Kurdistan province
Kurdistan or Kordestan province (Persian: استان کردستان, romanized: Ostān-e Kordestān; Kurdish: پارێزگای کوردستان, romanized: Parêzgayî Kurdistan[4][5]) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. The province is 28,817 km2 in area and its capital is the city of Sanandaj.[6] Other counties with their major cities are Saqqez, Baneh, Marivan, Qorveh, Piranshahr, Bijar, Kamyaran, Dehgolan, Diwandarreh and Sarvabad.
Kurdistan Province | |
|---|---|
| استان کردستان | |
Miyane village | |
Location of Kurdistan province within Iran | |
| Coordinates: 35°18′41″N 46°59′46″E / 35.3113°N 46.9960°ECoordinates: 35°18′41″N 46°59′46″E / 35.3113°N 46.9960°E | |
| Country | Iran |
| Region | Region 3 |
| Capital | Sanandaj |
| Counties | 10 |
| Government | |
| • Governor-general | Esmaeil Zarei Kousha |
| Area | |
| • Total | 29,137 km2 (11,250 sq mi) |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,603,011 |
| • Density | 55/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:30 (IRST) |
| Main language(s) | Persian (official) local languages:[2] Turkic Kurdish |
| HDI (2017) | 0.743[3] high · 30th |
Kurdistan province is located in the west of Iran, in Region 3. It borders the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the west, and the Iranian provinces of West Azerbaijan to the north, Zanjan to the northeast, Hamadan to the east, and Kermanshah to the south.[7] It exists within both Iranian Kurdistan and Kurdistan.
At the National Census conducted in 2006, the province had a population of 1,416,334 inhabitants in 337,179 households.[8] The following census in 2011 counted 1,493,645 living in 401,845 households.[9] At the time of the most recent census in 2016, the population of the province had risen to 1,603,011 in 471,310 households.[1]
History
The earliest human occupation of Kurdistan dates back to the Paleolithic Period when Neanderthals lived in the Sirwan Valley of Kurdistan more than 40,000 years ago.[10]
Administrative divisions
Kurdistan province is sub-divided into 10 counties (shahrestan), with populations as follows at the 2006, 2011, and 2016 censuses. Each county is named after the city that serves as its administrative capital.
| Administrative Divisions | 2006[8] | 2011[9] | 2016[1] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baneh County | 116,773 | 132,565 | 158,690 |
| Bijar County | 95,461 | 93,714 | 89,162 |
| Dehgolan County1 | — | 62,844 | 64,015 |
| Divandarreh County | 82,628 | 81,963 | 80,040 |
| Ghorveh County | 196,972 | 136,961 | 140,192 |
| Kamyaran County | 104,704 | 105,996 | 102,856 |
| Marivan County | 150,926 | 168,774 | 195,263 |
| Sanandaj County | 409,628 | 450,167 | 501,402 |
| Saqqez County | 205,250 | 210,820 | 226,451 |
| Sarvabad County | 53,992 | 49,841 | 44,940 |
| Total | 1,416,334 | 1,493,645 | 1,603,011 |
| 1Separated from Ghorveh County | |||
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 1,134,229 people (over 70% of the population of Kurdistan province) live in the following cities: Armardeh 2,305, Babarashani 509, Baneh 110,218, Bardeh Rasheh 1,020, Bijar 50,014, Bolbanabad 3,193, Buin-e Sofla 1,518, Chenareh 455, Dehgolan 25,992, Delbaran 6,713, Dezej 2,219, Divandarreh 34,007, Ghorveh 78,276, Kamyaran 57,077, Kani Dinar 13,059, Kani Sur 1,284, Marivan 136,654, Muchesh 3,370, Pir Taj 1,199, Saheb 3,101, Sanandaj 412,767, Saqqez 165,258, Sarvabad 5,121, Serishabad 7,196, Shuyesheh 1,302, Tup Aghaj 1,645, Uraman Takht 3,176, Yasukand 3,490, and Zarrineh 2,091.[1]
Most populous cities
The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Kurdistan in 2016.[1]
Demographics
Kurds are the majority of the population, but Turkics populate the eastern provincial borderlands. Most of the Kurdish population speak Sorani Kurdish, but Southern Kurdish is spoken in the eastern parts of the province, including in Bijar and Dezej, while Gorani is the main language in many villages in the southwestern part of the province. Oghuz Turkic varieties can be found in the far-eastern part of the province, including in the cities of Delbaran, Pir Taj, Serishabad, Yasukand, and Tup Aghaj. These varieties are described as distinct from Iranian Azerbaijani, although they are closely related to it. While not being the primary language in any settlement in the province, Persian is increasingly becoming the first language, especially among the population in the eastern parts of the province.[2]
Economy
The major activities of the inhabitants are agriculture and modern livestock farming. Wheat, barley, grains and fruits are the major agricultural products. The chemical, metal, textile, leather and food industries are the main industrial activities in this province. This province has one of the largest rates of unemployment in Iran. According to Iranian statistics, more than twenty thousand people depend on being a kolbar for sustenance.[11]
Colleges and universities
- Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences
- Tohid Medical Center
- University of Kurdistan
- Islamic Azad University of Sanandaj
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e . AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 12. Archived from the original (Excel) on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ a b c Mohammadirad, Masoud (2016). "Language distribution: Kordestan Province". Iran Atlas.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ "ئەنجوومەنی دادوەری ئێران بەدواداچوون بۆ دۆسیەی گەندەڵی لە پارێزگای کوردستان دەکات". Naskurd (in Kurdish). Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Parêzgeha Kurdistanê qaremana pêşbirkên werzişên zorxaneyî yên Îranê". Sahar. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Sanandaj". Britannica. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "همشهری آنلاین-استانهای کشور به ۵ منطقه تقسیم شدند (Provinces were divided into 5 regions)". Hamshahri Online (in Persian). 22 June 2014. from the original on 23 June 2014.
- ^ a b . AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 12. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)" (Excel). Iran Data Portal (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 12. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ Biglari, F and S. Shidrang (2019) Rescuing the Paleolithic Heritage of Hawraman, Kurdistan, Iranian Zagros, Near Eastern Archaeology 82 (4): 226-235.https://doi.org/10.1086/706536
- ^ Fars News:The situation of kolbars vaguer than ever