Helmand Province

Helmand (Pashto/Dari: هلمند) is ane o the 34 provinces o Afghanistan. It is in the soothwast o the kintra. Its caipital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows throu the mainly desert region, providin watter for irrigation.

Helmand is the warld's lairgest opium-producin region, responsible for 75% o the warld's tot production.^[1][2] This is mair nor the whole o Burma, which is the seicont lairgest producin naition efter Afghanistan. Afghan opium accounts for mair nor 90% o the global supply.

The Helmand valley region is mentioned bi name in the Avesta (Fargard 1:13) as Haetumant, ane o the early centers o the Zoroastrian faith, in pre-Islamic Afghan history. Housomeivver, awin tae the preponderance o non-Zoroastrians (Hindus an Buddhists), the Helmand an Kabul regions wur kent as "White Indie" in those days an aw.^[3] Some Vedic scholars (eg. Kochhar 1999) believe the Helmand valley corresponds tae the Sarasvati aurie mentioned in the Rig Veda as the hameland for the Indo-Aryan migrations intae Indie, ca. 1500 BC an aw.^[4]