Sharana
Sharan
شړن | |
|---|---|
 A street scene in 2010 | |
  Sharan Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 33°7′48″N 68°46′48″E / 33.13000°N 68.78000°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Paktika |
| District | Sharan |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Mohammad Nasser Hilal |
| Area | |
| • Land | 59 km2 (23 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,200 m (7,200 ft) |
| Population (2025)[3] | |
| 70,775 | |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,688 |
| • Rural | 65,087 |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
| ISO 3166 code | AF-SHR |
Sharan,[4][5][6] also known as Sharana (Pashto:[a] ښرنه, Dari:[b] شرنه),[7] is a city in eastern Afghanistan, serving as the capital of Paktika Province. It is within the jurisdiction of Sharan District and has an estimated population of 70,775 people.[3] Mohammad Nasser Hilal is the current mayor of the city.[1]
Sharan is home to Paktika University, which is in the southeastern part of the city. Sharan is at an elevation of approximately 2,200 m (7,200 ft) within the heartland of the Sulaimankhel tribe of Ghilji Pashtuns.[8] The city has a number of bazaars, business centers, public parks, banks, hotels, restaurants, mosques, hospitals, universities, and places to play sports or just relax.
Sharan contains several city districts (nahias), which cover a land area of 59 km2 (23 sq mi) or 5,893 ha (14,560 acres).[9] The city is connected by a road network with Gardez to the northeast, Angoor Adda to the southeast, Qalat to the southwest, and Ghazni to the northwest. One of the agricultural products the area is famous for is pine nuts, which plays an important part in the city's economy.[10]
On 14 August 2021, Sharan was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twentieth provincial capital to be captured as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.[11]
Geography
[edit]Sharan is situated at an elevation of approximately 2,200 m (7,200 ft) above sea level in eastern Afghanistan,[9] covering a land area of 59 km2 (23 sq mi) or 5,893 ha (14,560 acres).[2][9]
Barren land and agriculture account for 73% of total land. Sharan has the largest share of land classified as institutional (14%) of any Afghan provincial capital.[9]
Climate
[edit]With an influence from the local steppe climate, Sharan features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Sharan is 10.8 °C (51.4 °F), while the annual precipitation averages 265 mm (10.4 in). September is the driest month with 1 mm (0.039 in) of rainfall, while March, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of 54 mm (2.1 in).
July is the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 23.6 °C (74.5 °F). The coldest month January has an average temperature of −4.5 °C (23.9 °F), with the average lows at −10.9 °C (12.4 °F).
| Climate data for Sharana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) |
4.8 (40.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.4 (86.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
13.2 (55.8) |
6.7 (44.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
5.3 (41.5) |
11.0 (51.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
10.8 (51.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.9 (12.4) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
4.2 (39.6) |
8.3 (46.9) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
9.6 (49.3) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
3.4 (38.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36 (1.4) |
51 (2.0) |
54 (2.1) |
37 (1.5) |
14 (0.6) |
11 (0.4) |
18 (0.7) |
13 (0.5) |
4 (0.2) |
4 (0.2) |
13 (0.5) |
20 (0.8) |
275 (10.9) |
| Average precipitation days | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 35 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 57 | 67 | 61 | 45 | 30 | 29 | 39 | 42 | 32 | 29 | 45 | 49 | 44 |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]According to Afghanistan's National Statistics and Information Authority, the city of Shahran has an estimated population of 70,775 people.[3] In 2015, the population was around 50,000 people.[13] There were approximately 1,739 dwelling units in the city.[9]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Pashto pronunciation: [ʂa'rə.na, ʃa'rə.na, ça'rə.na, xa'rə.na]
- ^ Dari pronunciation: [ʃä.ɾä.nǽ]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Paktika residents demand urban facilities in Sharana". Salam Watandar. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ a b "State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-I English)". UN-Habitat. pp. 8, 132. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- ^ a b c "Estimated Population of Afghanistan 2025-26" (PDF). National Statistics and Information Authority. September 2025. p. 48. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ "Some Paktika offices without buildings". Pajhwok Afghan News. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ "Paktika's Paltuni Dam Construction Reaches 20% Completion". TOLOnews. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ "Afghanistan: Police killed in Sharan firefight". BBC News. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ "Sharana residents want city's master plan implemented". Pajhwok Afghan News. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ Paktika Province Tribal Map (Page 11). Naval Postgraduate School.
- ^ a b c d e "State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-II)". UN-Habitat. p. 122. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan Exports $9M in Pine Nuts Over Eight Months". TOLOnews. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ^ Seir, Ahmad; Faietz, Rahim; Krauss, Joseph (14 August 2021). "Taliban approach capital's outskirts, attack northern city". Associated Press News. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ "Climate: Sharan - Climate-Data.org". Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ^ "State of Afghan Cities report 2015 (Volume-I English)". unhabitat.org. p. 12. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
External links
[edit]| Districts |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Populated places | ||
| Other | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | This Paktika Province, Afghanistan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |