Travelling to Sughd Province. The Free Encyclopedia about Sughd Province

Sughd Province Вилояти Суғд
Region
Sughd in Tajikistan
Country	Tajikistan
Capital	Khujand
Area
• Total	25,400 km (9,800 sq mi)
Population  (2017)
• Total	2,608,500
• Density	100/km (270/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	TJ-SU
HDI (2017)	0.659 medium

Sughd Region (Tajik: Вилояти Суғд, romanized: Viloyati Sughd; "Sogdia Province") is one of the four administrative divisions and one of the three provinces (Tajik: вилоятҳо, viloyatho) that make up Tajikistan. 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 2,132,100 (2008 est.), up from 1,870,000 according to the 2000 census and 1,558,000 in 1989. It was founded in 1924 as part of Uzbek SSR and transferred to Tajik SSR by Soviet Communists in 1929. Today, the region is still home to many ethnic Uzbeks. The Province's ethnic composition in 2010 was 84% Tajik, 14.8% Uzbek, 0.6% Kyrgyz, 0.4% Russian and 0.1% Tatar.

The region shares a border with the Jizakh, Namangan, Samarkand and Fergana provinces of Uzbekistan, and the Osh and Batken regions of Kyrgyzstan. The Syr Darya 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 province is the east-west valley of the upper Zarafshan River. North, over the Turkestan Range, is the Ferghana Valley. The province has 30% of Tajikistan's population and one-third of its arable land. It produces two thirds of the country's GDP.

It was known as Leninabad until 1991, then Leninobod until 2000, then Sogd until 2004.

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

Towns

The capital is Khujand (formerly Leninabad), with a population of 155,900 (2008 est.). Other major towns include:

• Buston (pop. 25,700)
• Ghafurov (15,700)
• Isfara (40,600)
• Istaravshan (Urateppa) (60,200)
• Taboshar (pop. 12,700)
• Konibodom (Kanibadam) (47,100)
• Panjakent (35,900)
• Qalaibaland (6,759)

Districts

The region is divided into 14 districts (Tajik: ноҳия, nohiya or Russian: район, raion).

Northern districts of Sughd

1. Asht District
2. Ghafurov District
3. Ghonchi District
4. Zafarobod District
5. Istaravshan (Ura-Tyube) District
6. Isfara District
7. Konibodom District
8. Mastchoh District
9. Spitamen District
10. Rasulov (Jabbor Rasulov) District
11. Shahriston District

Southern districts of Sughd (Zeravshan Valley)

1. Ayni (Aini) District
2. Kuhistoni Mastchoh District
3. Panjakent District

See also

• Husanobod
• Uata
• Yaghnobi people
• Yagnob Valley

Further reading

• Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb (2007). The Arab Conquests in Central Asia. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-4067-5239-7. reprinted from the 1923 edition, published by the Royal Asiatic Society OCLC 474026895.
• Le Strange, Guy (1905). The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate: Mesopotamia, Persia, and Central Asia, from the Moslem Conquest to the Time of Timur. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc. OCLC 1044046.

References

External links

• citypopulation.de
• Official Website of the Free Economic Zone of Sughd