Daykundi Province

Daykundi Persian: دایکندی Pashto: دایکنډي
Province
An AH-64 Apache helicopter shoots flares over a valley while operating in support members of the 8th Commando Kandak and coalition special operations forces during a firefight near Nawa Garay village, Kajran district in April 2012.
Map of Afghanistan with Daikundi highlighted
Coordinates: 33°45′N 66°15′E / 33.75°N 66.25°E / 33.75; 66.25Coordinates: 33°45′N 66°15′E / 33.75°N 66.25°E / 33.75; 66.25
Country	Afghanistan
Established	2004
Capital	Nili
Government
• Governor	Masooma Muradi
Area
• Total	18,088 km2 (6,984 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Total	723,980
• Density	40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
ISO 3166 code	AF-DAY
Main languages	Persian (Hazaragi and Dari dialects)
Website	http://daikundi.gov.af/

Daykundi (Persian: دایکندی; Pashto: دایکنډي IPA: [d̪ɑikʊnɖi]), sometimes spelled as Daikundi, Dāykondī, Daikondi or Daykundi, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central part of the country. It has a population of about 723,980, which is a Hazara Province.

Daykundi Province falls into the traditionally ethnic Hazara region known as the Hazarajat and the provincial capital is Nili. It is surrounded by Ghor in the northwest, Bamyan in the northeast, Ghazni in the southeast, Urozgan in the south, and Helmand Province in west.

Daykundi was established on March 28, 2004, when it was created from the isolated Hazara-dominated northern districts of neighboring Oruzgan province.

Since the establishment of the province nearly a decade ago, the province has extended its security having the best of all provinces and has increased education surpassing even Kabul in the number of those passing university entrance exams. The province, began its transition in December 2011, maintains its own security through the Afghan police and military.

While the Government of Afghanistan, NGOs, the United Nations, and NATO's ISAF forces have had little involvement in reconstruction in the province, there have been some initiatives. Following heavy rainfall and flooding in February 2007 the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) opened a sub-office in the province and Oxfam, one of the few NGOs operating in the province, described UNAMA's input into coordinating flood relief as impressive.