Editing Afghanistan (section)

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Provinces of Afghanistan|Districts of Afghanistan}}

Afghanistan is administratively divided into 34 provinces (''[[wilayat]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ariananews.co/en/afghanistan-provinces/|title=Afghanistan Provinces|access-date=4 July 2019|publisher=Ariana News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704210454/https://ariananews.co/en/afghanistan-provinces/|archive-date=4 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Each province has a governor and a capital. The country is further divided into nearly 400 provincial [[Districts of Afghanistan|districts]], each of which normally covers a city or several villages. Each district is represented by a district governor.

The [[list of current governors of Afghanistan|provincial governors]] are now appointed by the [[Prime Minister of Afghanistan]], and the district governors are selected by the provincial governors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/world/asia/for-afghan-officials-prospect-of-death-comes-with-territory.html|title=For Afghan Officials, Prospect of Death Comes With Territory|last=Ahmed|first=Azam|date=8 December 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=7 April 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019103603/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/world/asia/for-afghan-officials-prospect-of-death-comes-with-territory.html|archive-date=19 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The provincial governors are representatives of the central government in Kabul and are responsible for all administrative and formal issues within their provinces. There are also provincial councils that are elected through direct and general elections for four years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iec.org.af/eng/content.php?id=5&cnid=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827204439/http://www.iec.org.af/eng/content.php?id=5&cnid=24 |archive-date=27 August 2010 |title=Explaining Elections, Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan |publisher=Iec.org.af | date=9 October 2004 |access-date=4 February 2012}}</ref> The functions of provincial councils are to take part in provincial development planning and to participate in the monitoring and appraisal of other provincial governance institutions.

According to article 140 of the constitution and the presidential decree on electoral law, mayors of cities should be elected through free and direct elections for a four-year term. In practice however, mayors are appointed by the government.<ref>{{cite web|title=An Assessment of Afghanistan's Municipal Governance Framework|url=http://webarchive.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412448-An-Assessment-of-Afghanistans-Municipal-Governance-Framework.pdf|access-date=4 July 2019|publisher=Urban Institute Center on International Development and Governance|author1=Jamie Boex|author2=Grace Buencamino|author3=Deborah Kimble|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704193403/http://webarchive.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412448-An-Assessment-of-Afghanistans-Municipal-Governance-Framework.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Afghanistan provinces numbered.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Afghanistan is divided into [[provinces of Afghanistan|34 provinces]], which are further divided into a [[Districts of Afghanistan|number of districts]].]]

The 34 provinces in alphabetical order are:
{{colbegin|colwidth=15em}}
# [[Badakhshan Province|Badakhshan]]
# [[Badghis Province|Badghis]]
# [[Baghlan Province|Baghlan]]
# [[Balkh Province|Balkh]]
# [[Bamyan Province|Bamyan]]
# [[Daykundi Province|Daykundi]]
# [[Farah Province|Farah]]
# [[Faryab Province|Faryab]]
# [[Ghazni Province|Ghazni]]
# [[Ghor Province|Ghor]]
# [[Helmand Province|Helmand]]
# [[Herat Province|Herat]]
# [[Jowzjan Province|Jowzjan]]
# [[Kabul Province|Kabul]]
# [[Kandahar Province|Kandahar]]
# [[Kapisa Province|Kapisa]]
# [[Khost Province|Khost]]
# [[Kunar Province|Kunar]]
# [[Kunduz Province|Kunduz]]
# [[Laghman Province|Laghman]]
# [[Logar Province|Logar]]
# [[Nangarhar Province|Nangarhar]]
# [[Nimruz Province|Nimruz]]
# [[Nuristan Province|Nuristan]]
# [[Oruzgan Province|Oruzgan]]
# [[Paktia Province|Paktia]]
# [[Paktika Province|Paktika]]
# [[Panjshir Province|Panjshir]]
# [[Parwan Province|Parwan]]
# [[Samangan Province|Samangan]]
# [[Sar-e Pol Province|Sar-e Pol]]
# [[Takhar Province|Takhar]]
# [[Wardak Province|Wardak]]
# [[Zabul Province|Zabul]]
{{colend}}