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Tajikistan

 
Dictionary: Ta·jik·i·stan
Tajikistan
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Tajikistan
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A country of south-central Asia. The region was settled by the Tajik before the 10th century and conquered by Mongols in the 13th century. By the mid-19th century it was divided among several weak khanates. The region was acquired by Russia in 1895 and was a constituent republic of the USSR from 1929 to 1991, when it declared its independence. Dushanbe is the capital and the largest city. Population: 7,080,000.

 

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Country, Central Asia. Area: 55,300 sq mi (143,100 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 6,849,000. Capital: Dushanbe. The majority of the population are Tajiks; Uzbeks make up a large minority. Language: Tajik (official). Religion: Islam (predominantly Sunni). Currency: somoni. Tajikistan is a mountainous country; about half of its territory lies at elevations above 10,000 ft (3,000 m), with the Pamirs dominating the east. The entire region is prone to seismic activity. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers cross it and are used for irrigation. Cotton, cattle, fruits, vegetables, and grains are raised. Heavy industries include coal mining, petroleum and natural gas extraction, metalworking, and nitrogen fertilizer production. Notable light industries are cotton milling, food processing, and textiles. Tajikistan is a republic with two legislative houses; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Settled by Persians c. the 6th century BC, Tajikistan was part of the empires of the Persian Achaemenian dynasty and of Alexander the Great and his successors. In the 7th – 8th century AD it was conquered by the Arabs, who introduced Islam. The Uzbeks controlled the region in the 15th – 18th centuries. In the 1860s the Russian Empire took over much of Tajikistan. In 1924 it became an autonomous republic under the administration of the Uzbek S.S.R., and it gained union republic status in 1929. It achieved independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Civil war raged through much of the 1990s between government forces and an opposition composed mostly of Islamic militants. A peace agreement was reached in 1997.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: Tajikistan
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Tajikistan (təjĭkĭstän'), officially Republic of Tajikistan, republic (2005 est. pop. 7,164,000), 55,251 sq mi (143,100 sq km), central Asia. It borders on China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, Kyrgyzstan in the north, and Uzbekistan in the west and northwest. Dushanbe is the capital and largest city.

Land and People

Parts of the Pamir and Trans-Alai mt. systems are in the east, and the highest peaks in the country are Ismoili Somoni Peak (24,590 ft/7,495 m) and Lenin Peak, formerly Kaufmann Peak (23,405 ft/7,134 m). The southeast is occupied by an arid plateau c.12,000 to 15,000 ft (3,660-4,570 m) high. The only extensive low districts are the Tajik section of the Fergana Valley in the north and the hot, dry Gissar and Vakhsh valleys in the southwest. The Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Zeravshan are the chief rivers and are used for irrigation. Dams and irrigation projects, notably the Nurek dam and the Great Gissar Canal, have opened almost 1 million acres (400,000 hectares) of land to cultivation and also provide hydroelectric power. In addition to the capital of Dushanbe, other important cities are Khudjand, Uroteppa, and Qŭrghonteppa.

Most of Tajikistan's people are concentrated in its narrow, deep intermontane valleys. About 80% of the population is composed of Tajiks (also spelled Tadjiks or Tadzhiks), a Sunni Muslim people who speak a language virtually indistinguishable from Persian (Farsi). The rest of the people are mainly Uzbeks (15%), Russians, Kyrgyz, and others. Tajik is the official language, but Russian is widely used in government and business.

Economy

Tajikistan's economy is dependent on agriculture and livestock raising, due in part to the economic collapse that occurred with the end of Soviet rule and nearly a decade of civil strife in the 1990s. Two thirds of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, and some 900,000 members of the workforce are employed in Russia or other foreign countries. More than half the country's population lives in poverty, and official corruption is a serious problem.

Tajikistan's lowlands specialize in the cultivation of cotton, wheat, barley, fruit (including wine grapes), vegetables, and mulberry trees (for silk). Karakul sheep, dairy cattle, goats, and yaks are raised. The republic's mountains hold deposits of silver, gold, uranium, tungsten, zinc, lead, coal, antimony, salt, and mercury, and mining and aluminum, zinc, and lead processing are important industries. There is some petroleum. Tajikistan is well provided with hydroelectric resources, but due to poor management the country has suffered from seasonal power shortages in recent years. Other industries include light manufacturing (textiles, chemicals, and fertilizers) and food processing.

Aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, and textiles are exported. Imports include electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment. Trade is primarily with the Netherlands, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Turkey. The country's economic problems and political turmoil have led Tajikistan to become an important heroin smuggling transit point.

