Political
Current Governor: Shujah ul-Mulk Jalala
Presidential Candidate(s): None
Provincial Council Candidates: Information not yet available
Registered Voters: Information not yet available
Geography
Location: In northeastern Afghanistan at 35.0°N 71.2°E and borders Nuristan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces as well as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan.
Size: 4,339 sq kilometers (1,675 sq miles)
Districts: 15 districts – Asadabad, Bar Kunar, Chapa Dara, Dangam, Dara-I-Pech, Ghaziabad, Khas Kunar, Marawara, Narang Aw Badil, Nari, Nurgal, Sawkai, Shaigal Aw Shiltal, Sirkani, Wata Pur
Capital: Asadabad city
Topography: Mostly mountainous, with the lower Hindu Kush Mountains dominating. The Kunar River runs through the mountains, along with the Pech River, forming valleys throughout the province including the major Kunar Valley. The Kunar River meets up with the Kabul River in Nangarhar province and then joins the Indus in Pakistan. A small portion of the province is flat lands.
Climate: Highland, Humid Continental, Semi-Arid
Demographics
Population Size: 415,000
Ethnicities: Pashtun (majority), Nuristani and Gujjar
Urban/Rural: 96% rural, 4% urban
Miscellaneous
First appears in maps of the Achaemenid Empire, it was later conquered by Alexander the Great who struggled to surpress local tribes such as the Kambojas. It was seized by Buddhist Emperor Ashoka and then later Babur. It was a focal point of mujahedeen-Soviety clashes in the 1980s. Following the departure of the Soviets, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami group fought over the region with Mullah Omar and the Taliban. The province's terrain has made it one of the most challenging parts of the country for NATO coalition troops to fight in. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces, a collective name given to Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kandahar and Laghman by foreign troops to refer to the most restive eastern parts of Afghanistan. It has the highest concentration of U.S. forces in the country, and was the location of the Korengal Valley campaign that was made famous by the award-winning American documentary Restrepo.