{{Short description|Pakistani administrative area}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=August 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Kirdgap Tehsil | other_name = | native_name = {{langx|brh|{{script/Arabic|تحصیل کردگاپ}}}} | settlement_type = Tehsil of Mastung District | image_skyline = | imagesize = | image_caption = | pushpin_map = Balochistan Pakistan#Pakistan | coordinates = {{coord|29|44|0|N|66|27|00|E|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Pak}} | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Balochistan | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Mastung District | subdivision_type3 = Tehsil | subdivision_name3 = Kirdgap | area_total_km2 = 929 | area_metro_km2 = | elevation_m = 1542 | elevation_ft = 5059 | elevation_footnotes =<ref>{{cite web |title=Kirdagap |url=https://www.getamap.net/maps/pakistan/balochistan/_kirdagap/ |website=www.getamap.net |publisher=getamap.net |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref> | population_total = 36,701 | population_as_of = 2023 | population_density_km2 = 39.51 | population_footnotes =<ref name="census">{{cite web |title=Table 1: Area, Population by Sex, Sex Ratio, Population Density, Urban Population, Household Size and Annual Growth Rate, Balochistan |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_1_balochistan_districts.pdf |website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Census |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en |date=2023}}</ref> | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_rural = 36,701 (100%) | demographics_type1 = Literacy | demographics1_title1 = Literacy rate | demographics1_info1 = {{bulleted list | Total:<br />(42.71%) | Male:<br />(55.80%) | Female:<br />(28.34%) }} | demographics1_footnotes =<ref name=literacy>{{cite web |title=Table 12 – Population (10 years and above) by Literacy Rate, Enrolment and Out of School Population by Sex and Rural/Urban, Census 2023 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_12_balochistan_district.pdf |website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref> | timezone = PST | utc_offset1 = +5 | area_code = | blank1_name_sec1 = Main languages | blank1_info_sec1 = 36,117 Brahui, 159 Balochi, 37 Pashto<ref name=language>{{cite web |title=Table 11: Population by Mother Tongue, Gender, and Rural/Urban Residence (Census 2023) |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_11_balochistan_districts.pdf |website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref> }} '''Kirdgap''', also spelled ''Kardigap'', ''Kardagāp'', ''Kardgap'', ''Kirad Gab'', and ''Kirdagāp''{{efn|{{langx|brh|{{Nastaliq|تحصیل کردگاپ}}}}, {{IPA|ur|tahˈsiːl kardɪˈɡɑːp|pron|}}}} is a sub-tehsil in Mastung District, northwestern Balochistan, Pakistan. It lies about {{convert|40|km|mi}} southwest of Quetta, the provincial capital, and occupies the district's southwestern portion.
According to the 2023 national census, the tehsil has a population of 36,701 distributed across 47 settlements.<ref name="census"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Balochistan Mouza Census 2020 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/agriculture/publications/mouza_census_2020/mouza_census_2020_balochistan_report.pdf |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=11 August 2025 |page=64 |date=2020}}</ref> Agriculture, particularly the cultivation of temperate fruit and winter vegetables, forms the backbone of the local economy, though productivity is limited by chronic water scarcity.<ref name=SMEDA>{{cite web |title=District Economic Profile Mastung |url=https://smeda.org/phocadownload/Balochistan/District_Profiles/District%20Profile%20of%20Mastung%20Sep-2022.pdf |publisher=Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority, Government of Pakistan |access-date=11 August 2025 |pages=26 |language=en |date=September 2022}}</ref> Groundwater levels range from depths of 200 to 1,000 feet.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ahmad |first1=Nisar |last2=Ashraf |first2=Muhammad |last3=Murtaza |first3=Ghulam |last4=Mukhtar |first4=Uzma |last5=Ainuddin |first5=Syed |last6=Uddin |first6=Jamal |last7=Ur-Rehman Babar |first7=Jamil |title=Farmers' Perception About Drought and Climate Change in the North-West Region of Balochistan, Pakistan |journal=Journal of Jilin University (Engineering and Technology Edition) |volume=42 |pages=518 |issue=February 2023 |doi=10.17605/OSF.IO/BSDG8 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jamal-Ud-Din-Kakar/publication/372194986_FARMERS'_PERCEPTION_ABOUT_DROUGHT_AND_CLIMATE_CHANGE_IN_NORTH-WEST_REGION_OF_BALOCHISTAN_PAKISTAN_JAMIL-UR-REHMAN_BABAR/links/64a902308de7ed28ba843372/FARMERS-PERCEPTION-ABOUT-DROUGHT-AND-CLIMATE-CHANGE-IN-NORTH-WEST-REGION-OF-BALOCHISTAN-PAKISTAN-JAMIL-UR-REHMAN-BABAR.pdf |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Kirdgap is served by a station on the Quetta–Taftan railway line, constructed in 1905.<ref name=SMEDA/>
== Geography == The tehsil covers approximately {{convert|929|sqkm|sqmi}} and borders Khad Koocha Tehsil within Mastung District.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brinkhoff |first1=Thomas |title= MASTUNG District in Balochistan |url= https://citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/balochistan/admin/217__mastung/ |website=citypopulation.de |publisher=City Population |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en |date=26 August 2024}}</ref> It shares borders with Mangochar Tehsil to the east, Kalat Tehsil to the south, Nushki Tehsil to the west, Panj Pai Tehsil to the north.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brinkhoff |first1=Thomas |title=Pakistan: Balochistan |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/balochistan/admin/ |website=citypopulation.de |publisher=City Population |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en |date=26 August 2024}}</ref> Its terrain is largely arid and mountainous, with elevations generally above {{convert|900|m|ft}} and peaks exceeding {{convert|1700|m|ft}}.
