| Coordinates (Capital): 31.0°N 62.5°E | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Capital | Zaranj |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Najibullah Rafi |
| • Deputy Governor | Ghulam Nabi "Osmani" |
| • Police Chief | Sardar Mohammad Ayoubi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 186,963 |
| • Density | 4.3/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
| Postal code | 43xx |
| ISO 3166 code | AF-NIM |
| Main languages Pashto | Balochi Dari |
The city of Zaranj serves as the provincial capital and Zaranj Airport, which is located in that city, serves as a domestic airport for the province. The recently-built Kamal Khan Dam is located in Chahar Burjak District.
The name Nimruz means "mid-day" or "half-day" in Persian Language and Balochi. The name is believed to indicate that the meridian cutting the old world in half passes through this region. Nimruz covers 43,000 km2. It is the most sparsely populated province in the country, located in the Sistan Basin. A substantial part of the province is the barren desert area of Dashti Margo.
In 2021, the Taliban gained control of the province during the 2021 Taliban offensive.