Sughd Province, also referred to as the

Sogdia Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemen ...

Region, and Leninabad before 2001, is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

that make up

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. Centered in the historical Sogdiana, it is located in the northwest of the country, with an area of some 25,400 square kilometers and a population of 2,707,300 (2020 estimate), up from 2,233,550 according to the 2010 census and 1,871,979 in 2000. The capital is Khujand. The Province's ethnic composition in 2010 was 84% Tajik, 14.8% Uzbek, 0.6% Kyrgyz, 0.4% Russian and 0.1% Tatar. The province shares a border with

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

( Surxondaryo, Qashqadaryo, Jizzakh, Sirdaryo,

Namangan Namangan is a district-level city in eastern Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Namangan Region. Namangan is located in the northern edge of the Fergana Valley, less than 30 km from the Kyrgyzstan border ...

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

and

Fergana Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of A ...

regions),

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

( Osh and

Batken Batken (also called Batkent) is a town in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, on the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley. It is the administrative seat of Batken Region. Since 2000, it is a city of regional significance, i.e. not part of a district. Howeve ...

regions) and

Districts of Republican Subordination Districts under Tajikistan Central Government Jurisdiction, also translated as Districts of Republican Subordination or Districts under Republic(an) Subordination (; , Latin Tajik alphabet: ), is a region in Tajikistan, consisting of 9 distric ...

. The

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

river flows through it. It contains the Akash Massif and Mogoltau Massif Important Bird Areas. Sughd is separated from the rest of Tajikistan by the Gissar Range (passes may be closed in winter). The southern part of the region is the east-west valley of the upper

Zarafshan River The Zarafshon is a river in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Its name, "spreader of gold" in Persian language, Persian, refers to the presence of gold-bearing sands in the upper reaches of the river. To the ancient Greeks it was known ...

. North, over the Turkestan Range, is the Ferghana Valley. The region has 29% of Tajikistan's population and one-third of its arable land. It produces two-thirds of the country's GDP.Robert Middleton and Huw Thomas, 'Tajikistan and the High Pamirs', Odyssey Books, 2008, page 166

Economy

The economy of Sughd has been growing steadily since 2000, at the average rate of 13.2% in 2008 and 13.3% in 2009.''Socio-economic situation of the Sughd oblast'', Statistics Committee of Sughd oblast, Khujand: January–March 2010 (in Tajik and Russian) In 2009, farming, trade and industrial production contributed 28.2%, 25.8% and 14.0% to the GRP (gross regional product) of Sughd, respectively. Since 2000, the output of industrial production increased two-fold, at an average annual growth rate of 5–8%. A

free economic zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re- exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subjec ...

has been established in the region called Sughd Free Economic Zone.

Demographics

Districts

The province is divided into 10

districts 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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(, '' nohiya'' or , ''raion'') and 8 district-level cities. Furthermore, several cities (''shahr'') also cover other towns (''shahrak'') and rural localities. These are listed under "city districts".

Districts of Sughd

* Asht District *

Ayni District Ayni District, also ''Aini District'' (; , ''Nohiyayi Aynī''), is a Districts of Tajikistan, district in the southern part of Sughd Region, Tajikistan, straddling the middle course of the river Zeravshan (river), Zeravshan. Its capital is the tow ...

* Devashtich District * Ghafurov District * Kuhistoni Mastchoh District * Mastchoh District * Spitamen District * Jabbor Rasulov District * Shahriston District * Zafarobod District

City districts

Sughd province counts the following 8 district-level cities (with population estimate as of 2020): * Khujand (Leninabad) (183,600) * Buston (Chkalovsk) (34,000) * Guliston (Kayrakkum) (18,000) * Istiqlol (Taboshar) (17,600) *

Isfara Isfara (; ) is a city in Sughd Region in northern Tajikistan, situated on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The city was the seat of the former Isfara District. There are currently territorial disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan over the area ...

(51,700) * Istaravshan (Ura-Tyube) (65,600) * Konibodom (52,500) * Panjakent (43,300)

Notable people

* Ruslan Ablayev (born 1972), Russian professional football coach and former player * Lex Fridman, Host of the Lex Fridman podcast and Youtube series, researcher at MIT

Notes

References

External links

citypopulation.de

Official Website of the Free Economic Zone of Sughd
{{Authority control Sughd Region Regions of Tajikistan