Baghrān ( ps, بغران) is the northernmost
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
in
Helmand Province
Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Its population, which is 99%
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
and 1%
Hazara, was estimated at 82,018 in 2002. The district centre is the village of
Baghran; there are around 450 villages in the district.
Dominated by the Baghran Valley, a traditional stronghold of traditionalist Afghan Pashtun tribal power, Baghran saw significant military clashes during the Russian occupation. Rais-al-Baghrani, a former Taliban leader, recently agreed to cooperate with the Government of Afghanistan and the Coalition forces, under the Programme Takm-e-sol (Reconciliation and Forgiveness). Baghran district's primary produce (after
opium poppies
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
) is
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
.
References
UNHCR District Profile dated 2002-12-31, accessed 2006-07-28 (PDF).
External links
Map of Baghran district(PDF)
Districts of Helmand Province
{{Helmand-geo-stub