Kurdistan province
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Kurdistan province (Template:Langx)Template:Efn is one of 31 provinces of Iran. The province is Template:Convert in area and its capital is the city of Sanandaj.<ref name="Kurdistan Province Structure">Template:Cite report</ref>
Kurdistan province is located in the west of Iran, in Region 3. It borders the Kurdistan region of Iraq to the west, and the Iranian provinces of West Azerbaijan to the north, Zanjan to the northeast, Hamadan to the east, and Kermanshah to the south.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
History
The earliest human occupation of Kurdistan dates back to the Paleolithic Period when Neanderthals lived in the Sirwan Valley of Kurdistan more than 40,000 years ago.<ref>Biglari, F and S. Shidrang (2019) Rescuing the Paleolithic Heritage of Hawraman, Kurdistan, Iranian Zagros, Near Eastern Archaeology 82 (4): 226-235.https://doi.org/10.1086/706536</ref>
Demographics
Language and ethnicity
Whilst most of the people of this province speak Kurdish, other languages such as Azerbaijani and Persian are also common.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>
Iranian Kurds make up the majority of the population, but Iranian Azeris populate the eastern provincial borderlands. Most of the Kurdish population speak Sorani Kurdish, but Southern Kurdish is spoken in the eastern parts of the province, including in Bijar and Dezej, while Gorani is the main language in many villages in the southwestern part of the province. Oghuz Turkic varieties can be found in the far-eastern part of the province, including in the cities of Delbaran, Pir Taj, Serishabad, Yasukand, and Tup Aghaj. These varieties are described as distinct from Iranian Azerbaijani, although they are closely related to it. While not being the primary language in any settlement in the province, Persian is increasingly becoming the first language, especially among the population in the eastern parts of the province.<ref name="languages" >Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" />
Religion
A significant majority of the people of Kurdistan province follow the Sunni denomination of Islam. A minority of Shia, Yarsanism and Christian followers also live in this province.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 1,416,334 inhabitants in 337,179 households.<ref name="2006 Kurdistan Province">Template:Cite report</ref> The following census in 2011 counted 1,493,645 living in 401,845 households.<ref name="2011 Kurdistan Province">Template:Cite report</ref> The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 2,152,471 in 471,310 households.<ref name="2016 Kurdistan Province">Template:Cite report</ref>
Administrative divisions
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The population history and structural changes of Kurdistan province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table. Each county is named after the city that serves as its administrative capital.
| Counties | 2006<ref name="2006 Kurdistan Province"/> | 2011<ref name="2011 Kurdistan Province"/> | 2016<ref name="2016 Kurdistan Province"/> |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baneh | 116,773 | 132,565 | 158,690 |
| Bijar | 95,461 | 93,714 | 89,162 |
| DehgolanTemplate:Efn | — | 62,844 | 64,015 |
| Divandarreh | 82,628 | 81,963 | 80,040 |
| Ghorveh | 196,972 | 136,961 | 140,192 |
| Kamyaran | 104,704 | 105,996 | 102,856 |
| Marivan | 150,926 | 168,774 | 195,263 |
| Sanandaj | 409,628 | 450,167 | 501,402 |
| Saqqez | 205,250 | 210,820 | 226,451 |
| Sarvabad | 53,992 | 49,841 | 44,940 |
| Total | 1,416,334 | 1,493,645 | 1,603,011 |
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 1,134,229 people (over 70% of the population of Kurdistan province) live in the following cities:<ref name="2016 Kurdistan Province"/>
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Armardeh | 2,305 |
| Babarashani | 509 |
| Baneh | 110,218 |
| Bardeh Rasheh | 1,020 |
| Bijar | 50,014 |
| Bolbanabad | 3,193 |
| Buin-e Sofla | 1,518 |
| Chenareh | 455 |
| Dehgolan | 25,992 |
| Delbaran | 6,713 |
| Dezej | 2,219 |
| Divandarreh | 34,007 |
| Ghorveh | 78,276 |
| Kamyaran | 57,077 |
| Kani Dinar | 13,059 |
| Kani Sur | 1,284 |
| Marivan | 136,654 |
| Muchesh | 3,370 |
| Pir Taj | 1,199 |
| Saheb | 3,101 |
| Sanandaj | 412,767 |
| Saqqez | 165,258 |
| Sarvabad | 5,121 |
| Serishabad | 7,196 |
| Shuyesheh | 1,302 |
| Tup Aghaj | 1,645 |
| Uraman Takht | 3,176 |
| Yasukand | 3,490 |
| Zarrineh | 2,091 |
Most populous cities
The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Kurdistan in 2016.<ref name="2016 Kurdistan Province"/>
| Rank | City | County | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanandaj | Sanandaj | 412,767 |
| 2 | Saqqez | Saqqez | 165,258 |
| 3 | Marivan | Marivan | 136,654 |
| 4 | Baneh | Baneh | 110,218 |
| 5 | Qorveh | Qorveh | 78,276 |
| 6 | Kamyaran | Kamyaran | 57,077 |
| 7 | Bijar | Bijar | 50,014 |
| 8 | Divandarreh | Divandarreh | 34,007 |
| 9 | Dehgolan | Dehgolan | 25,992 |
| 10 | Kani Dinar | Marivan | 13,059 |
Culture
Clothing
Template:Main The people of this province have special clothes that they have been wearing for centuries. The important point about the clothes of the people of this province is that even after the spread of modernism all over the world, the people of this province still try to be faithful to their past traditions in the field of lifestyle.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Dance and music
Among the cultural symbols of Kurdistan people are Kurdish dance and singing. This cultural tradition is very popular not only in this province but also throughout the country.
Important annual celebrations
Chaharshanbeh Suri
Chaharshanbeh Suri or Charshanbeh Suri is an Iranian festival of the fire dance celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, of ancient Zoroastrian origin. It is the first festivity of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. In this celebration, people light fires on the mountains and on the roofs of houses, dance, and rejoice.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Nowruz
Nowruz is one of the most important ceremonies that has been celebrated by Iranians for millennia. Nowruz and related ceremonies are celebrated in the most opulent way possible in Kurdistan province. As the spring equinox, Nowruz marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, better i.e. the moment at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year. Traditional customs of Nowruz include fire and water, ritual dances, gift exchanges, reciting poetry, symbolic objects and more.<ref name=":0" /><ref>They celebrate the new year, which they call Chār shanba sur, on the first Wednesday of April, slightly later than the Iranian new year, Now-Ruz, on 21 March. (...) . The fact that Kurds celebrate the Iranian new year (which they call "Nawrôz" in Kurdish) does not make them Zoroastrian" – Richard Foltz (2017). "The 'Original' Kurdish Religion? Kurdish Nationalism and the False Conflation of the Yezidi and Zoroastrian Traditions". Journal of Persianate Studies. Volume 10: Issue 1. pp. 93, 95.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Economy
The major activities of the inhabitants are agriculture and modern livestock farming. Wheat, barley, grains and fruits are the major agricultural products. The chemical, metal, textile, leather and food industries are the main industrial activities in this province. This province has one of the largest rates of unemployment in Iran. According to Iranian statistics, more than twenty thousand people depend on being a kolbar for sustenance.<ref>Fars News: The situation of kolbars vaguer than ever.</ref><ref name=":1" />
Colleges and universities
- Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Template:Webarchive
- Tohid Medical Center
- University of Kurdistan
- Islamic Azad University of Sanandaj
See also
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Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
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