Qurghonteppa

Qurghonteppa or Kurganteppa, officially known as Bokhtar (Tajik: Бохтар),[1] is a city in southwestern Tajikistan, which serves as the capital of the Khatlon region. Qurghonteppa is the largest city of southern Tajikistan, and is located 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Dushanbe and 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kunduz, Afghanistan.

Bokhtar

Бохтар
Qurghonteppa in 2018
Bokhtar
Location in Tajikistan
Coordinates: 37°50′11″N 68°46′49″E
Country Tajikistan
ProvinceKhatlon
Area
  City26 km2 (10 sq mi)
Elevation
430 m (1,410 ft)
Population
 (2019)
  City110 800
  Density4,261/km2 (11,040/sq mi)
  Metro
190 000
Area code(s)992-3222

Population

It is estimated that the population of the city is close to 110,800 (est. 2019) people, making it the third-largest city in the country. The population fluctuates depending on season (due to Tajik immigrant workers in Russia).

Along with the capital Dushanbe, Qurghonteppa is demographically much more diverse than other major Tajik cities such as Khujand, Kulob or Istaravshan.[2] Ethnicities include Tajiks, Uzbeks, Russians, Pashtuns, Tatars, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Greeks and many more. The city had a large number of ethnic Russians who were actively employed by the industrial and agricultural complexes in and around the city.

The political opposition in Tajikistan primarily comes from Qurghonteppa.[3]

Overview

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon with personnel of the India-Tajik Friendship Hospital in Quarghanteppa, 13 July 2015.
Qurghonteppa Bazaar
Busy street in Qurghonteppa

Bokhtar, then Qurghonteppa, became the epicenter of conflict by the summer of 1992 and was seriously damaged during the civil war.[4] Many of the local Kulobi and Uzbeks were forced to flee in 1992 following advances and attacks from the pro-opposition Gharmi forces.[5]

Qurghonteppa International Airport serves a handful of cities in Tajikistan, Russia and Kazakhstan. The city is considered to be the heart of cotton ("white gold") cultivation in Tajikistan.

Bokhtar and Kulob are the main cities of south Tajikistan. Bokhtar is a regional hub (one of the top four), especially for banking and telecommunications industries.

The city was officially renamed on January 22, 2018 to "Bokhtar".[6]

Tajik immigrant workers (mostly employed in Russia) have significantly contributed to the local economy since early 2000s.

Climate

Bokhtar has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with cool winters and very hot summers. Precipitation is quite low, and peaks in spring, while summers are very dry.

Climate data for Qurghonteppa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 22.1
(71.8)
27.9
(82.2)
33.4
(92.1)
36.7
(98.1)
41.3
(106.3)
43.6
(110.5)
46.0
(114.8)
42.8
(109.0)
38.6
(101.5)
36.1
(97.0)
30.5
(86.9)
24.3
(75.7)
46.0
(114.8)
Average high °C (°F) 8.1
(46.6)
11.7
(53.1)
17.2
(63.0)
24.2
(75.6)
30.4
(86.7)
35.8
(96.4)
37.3
(99.1)
35.5
(95.9)
31.2
(88.2)
25.1
(77.2)
17.6
(63.7)
10.6
(51.1)
23.7
(74.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)
5.4
(41.7)
10.8
(51.4)
17.2
(63.0)
22.7
(72.9)
27.3
(81.1)
28.7
(83.7)
26.4
(79.5)
21.1
(70.0)
15.2
(59.4)
9.1
(48.4)
4.4
(39.9)
15.9
(60.6)
Average low °C (°F) −1.5
(29.3)
1.0
(33.8)
5.9
(42.6)
11.2
(52.2)
15.3
(59.5)
18.1
(64.6)
19.3
(66.7)
17.1
(62.8)
12.1
(53.8)
7.6
(45.7)
3.2
(37.8)
0.3
(32.5)
9.1
(48.4)
Record low °C (°F) −24.1
(−11.4)
−22.6
(−8.7)
−12.7
(9.1)
−1.8
(28.8)
4.0
(39.2)
9.1
(48.4)
11.0
(51.8)
9.4
(48.9)
3.5
(38.3)
−4.2
(24.4)
−10.9
(12.4)
−20.0
(−4.0)
−24.1
(−11.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 36.1
(1.42)
39.6
(1.56)
61.0
(2.40)
39.6
(1.56)
24.1
(0.95)
3.2
(0.13)
0.3
(0.01)
0.1
(0.00)
0.8
(0.03)
8.8
(0.35)
19.3
(0.76)
29.8
(1.17)
262.7
(10.34)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 8.2 11.2 7.0 5.9 2.7 0.2 1.0 0.8 1.3 3.7 6.4 7.3 55.7
Average relative humidity (%) 73.2 70.1 62.3 57.6 50.2 45.5 45.6 48.3 51.0 57.1 66.6 73.0 58.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 112 125 164 213 291 339 351 334 294 235 174 115 2,747
Source 1: climatebase.ru[7]
Source 2: NOAA (sun only, 1961-1990)[8]

Notable people

Trivia

Finnish electronic duo Pan Sonic have a track entitled "Radio Qurghonteppa" on their 2010 farewell album Gravitoni.[9]

See also

References

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