Sharan شړن | |
|---|---|
 A street scene in 2010 | |
  Sharan Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates:33°7′48″N68°46′48″E / 33.13000°N 68.78000°E /33.13000; 68.78000 | |
| 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 asSharana (Pashto:[a] ښرنه,Dari:[b] شرنه),[7] is acity in easternAfghanistan, serving as the capital ofPaktika Province. It is within the jurisdiction ofSharan District and has an estimated population of 70,775 people.[3] Mohammad Nasser Hilal is the currentmayor of the city.[1]
Sharan is home toPaktika 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 theSulaimankhel tribe ofGhiljiPashtuns.[8] The city has a number ofbazaars, business centers,public parks,banks, hotels, restaurants,mosques,hospitals,universities, and places to playsports 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 withGardez to the northeast,Angoor Adda to the southeast,Qalat to the southwest, andGhazni to the northwest. One of the agricultural products the area is famous for ispine nuts, which plays an important part in the city's economy.[10]
On 14 August 2021, Sharan was seized byTaliban fighters, becoming the twentieth provincial capital to be captured as part of the wider2021 Taliban offensive.[11]
Sharan is situated at an elevation of approximately 2,200 m (7,200 ft) abovesea 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]
With an influence from the local steppe climate, Sharan features acold semi-arid climate (BSk) under theKöppen 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 57 | 67 | 61 | 45 | 30 | 29 | 39 | 42 | 32 | 29 | 45 | 49 | 44 |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[12] | |||||||||||||
According to Afghanistan'sNational 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 1,739dwelling units in the city.[9]
| Districts |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Populated places | ||
| Other | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | ThisPaktika Province,Afghanistan location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