Vegetation is sparse and adapted to dry conditions, including species such as Capparis aphylla (karir), Periploca aphylla (milk broom), and Caralluma tuberculata (pipa).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bibi |first1=Tahira |last2=Ahmad |first2=Mushtaq |last3=Bakhsh Tareen |first3=Rsool |last4=Mohammad Tareen |first4=Niaz |last5=Jabeen |first5=Rukhsana |last6=Rehman |first6=Saeed-Ur |last7=Sultana |first7=Shazia |last8=Zafar |first8=Muhammad |last9=Yaseen |first9=Ghulam |title=Ethnobotany of medicinal plants in district Mastung of Balochistan province-Pakistan |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |date=18 November 2014 |volume=157 |pages=79–89 |doi=10.1016/J.JEP.2014.08.042 |url=https://www.academia.edu/23984666/Ethnobotany_of_medicinal_plants_in_district_Mastung_of_Balochistan_province_Pakistan |access-date=11 August 2025}}</ref> The area is prone to earthquakes, floods, and droughts, and contains sections of the Central Brahui Range of the Sulaiman Mountains.<ref>{{cite news |title=New building codes lack required mechanisms |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/amp/3437320 |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=brecorder.com |publisher=Business Recorder |date=24 September 2007 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=District Profile Mastung |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/125269572/District-Profile-Mastung-2011#content=query:climate,pageNum:53,indexOnPage:0,bestMatch:false |website=Scribd |publisher=Planning and Development Department of the Government of Balochistan / UNICEF |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en |date=18 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghazanfar |first1=Muhammad |title=More than 192,000 houses destroyed due to flood in Balochistan |url=https://www.bolnews.com/pakistan/2023/01/more-than-192000-houses-destroyed-due-to-flood-in-balochistan/ |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=bolnews.com |publisher=BOL News |date=22 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
== Climate == The climate is cold semi-arid (Köppen climate classification), with long, dry summers and short, cold winters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mindat.org |url=https://www.mindat.org/feature-1174802.html |website=www.mindat.org |publisher=Hudson Institute of Mineralogy |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Mean temperatures range from {{convert|-2|C|F}} in winter to {{convert|34|C|F}} in summer, with occasional extremes. Annual precipitation averages {{convert|244|mm|in}}, peaking in March.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mastung Climate, Weather By Month, Average Temperature (Pakistan) |url=https://weatherspark.com/y/106386/Average-Weather-in-Mastung-Pakistan-Year-Round |website=weatherspark.com |publisher=Cedar Lake Ventures |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Population == As per the 2023 census, Kirdgap tehsil has a population of 36,701 living in 5,024 households.<ref>{{cite web |title=Table 24: Housing characteristics, toilet and washroom facilities used by households, rural/urban – Census 2023 |url=https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/table_24_balochistan_districts.pdf |website=pbs.gov.pk |publisher=Pakistan Bureau of Statistics |access-date=11 August 2025 |language=en |date=2023}}</ref> The population density is approximately 39 persons per square kilometre.<ref name="census" /> The tehsil faces notable development challenges, particularly in the education sector. The literacy rate stands at 42.71%, with significant gender disparities: 55.80% for males and just 28.34% for females, reflecting limited educational access, especially for women and girls.<ref name=literacy/>
===Language=== Brahui is the predominant language, spoken by about 98.41% of the population (36,117 speakers), followed by smaller numbers speaking Balochi (0.43%) spoken by 159 people, Pashto (0.10%), and other languages (1.06%).<ref name=language/>
== Insurgency == Since early 2000s, the wider region has experienced unrest linked to the Insurgency in Balochistan.<ref>{{cite news |title=FC search operation: 5 militants killed in Mastung gunfight |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/861067/fc-search-operation-5-militants-killed-in-mastung-gunfight |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=tribune.com.pk |publisher=The Express Tribune |date=29 March 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=18 Levies personnel dismissed over negligence in Mastung terror attack |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1324333-18-levies-personnel-dismissed-over-negligence-in-mastung-terror-attack |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=www.thenews.com.pk |publisher=The News International |date=24 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
Armed groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army and others, have called for increased political autonomy and greater control over local natural resources.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haider |first1=Ejaz |title=Tired Cliches Won't Improve Balochistan |url=https://thefridaytimes.com/27-Aug-2024/tired-cliches-won-t-improve-balochistan |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=thefridaytimes.com |publisher=The Friday Times |date=27 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref> These security concerns are intertwined with persistent socio-economic difficulties, such as widespread poverty, inadequate access to healthcare and education, and underdeveloped infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ahmadzai |first1=Princess Mezyuna |title=Balochistan's Paradox: Rich in Resources, Poor in Development |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/04/06/balochistans-paradox-rich-in-resources-poor-in-development/ |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=moderndiplomacy.eu |publisher=Modern Diplomacy |date=6 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Abdullah |title=Decades of change |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1896978 |access-date=11 June 2025 |work=Dawn.com |publisher=Dawn |date=10 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== References and notes == ===Explanatory notes=== {{notelist}}
===References=== {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT: Kirdgap}} {{Tehsils of Balochistan}} Category:Tehsils of Balochistan, Pakistan Category:Tehsils of Mastung District Category:Mastung District