Government

Tajikistan is governed under the constitution of 1994. The president, who is head of state, is popularly elected for a seven-year term and is eligible for a second term. The government is headed by the prime minister, who is appointed by the president. There is a bicameral legislature. The National Assembly has 34 members; 25 are selected by local deputies, eight are appointed by the president, and one seat is reserved for the former president. Members of the 63-seat Assembly of Representatives are popularly elected. All legislators serve five-year terms. Administratively, the country is divided into two provinces and the autonomous province of Badakhshan, the easternmost section of Tajikistan.

History

The people of Tajikistan are probably descended from the inhabitants of ancient Sogdiana. By the 9th and 10th cent., the Tajiks had achieved much success in fruit growing, cattle raising, and the development of handicrafts and trade. The Tajik territory was conquered by the Mongols in the 13th cent. In the 16th cent., it became part of the khanate of Bukhara. By the mid-19th cent., the Tajiks were divided among several internally weak khanates.

Russia took control of the Tajik lands in the 1880s and 90s, but the Tajiks remained split among several administrative-political entities, and their territories were economically backward and were exploited for their raw materials. In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Tajiks rebelled against Russian rule; the Red Army did not establish control over them until 1921. Tajikistan was made an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan in 1924; in 1929 it became a constituent republic of the USSR. In the 1930s canals and other irrigation projects vastly increased cultivated acreage as agriculture was more thoroughly collectivized; population also increased rapidly. Further expansion of irrigated agriculture occurred after World War II, especially in the late 1950s, as the area became increasingly important as a cotton producer. In 1978 there were anti-Russian riots in the republic.

In Dec., 1990, the Tajikistan parliament passed a resolution of sovereignty. The Republic of Tajikistan declared its independence in Sept., 1991, and in December it signed the treaty establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. When the acting president sought to suspend the country's Communist party, the Communist-led parliament replaced him, and former Communist party chief Rakhmon Nabiyev was elected president in Nov., 1991. In 1992, Nabiyev was deposed by opposition militias.

An ethnically based civil war quickly erupted. Forces allied with the former Nabiyev government retook the capital and most of the country, and the parliament elected Russian-supported Emomali Rakhmonov president. Fighting between government troops, supported by the Russian army, and pro-Islamic forces, with bases and support in Afghanistan, persisted along the Afghan border despite a number of cease-fires. In the Nov., 1994, elections, which were boycotted by the Islamic opposition, Rakhmonov defeated another former Soviet leader to retain the presidency. In early 1996 there was a brief mutiny by Uzbek commanders, who seized towns in the south and west.

A peace accord was signed between the government and opposition forces in mid-1997, but some factions continued fighting. In a 1999 referendum, voters backed constitutional changes that would extend the president's term to seven years and allow the formation of Islamic political parties, and Rakhmonov was subesequently reelected. By the end of the 2000 a truce prevailed in most of Tajikistan. From 30,000 to 100,000 were estimated to have died in the fighting, and war and neglect had devastated much of the country's infrastructure, making the nation one of the poorest in the world. The government continued to mount crackdowns against any Muslims that it regards as extremists, closing a number of mosques.

Tajikistan remains dependent on help from Russia's military to preserve its tenuous stability and security, although Russian help patrolling the Afghan border ended in 2005, and Russian economic aid is also extremely important. A drought in W and central Asia in the late 1990s had particularly severe consequences in impoverished Tajikistan. The Feb., 2005, parliamentary elections resulted in a lopsided victory for the ruling People's Democratic party; the results were denounced by opposition parties, the usually progovernment Communist party, and European observers. The president's reelection in Nov., 2006, was boycotted by the main opposition parties and generally regarded as neither free nor fair. In Mar., 2006, President Rakhmonov called upon Tajiks to revive their national traditions and derussify their names; he changed his surname to Rakhmon.

Bibliography

See S. Akinev, Islamic Peoples of the Soviet Union (1986).


Geography: Tajikistan
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(tah-jik-uh-stan, tah-jik-uh-stahn, tah-jee-kuh-stan, tah-jee-kuh-stahn)

Republic in central Asia, bounded by Uzbekistan to the west and northwest, Kyrgyzstan to the north, China to the east, and Afghanistan to the south. Its capital and largest city is Dushanbe.

  • This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.
  • Tajikistan is predominantly Muslim.

Dialing Code: Tajikistan
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The international dialing code for Tajikistan is:   992


Local Time: Tajikistan
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It is 6:36 PM, December 31, in Tajikistan.

