Nili نیلی | |
|---|---|
City | |
 A distant view of Nili in 2011 | |
  Nili The location of Nili within Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates:33°43′N66°7′E / 33.717°N 66.117°E /33.717; 66.117 | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Daikundi |
| District | Nili |
| Elevation | 2,022 m (6,634 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 30,058[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan Time) |
Nili (Dari:نیلی) is acity in centralAfghanistan, serving as the capital ofDaikundi Province since 2004.[2] It is connected by aroad network withBamyan in neighboringBamyan Province to the northeast andTarinkot inUruzgan Province to the south.[3]
Nili has a total land area of 9,022 ha (22,290 acres),[4] and a population of around 30,058 people (2022 estimate).[1] The overwhelming majority are ethnicHazaras, andothers being the minority.[5]
The city, which has over 2,000 houses and businesses,[4] is within theNili District and theHazarajat region.[2] It sits at 2,022 m (6,634 ft)above sea level. TheNili Airport is located a few miles away from thetown center known as Gul-e-Badam Square (AlmondBlossomSquare).
Nili is anurban village in central Afghanistan in which the majority of the land is not built-up.[4][6] Barren land is the largest land use and account for 79% of total land area.[4] There are only 239 hectares of built-up land use, of which 35% is residential and 40% is vacant plots.[4]
Nili became the capital of Daikundi Province in March of 2004.[2] Prior to that, it was an ordinarytown within the pre-2004 largerUruzgan Province. Due to its geographical inaccessibility and harsh winter, it was not until April 2007 that theUnited Nations opened aUNAMA office.
In December 2008, then-PresidentHamid Karzai selectedAzra Jafari asmayor of Nili, which made her Afghanistan's first female mayor.
On 14 August 2021, Nili was seized byTaliban forces, becoming the twenty-fourth provincial capital to be captured by them as part of the wider2021 Taliban offensive.[7][8]
Nili has a hot-summerhumid continental climate (Dsa) in theKöppen climate classification, with dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Precipitation mostly falls in spring and winter.
| Climate data for Nili, Daikundi Province | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15 (59) | 16 (61) | 22 (72) | 26 (79) | 32 (90) | 37 (99) | 38.5 (101.3) | 37 (99) | 34 (93) | 28 (82) | 24.0 (75.2) | 16.5 (61.7) | 38.5 (101.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0 (32) | 0 (32) | 8.0 (46.4) | 17 (63) | 24 (75) | 30 (86) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 27 (81) | 20 (68) | 12 (54) | 5 (41) | 17.2 (63.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.0 (14.0) | −8.0 (17.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | 5 (41) | 11 (52) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 18 (64) | 14 (57) | 8 (46) | 1.0 (33.8) | −6 (21) | 5.6 (42.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.0 (−2.2) | −16.0 (3.2) | −10.0 (14.0) | −2 (28) | 4.0 (39.2) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | −1.0 (30.2) | −2.0 (28.4) | −7.0 (19.4) | −14.0 (6.8) | −19.0 (−2.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 67 (2.6) | 87 (3.4) | 95.0 (3.74) | 53 (2.1) | 17.0 (0.67) | 2.0 (0.08) | 2.0 (0.08) | 2.0 (0.08) | 0.0 (0.0) | 6.0 (0.24) | 33.0 (1.30) | 40 (1.6) | 404 (15.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2 | 7 | 7.6 | 74.7 |
| Average snowy days | 10 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 34 |
| Source 1: meteoblue[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: meteoblue[10] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Nili, Daikundi Province | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.7 (28.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 15.6 (60.1) | 21.7 (71.1) | 27.8 (82.0) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30.0 (86.0) | 26.1 (79.0) | 18.9 (66.0) | 9.4 (48.9) | 3.3 (37.9) | 15.7 (60.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) | −4.7 (23.5) | 1.4 (34.5) | 9.8 (49.6) | 15.6 (60.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 23.4 (74.1) | 19.2 (66.6) | 12.5 (54.5) | 3.9 (39.0) | −2.5 (27.5) | 9.8 (49.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.2 (10.0) | −9.4 (15.1) | −3.3 (26.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | 9.4 (48.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 12.2 (54.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | −8.3 (17.1) | 3.9 (39.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 62 (2.4) | 105 (4.1) | 102 (4.0) | 72 (2.8) | 37 (1.5) | 1 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.1) | 46 (1.8) | 25 (1.0) | 453 (17.7) |
| Source: Nomadseason[11] | |||||||||||||
The main source of income of Nili residents isagriculture, trade,transport,tourism, andremittance. The area is famous for growing almonds.[12][13] TheSukhtok Dam is located a few miles to the east of the city.[2]
Association football andcricket are the most popularsports in the area. The Nili Football Stadium is located nearNili Airport.
