Sistan and Baluchestan province
Sistan and Baluchestan province (Persian: استان سيستان و بلوچستان, romanized: Ostân-e Sistân wa Balučestân; Balochi: سیستان ءُ بلۏچستان اوستان, romanized: Sistàn o Balòcestàn ostàn) or Asli Baluchestan is the second largest province of the 31 provinces of Iran, after Kerman province, with an area of 180,726 km2. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its capital is the city of Zahedan.
Sistan and Baluchestan province
استان سیستان و بلوچستان | |
|---|---|
Map of Iran with Sistan and Baluchestan province highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 29.4924°N 60.8669°E | |
| Country | Iran |
| Capital | Zahedan |
| Counties | 26 |
| Government | |
| • Governor-general | Mohammad Karami |
| • MPs of Assembly of Experts | Abbas-Ali Soleimani and Ali Ahmad Salami |
| • Representative of the Supreme Leader | Mostafa Mahami |
| Area | |
| • Total | 180,726 km2 (69,779 sq mi) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • Total | 2,775,014 |
| • Density | 15/km2 (40/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Baloch |
| Time zone | UTC+03:30 (IRST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IR-11 |
| Main language(s) | Baluchi Persian |
| HDI (2017) | 0.688 medium · 31st |
At the time of the National Census of 2006, the province had a population of 2,349,049 in 468,025 households. The following census in 2011 counted 2,534,327 inhabitants living in 587,921 households. At the most recent census in 2016, the population had increased to 2,775,014 in 704,888 households.
The Baloch form a majority of the population and the Persian Sistani a minority. Smaller communities of Kurds (in the eastern highlands and near Iranshahr); the expatriate Brahui (along Iran's border with Pakistan); and other resident and itinerant ethnic groups, such as the Romani, are also found within the province.