Jalalabad

Jalalabad
جلال‌آباد
City
From top counter-clockwise: An aerial view of a section of Jalalabad, Irrigation fields in Jalalabad, Jalalabad Cricket Stadium, Jalalabad in January 2011, Jalalabad Bridge, Governor's House in Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Location in Afghanistan
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (Hindu-Kush)
Coordinates: 34°26′03″N 70°26′52″E / 34.43417°N 70.44778°E / 34.43417; 70.44778
Country Afghanistan
ProvinceNangarhar Province
Founded1570
Government
  MayorQari Ehsanullah Sajid
Area
  Land122 km2 (47 sq mi)
Elevation
575 m (1,886 ft)
Population
 (2021)
  Total
280,685
 
Time zoneUTC+4:30 (Afghanistan Standard Time)
ClimateBWh

Jalalabad (/əˈlæləˌbæd/; جلال آباد [d͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪]) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about 130 kilometres (80 mi) from the capital Kabul. Jalalabad is located at the junction of the Kabul River and the Kunar River in a plateau to the south of the Hindu Kush mountains. It is linked by the Kabul-Jalalabad Road to the west and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to the east through Torkham and the Khyber Pass.

Jalalabad is a leading center of social and trade activity because of its proximity with the Torkham border checkpoint and border crossing, 65 km (40 mi) away. Major industries include papermaking, as well as agricultural products including oranges, lemon, rice, and sugarcane, helped by its warm climate. It hosts Afghanistan's second largest educational institute, Nangarhar University. For centuries the city was favored by Afghan kings and it has a cultural significance in Afghan poetry. During Timur Shah's reign of the Durrani Empire, Jalalabad served as the Afghan winter capital.