Khost Province

Khost
Province
The Khost Mosque in Khost, the capital of Khost Province.
Map of Afghanistan with Khost highlighted
Coordinates (Capital): 33°24′N 69°54′E / 33.4°N 69.9°E / 33.4; 69.9
Country	Afghanistan
Established	1986[1] (de facto)
Capital	Khost
Districts	13
Government
• Governor	Mohammad Nabi Omari[2]
• Deputy Governor	Mohammad Din Shah Mohabat[3]
• Police Chief	Maulvi Mehboob Shah Qanat[4]
Area
• Total	4,235 km2 (1,635 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[5]
• Total	647,730
• Rank	16th
• Density	150/km2 (400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Time)
Postal code	25xx
Area code	AF-KHO
Main languages	Pashto
HDI (2019)	0.506[6] low · 3rd

Khost (Pashto/Dari: خوست) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. Historically, Khost used to be a part of Paktia and a larger region surrounding Khost is still referred to as Loya Paktia.

Throughout history, the province has been the site for numerous rebellions, leading to the local Pashtun populace to consider themselves the “traditional king-makers in Kabul”.^[7] The province was previously known as the Southern province and was united with the neighbouring Paktia province. Khost is also home to numerous universities, including Shaikh Zayed University, which is the only university in Afghanistan with a faculty in computer science.^[8]

As of 2021, it was estimated that the population of the province stood at 647,730, which makes it the 16th most populated province in Afghanistan.^[5]

Khost International Airport began providing the province with international flights after it was inaugurated by the former president Ashraf Ghani on July 10, 2021.^[9]

To the east, Khost Province is bordered by the North Waziristan and Kurram districts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. To the north, it is bordered by the Nangarhar. To the south, it is bordered by Paktika. To the west, it is bordered by Paktia.