Herat province

Herat هرات
Province
Scenery around the city of Herat
Map of Afghanistan with Herat highlighted
Detail map of Herat province
Coordinates (Capital): 34°00′N 62°00′E / 34.0°N 62.0°E / 34.0; 62.0Coordinates: 34°00′N 62°00′E / 34.0°N 62.0°E / 34.0; 62.0
Country	Afghanistan
Capital	Herat
Government
• Governor	Mohammad Asif Rahimi
Area
• Total	54,778.0 km2 (21,149.9 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	1,890,202
• Density	35/km2 (89/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30
ISO 3166 code	AF-HER
Main languages	Dari (Afghan Persian) Pashto

Herat (Pashto/Dari: هرات) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the south-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city and administrative capital is Herat City. The province of Herat is divided into about 17 districts and contains over 1,000 villages. It has a population of about 1,780,000, making it the second most populated province in Afghanistan behind Kabul Province. The population is multi-ethnic but largely Persian-speaking.

Herat province shares border with Iran in the west and Turkmenistan in the north, making it an important trading province. The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) is expected to pass through Herat from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India in the south. The province has two airports, one is the Herat International Airport in the capital of Herat and the other is at the Shindand Air Base, which is one of the largest military bases in Afghanistan. The Salma Dam which is fed by the Hari River is also located in this province.

The region of Herat was historically part of Greater Khorasan, which was successively controlled by the Tahirids followed by the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Ilkhanates, Timurids, Safavids, Hotakis, Durranis until it became part of the modern state of Afghanistan.