Statistics: Tajikistan
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Click to enlarge flag of Tajikistan
Introduction
Background:The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbek SSR to the newly formed Tajik SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992-97. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community since the beginning of the NATO intervention in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and security assistance, which could create jobs and strengthen stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.
Geography
Map of Tajikistan
Location:Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates:39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km
water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Terrain:Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Natural resources:hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use:arable land: 6.52%
permanent crops: 0.89%
other: 92.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:7,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:99.7 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%)
per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:earthquakes; floods
Environment - current issues:inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR
People
Population:7,349,145 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 34.3% (male 1,282,681/female 1,238,607)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 2,260,552/female 2,303,034)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 112,334/female 151,937) (2009 est.)
Median age:total: 21.9 years
male: 21.5 years
female: 22.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:1.878% (2009 est.)
Birth rate:26.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate:6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Urbanization:urban population: 26% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 41.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 45.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 65.33 years
male: 62.29 years
female: 68.52 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:2.99 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:less than 0.3% (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:10,000 (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
Major infectious diseases:degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2009)
Nationality:noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani
Ethnic groups:Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census)
Religions:Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Languages:Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.5%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2000 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 10 years (2006)
Education expenditures:3.4% of GDP (2006)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Independence:9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Constitution:6 November 1994
Legal system:based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Emomali RAHMON (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2013); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON 79.3%, Olimjon BOBOEV 6.2%, other 14.5%
Legislative branch:bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; 25 members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; to serve five-year terms) and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 25 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010); Assembly of Representatives 27 February and 13 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3; Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir QARAQULOV]; Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV (imprisoned October 2005); Rahmatullo VALIYEV, deputy]; Islamic Revival Party [Muhiddin KABIRI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOEV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMON]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn NARZIEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders:splinter parties recognized by the government but not by the base of the party: Democratic Party or DPT [Masud SOBIROV] (splintered from ISKANDAROV's DPT); Socialist Party or SPT [Abduhalim GHAFFOROV] (splintered from NARZIEV's SPT)
unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]
International organization participation:ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Abdujabbor SHIRINOV
chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON
embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe 734019
mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189
telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00
FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50
Flag description:three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe
Economy
Economy - overview:Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Because of a lack of employment opportunities in Tajikistan, nearly half of the labor force works abroad, primarily in Russia, supporting families in Tajikistan through remittances. The exact number of labor migrants is unknown, but estimated at around 1 million. Only 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and an obsolete infrastructure. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Tajikistan's economic situation remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, corruption, weak governance, widespread unemployment, seasonal power shortages, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Completion of the Sangtuda I hydropower dam - built with Russian investment - and the Sangtuda II and Rogun dams will add substantially to electricity output. If finished according to Tajik plans, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. Tajikistan has also received substantial infrastructure development loans from the Chinese government to improve roads and an electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south trade, the US funded a $36 million bridge which opened in August 2007 and links Tajikistan and Afghanistan. While, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population continues to live in poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped to roughly 8% in 2005-07, and 4.5% in 2008, as the effects of the international financial crisis began to register - mainly in the form of lower prices for key commodities and lower remittances from Tajiks working in Russia, due to the declining economic conditions in that country.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$15.4 billion (2008 est.)
$14.27 billion (2007)
$11.32 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):$4.788 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:7.9% (2008 est.)
7.8% (2007 est.)
7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$2,100 (2008 est.)
$1,700 (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 23%
industry: 29.4%
services: 47.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:2.1 million (2008)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 67.2%
industry: 7.5%
services: 25.3% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:2.3% official rate; actual unemployment is higher (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:60% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2007 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:32.6 (2006)
Investment (gross fixed):20% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget:revenues: $1.28 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion (2008 est.)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):11.8% (2008)
Central bank discount rate:13.5% (30 September 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:23.1% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:$330 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:$544 million (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:$889 million (31 December 2008)
Market value of publicly traded shares:$NA
Agriculture - products:cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Industrial production growth rate:4% (2008)
Electricity - production:14.8 billion kWh (2008)
Electricity - consumption:17.8 billion kWh (2008)
Electricity - exports:1 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:3 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production by source:fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:503 bbl/day (2008)
Oil - consumption:10,600 bbl/day (2008)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:10,100 bbl/day (2008)
Oil - proved reserves:12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:16 million cu m (2008)
Natural gas - consumption:542.7 million cu m (2008)
Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2008)
Natural gas - imports:512.7 million cu m (2008)
Natural gas - proved reserves:5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:-$1.8 billion (2008)
Exports:$1.4 billion f.o.b. (2008)
Exports - commodities:aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners:Netherlands 38.9%, Turkey 32.5%, Russia 6.6%, Uzbekistan 5.9%, Iran 5.1% (2007)
Imports:$3.2 billion f.o.b. (2008)
Imports - commodities:electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:Russia 32.1%, Kazakhstan 13.1%, China 10.8%, Uzbekistan 8.4% (2007)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$220 million (31 December 2008)
Debt - external:$1.37 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:$88 million (2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:NA
Currency (code):somoni (TJS)
Currency code:TJS
Exchange rates:Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 3.4563 (2008 est.), 3.4418 (2007), 3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:340,000 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:3.5 million (2007)
Telephone system:general assessment: foreign investment in the telephone system has resulted in major improvements
domestic: the domestic telecommunications network has historically been under funded and poorly maintained; main line availability has not changed significantly since 1998; mobile cellular use, aided by competition among multiple operators, has expanded rapidly; coverage now extends to all major cities and towns
international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 3 (2 Intelsat and 1 Orbita) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:16 (number of licensed stations with only about 10 broadcasting) (2009)
Radios:1.291 million (1991)
Television broadcast stations:24 (number of licensed stations with only about 15 active) (2009)
Televisions:820,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.tj
Internet hosts:1,158 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):4 (2002)
Internet users:19,500 (2005)
Transportation
Airports:26 (2008)
Airports - with paved runways:total: 18
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2008)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2008)
Pipelines:gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2008)
Railways:total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:total: 27,767 km (2000)
Waterways:200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2008)
Military
Military branches:Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Forces (2008)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:males age 16-49: 1,897,356
females age 16-49: 1,911,594 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 1,428,218
females age 16-49: 1,603,779 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:male: 80,819
female: 78,460 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan
Trafficking in persons:current situation: Tajikistan is a source country for women trafficked through Kyrgyzstan and Russia to the UAE, Turkey, and Russia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are trafficked to Russia and Kazakhstan for the purpose of forced labor, primarily in the construction and agricultural industries; boys and girls are trafficked internally for various purposes, including forced labor and forced begging
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Tajikistan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, especially efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers; despite evidence of low- and mid-level officials' complicity in trafficking, the government did not punish any public officials for trafficking complicity during 2007; lack of capacity and poor coordination between government institutions remained key obstacles to effective anti-trafficking efforts (2008)
Illicit drugs:major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium); significant consumer of opiates


