Badakhshan, province, Afghanistan

Badakhshan (bädäkhshän`, bədəkhshän`), province (1979 est. pop. 497,000), 17,011 sq mi (44,059 sq km), extreme NE Afghanistan, between the Hindu Kush Mts. and the Amu Darya River. The capital is Faizabad Faizabad or Feyzabad (both : fī`zəbăd, fīzäbäd`), city (1992 est. pop.
..... Click the link for more information. . Renowned for its mineral wealth, it is the world's chief source of lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone. The deposits have been worked for more than 3,000 years. Rubies, emeralds, amethysts, and gold have also been mined. Mountain goats and the famed Marco Polo wild sheep are hunted in the province. Some agriculture and sheep and goat herding are also practiced. In 1859 it became a part of Afghanistan. Badhakshan's most distinctive feature is the Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor), a long narrow panhandle that passes between Tajikistan in the north and Pakistan in the south, linking Afghanistan with the Xinjiang Xinjiang (shĭn`jyäng`) or Sinkiang
..... Click the link for more information. region in China. Badakhshan was once part of the ancient Greek kingdom of Bactria Bactria (băk`trēə), ancient Greek kingdom in central Asia. Its capital was Bactra, present-day Balkh in N Afghanistan.
..... Click the link for more information. . Many of its inhabitants are Tajiks.

Badakhshan, region, Tajikistan

Badakhshan (bädäkhshän`, bədəkhshän`), autonomous region (1991 est. pop. 167,100), c.24,600 sq mi (63,710 sq km), E Tajikistan, in the Pamir Pamir (pəmēr`, pä–) or Pamirs,
..... Click the link for more information. . It is bordered by China on the east and by Afghanistan on the south and west and is separated from Pakistan and Azad Kashmir by a narrow strip of Afghan territory. The eastern section (East Pamir) is a high plateau, and the western part (West Pamir) is cut by high ranges and deep, narrow valleys. Khorugh Khorugh (khərôk`), city (1991 pop. 20,318), capital of Badakhshan, E Tajikistan, in the Pamir.
..... Click the link for more information. is the capital. The population is mainly Tajik, with small Kyrgyz and Russian minorities. Gold, salt, mica, limestone, and coal are mined. In the east livestock is raised (yaks, sheep, cattle, and goats), and in the western valleys grain, vegetables, and beans are grown. Formerly under the control of the Mongols and the Arabs, the region passed to Russian control in 1895. The area became the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in 1925. It was sometimes formerly known as Mountain-Badakhshan.