:Baharak District, Takhar
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Baharak District
|native_name =
|settlement_type = District
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|image_map = Baharak District Map
|mapsize =
|map_caption = Location of the district in Takhar Province
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|coordinates = {{coords|36.805|N|69.41|E|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|Afghanistan}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = Takhār Province
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|established_title = Established
|established_title1 = Functioning
|established_date1 = 2002
|area_magnitude =
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|area_total_km2 = 231
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|population_as_of = 2019
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|population_total = 34339
|population_density_km2 = 149
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|population_urban = 0
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|population_rural = 34339
|demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
|demographics1_title1 = Uzbek
|demographics1_title2 = Pashtun
|demographics1_title3 = Tajik
|demographics1_title4 = Hazara
|demographics1_info1 = 83%
|demographics1_info2 = 10%
|demographics1_info3 = 5%
|demographics1_info4 = 2%
|timezone = Afghanistan Standard Time
|utc_offset = +4:30
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|elevation_footnotes = {{cite web |title=Baharak District |url=http://takhar.gov.af/fa/page/3230/4279/4066 |website=takhar.gov.af |access-date=14 August 2020}}
|elevation_m = 703
|elevation_ft =
|postal_code_type = Post code
|postal_code = 3762{{cite web |title=Baharak Post Codes |url=https://worldpostalcode.com/afghanistan/takhar/baharak |website=worldpostalcode.com |access-date=12 August 2020}}
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Baharak District is a district of Takhar Province, Afghanistan. The district was split-off from Taluqan District in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.aims.org.af:80/services/mapping/geo_codes/398_dist_matching_to_329.xls |title=398 District Division Matching to 329 District Division |website=aims.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322140851/http://www.aims.org.af:80/services/mapping/geo_codes/398_dist_matching_to_329.xls |access-date=14 August 2020|archive-date=22 March 2016 }} Most people work in agriculture. The district has been the site of fighting between the Afghan Government and the Taliban; Baharak was considered to be contested in late 2018 and taken by the Taliban by August 2021.{{cite web |url=https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2019-01-30qr.pdf |date=30 January 2019 |access-date=14 August 2020 |title=Quarterly Report to the United States Congress |page=71 |publisher=SIGAR }}{{Cite news|date=2021-08-05|title=Mapping the advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57933979|access-date=2021-08-05}}
{{Further|Baharak Ambush}}
Geography
Baharak has an area of 231 square kilometers, comparatively equivalent to the area of São Vicente.{{cite web |title=Islands by Land Area |url=http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |website=unep.ch |access-date=13 August 2020 |date=1998 |archive-date=1 December 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20151201081219/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |url-status=dead }} There are secondary roads that connect the district to the provincial capital, Taloqan, and a smaller road connecting the district with Khwaja Ghar District. It is 15 kilometers away from Taloqan.
Baharak is bordered by Khwaja Ghar District to the north, Hazar Sumuch District to the east, Taluqan District to the south, and Bangi District with Dashti Archi District to the west. Dashti Archi is located in Kunduz Province, with all other districts located in Takhar Province.{{cite web |title=Takhar Province Reference Map |url=https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/afghanistan/infographic/afg-takhar-province-reference-map |website=humanitarianresponse.info |publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |access-date=13 August 2020|date=9 February 2014}} Baharak may also border Aqtash District,{{Cite web|title=Afghanistan District Maps|url=https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=fe0f16a7b8da4157a7d7f9451a802d74|access-date=2020-10-05|website=www.arcgis.com}} but Aqtash is a temporary district.
There is another Baharak District in Badakhshan Province.
Demographics
Baharak has a population of 34339 and a sex ratio of 101 males for every 100 females. Most of the district is made up of Uzbeks, with Pashtun, Tajik, and Hazara minorities. The median age is 16.6 and 57.6% of the population is unemployed. 13% of the unemployed are seeking work. Baharak has about 4800 households, with an average size of 7.1 people.{{cite web |author1=UNFPA |title=Takhar Socio-economic and Demographics Survey |url=https://afghanistan.unfpa.org/en/publications/takhar-socio-demographic-and-economic-survey |website=unfpa.org |access-date=14 August 2020 |date=5 January 2015}}
Economy
Close to half of employed people in Baharak work in agriculture, forestry, or fishing. Wheat and rice are the main crops, with barley, sorghum, sesame, corn, cotton, and melon also being grown. However, there is a lack of seeds, machinery, cold storages, and fertilizer. There used to be livestock, but much was lost because of war and drought.
Education and healthcare
Baharak has a 35% literacy rate among people ages 15–24. There is one madrasa, two high schools, and several primary schools in the district. The education situation has been improving- in 2002 there were only a handful of schools. However, there is a lack of teachers, supplies, and anti-government opposition to schools.
There are two health centers in Baharak: one by the district center and another by the village of Qara Kamar. There is also an ambulance to transport patients to Taloqan if needed. Tuberculosis and malaria remain an issue. Baharak suffers from a lack of medical knowledge, money, doctors, and medical equipment.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.flickr.com/photos/unama/with/3795068340/ Practice voting exercise] in Baharak District, 2009
{{Takhar Province}}
{{Districts of Takhar}}
{{Authority control}}