Awaran District
It was created as a separate district on 11 November 1992; previously it was a sub-division of Khuzdar District. The old name of Awaran was Kolwa. It is considered the poorest district in the province.
It is located in the south of the Balochistan province, Awaran district is bordered by Gwadar to its south and south west, Lasbela to its east and south, Kech and Panjgur to its west, Khuzdar to its north east and Washuk to its north.
Administrative divisions
The district is administratively subdivided into the following three tehsils, which are sub-divided into eight union councils:
Demographics
The population of the district was as follows:
- 1981 census: 110,353
- 1998 census: 118,173
- 2017 census: 121,680
At the time of the 2017 census the district had 18,106 households and a population of 121,680, of which 63,063 were males and 58,749 females. The literacy rate was 25.47% - 34.34% for males and 15.90% for females. 34,237 (28.10%) lived in urban areas. 34.04% of the population was under 10 years of age. 160 (0.13%) people in the district were from religious minorities.
Apart from Sunnis, there is a small Zikri minority, and a few Hindus living in Awaran as well. The major tribes are the Shahwani, Bizenjo, Muhammad Hassani, Sajidi, Siapad, Mirwani, Rakhshani, Sumalani and Qambrani.
Languages
At the time of the 2017 census, 94.61% of the population spoke Balochi and 4.15% Brahui as their first language.
Balochi accounted for 99.7% of the population in the 1998 census. The previous census of 1981 reported that 8% of the households in the then subdivision of Awaran had Brahui as a first language.
Agriculture
Awaran is known as an oasis of dates. Annual production of dates is approximately 15,000 tons. Besides dates, onions are also grown on a large scale; with estimated annual production of 53,000 tons. Wheat and barley are the other major Rabi crops grown in the area. Kharif crops grown in Awaran include fruits and pulses.
Education
According to Pakistan District Education Ranking 2017, a report by Alif Ailaan, district Awaran is ranked at number 137 nationally, with an education score of 37.65. The learning score of Awaran is 42.13 and gender parity is at 43.37.
The national rank according to Readiness is 148, with a readiness score of 26.47 and primary ratio of 22.17 and gender parity of 30.77. The school infrastructure score is at 20.09 giving district Awaran a national ranking of 146. Availability of electricity and functional toilets in schools are a major issue in Awaran.
Colleges in the district include: one cadet college in tehsil Jhal Jhao, one degree college in Awaran city & a few other inter colleges in Mashke, Awaran & Jhal Jhao Tehsils.