Sharana (Pashto: ښرنه) or Sharan (Persian: شاران) is the capital of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 2,200 meters.[2] Its population was estimated to be 2,200 in 2006.[3]The city of Sharana has a population of 15,651 (in 2015)[4] and is located within the heartland of the Sulaimankhel tribe of Ghilji Pashtuns.[5] It has 6 districts and a total land area of 5,893 hectares.[6] The total number of dwellings in this city are 1,739.[6]
Sharana شاران | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
  Sharana Location in Afghanistan | |
| Coordinates: 33°7′48″N 68°46′48″E / 33.13000°N 68.78000°E | |
| Country |  Afghanistan |
| Province | Paktika |
| District | Sharana |
| Elevation | 2,200 m (7,200 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 5,929 |
| • Urban | 15,651[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
On 14 August 2021, Sharana was seized by Taliban fighters, becoming the twentieth provincial capital to be captured by the Taliban as part of the wider 2021 Taliban offensive.[7]
Climate
With an influence from the local steppe climate, Sharana features a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Sharana is 10.8 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 265 mm. September is the driest month with 1 mm of rainfall, while March, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of 54 mm.
July is the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 23.6 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of -4.5 °C, with the average lows at -10.9 °C.
| Climate data for Sharana | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.8 (40.6) | 11.4 (52.5) | 17.9 (64.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 13.2 (55.8) | 6.7 (44.1) | 18.2 (64.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) | −1.5 (29.3) | 5.3 (41.5) | 11.0 (51.8) | 16.0 (60.8) | 21.3 (70.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 22.6 (72.7) | 18.4 (65.1) | 11.7 (53.1) | 5.4 (41.7) | −0.2 (31.6) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.9 (12.4) | −7.7 (18.1) | −0.8 (30.6) | 4.2 (39.6) | 8.3 (46.9) | 13.1 (55.6) | 16.0 (60.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 9.6 (49.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | −2.4 (27.7) | −7.0 (19.4) | 3.4 (38.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 36 (1.4) | 51 (2.0) | 54 (2.1) | 37 (1.5) | 14 (0.6) | 11 (0.4) | 18 (0.7) | 13 (0.5) | 4 (0.2) | 4 (0.2) | 13 (0.5) | 20 (0.8) | 275 (10.9) |
| Average precipitation days | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 35 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 57 | 67 | 61 | 45 | 30 | 29 | 39 | 42 | 32 | 29 | 45 | 49 | 44 |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[8] | |||||||||||||
Land use
Barren land and agriculture account for 73% of total land. Sharana has the largest share of land classified as institutional (14%) of any Afghan provincial capital.[6]