Baloch people

ethnic group native to South and Central Asia

The Baloch (بلوچ) are an Iranian ethnic group who live in the region of Balochistan which includes the regions of southeastern Iran, southern Afghanistan, and southwestern Pakistan.

Baloch
بلوچ
Balōč
Baloch man from southern Afghanistan
Total population
56 ~ 58  Million
Regions with significant populations
 Pakistan48,000,000[1]
 Iran5,000,000[2]
 UAE468,000[3]
 Oman1,000,000[4]
 India1,000,000[4]
 Turkmenistan300,000[5]
 Afghanistan2,000,000[6]
 Saudi Arabia16,000[7]
Languages
Main: Balochi, Brahui
Secondary: Saraiki, Jadgali, Sistani, Lasi, Bashkardi, Khetrani, Dehwari
Religion
Majority: Sunni Islam[8]
Minority: Zikrism[9][10]

The Baloch speak the Balochi language, an Iranian language. They mainly live in mountainous places of the Iranian plateau in Iran, Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan. Balochistan is an arid semi-desert mountainous region inhabited by the Baloch people.

References

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  1. "CIA World Factbook". cia.gov. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. "Iran Minorities 2: Ethnic Diversity". iranprimer.usip.org. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  3. "United Arab Emirates: Languages". Ethnologue.com. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://thebalochistanpost.net/2023/02/baloch-population-scattered-around-the-world/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. KOKAISLOVÁ, Pavla, KOKAISL Petr. Ethnic Identity of The Baloch People. Central Asia and The Caucasus. Journal of Social and Political Studies. Volume 13, Issue 3, 2012, p. 45-55., ISSN 1404-6091
  6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170920072213/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html Archived 2017-09-20 at the Wayback Machine Afghanistan{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709035637/http://https/: /the-world factbook/geos/af.html|//www.cia.gov/library/publicationsdate=۹ ۲۰۱۶ ژوئیه CIA World Factbook".Retrieved December 5, 2009.
  7. Baloch, Southern in Saudi Arabia, Joshua Project.
  8. "Demography of Religion in the Gulf". Mehrdad Izady. 2013.
  9. Baloch, Inayatullah (2 January 2015). "Zikris of Balochistan". Oxford in Pakistan Readings in Sociology and Social Anthropology. Retrieved 9 August 2023. quoted in "Zikris under attack in Balochistan". Dawn. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. Cite error: The named reference Baloch-Responsible-2014 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).