The Tera Pass is the primary route connecting
Logar and
Paktia
Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 6 ...
provinces in
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 ...
. The pass was unimproved until 2006, when construction of a paved surface was completed as part of the ongoing international reconstruction effort.
History
The pass has been in use since Antiquity, and serves as one of the primary passes connecting
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Unlike the
Khost-Gardez Pass
The Khost-Gardez Pass, frequently abbreviated as the K-G Pass, and known locally as the Seti-Kandow Pass, or the Satukandav Pass by Soviet forces, is the main land route connecting Khost, the capital of Khost Province, and Gardez, the capital o ...
to the south, the Tera Pass is only sporadically inhabited. Alternate passes exist through Logar's Kharwar district to the west.
Geography
The pass crosses a rugged mountain ridge with nearby peaks topping out at 11,000'. The pass itself rises approximately 3,500' from the lowest part of Logar, and descends approximately 2,000' into the Gardez river valley to the south. The pass receives heavy snowfall during the winter months, often to the point of being impassable. Snow tends to persist into the summer months on the north-facing side of the mountain ridge.
People
The Tera Pass area is largely uninhabited, with only minor settlements on the north side of the pass.
Security
The pass is relatively secure, owing to the presence of
ANP checkpoints, daunting geography and paved surface, which makes
IED attacks more difficult.
Notes
Mountain passes of Afghanistan
Landforms of Logar Province
Landforms of Paktia Province
{{Paktia-geo-stub