The Baloch are an Iranian-speaking ethnic group native to Balochistan, a historical region divided between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, traditionally organized into tribal confederacies led by hereditary chiefs called sardars, and historically dependent on pastoral nomadism, herding, and oasis agriculture in one of the most arid inhabited regions of Asia. The Baloch language belongs to the Northwestern Iranian language family, related to Kurdish and Persian, and Baloch identity has been shaped by a long history of resistance to central government control, including multiple armed insurgencies against the Pakistani state since the country's 1947 independence. Baloch communities also exist as a diaspora across the Gulf states and East Africa, tracing back to historic trade and migration networks.
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own accountEthnic group (pastoralist, transnational) 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountBalochistan region spanning Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, with diaspora communities in Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. 1 Population EstimateSourced to the subject's own accountEstimated between eight and nine million Baloch people across Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan as of 2008. 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own accountBalochi, a Western Iranian language. 1 Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountTraditionally nomadic pastoralism. 1 Group Type
Group Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Group Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Subsistence Mode
Subsistence Mode (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Population Band
Population Band (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Associated With
Baloch tribal society is traditionally organized under chieftains (sardars) who head tribal confederations, a system that persists in parts of Balochistan today.
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Source Wikipedia: BalochLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 3Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
The Baloch people are an ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranian Balochi language and are native to the Balochistan region of South and West Asia, occupying parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Baloch
WikipediaOpening summary
They were traditionally nomadic pastoralists.
Demographics section
As of 2008 it was estimated that there were between eight and nine million Baloch people living in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Opening summary, language clause
The Baloch people or the Balochs are an ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranian Balochi language and are native to the Balochistan region of South and West Asia.
Opening summary, diaspora clause
There are also Baloch diaspora communities in neighbouring regions, including in Central Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Opening summary, name clause
The Baloch people or the Balochs are an ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranian Balochi language.
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