Takhar (Persian: تخار‎‎; Pashto: تخار ولايت‎) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlan and Kunduz in the west. The city of Taloqan serves as its capital. The province contains about 17 districts, over 1,000 villages, and approximately 933,700 people, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. The major ethnic groups in the province are Tajiks and Uzbeks followed by Pashtuns, Hazara, and others.