Wikipedia: Tajikistan
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Republic of Tajikistan
Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон
Jumhurii Tojikiston
Flag Coat of Arms
AnthemSurudi Milli
Capital
(and largest city)
Dushanbe
38°33′N 68°48′E / 38.55°N 68.8°E / 38.55; 68.8
Official languages Tajik[1][2]
Language for inter-ethnic
communication
Russian[3]
Demonym Tajikistani[4]
Government Unitary presidential republic
 -  President Emomalii Rahmon
 -  Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov
Independence
 -  Establishment of the Samanid Empire 875 AD 
 -  Declared September 9, 1991 
 -  Completed December 25, 1991 
Area
 -  Total 143,100 km2 (102nd)
55,251 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 1.8
Population
 -  2009 estimate 7,349,145[4] (97th)
 -  2000 census 6,127,000 
 -  Density 48.6/km2 (155th)
125.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $13.062 billion[5] (133rd)
 -  Per capita $2,022[5] (187)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
 -  Total $5.135 billion[5] 
 -  Per capita $795[5] 
Gini (2004) 33.59 (medium
HDI (2007) 0.688[6] (medium) (127th)
Currency Somoni (TJS)
Time zone TJT (UTC+5)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .tj
Calling code 992
1 Estimate from State Statistical Committee of Tajikistan, 2008; rank based on UN figures for 2005.

Tajikistan (pronounced /təˈdʒɪkɨstæn/ or /təˈdʒiːkɨstæn/; Тоҷикистон IPA: [tɔd​͡ʒikɪsˈtɔn]), officially the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik: Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor.

Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who share culture and history with Afghanistan and speak the Persian language (officially referred to as Tajiki in Tajikistan). Once part of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). Mountains cover over 90% of this Central Asian republic.

After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating civil war which lasted from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Trade in commodities such as cotton and aluminium wire has contributed greatly to this steady improvement. In Tajikistan about 20% of the population lives on less than US$1.25 per day.[7]

Contents

Etymology

Tajikistan means the "Land of the Tajiks". Some believe the name Tajik is a geographic reference to the crown (Taj) of the Pamir Knot, but this is a folk etymology. The word Tajik was used to differentiate Tajiks from Turks in Central Asia, starting as early as the 10th century. The addition of 'k' might have been for the purpose of euphony in the set phrase Turk-o Tajik ("Turks and Tajiks") which in Persian-language histories is found as an idiomatic expression meaning "everyone."

Tajikistan frequently appeared as Tadjikistan or Tadzhikistan in English, transliterated from the Russian Таджикистан (in Russian the phoneme /d​͡ʒ/ is represented as дж, i.e., dzh or dj.) Tadzhikistan is the most common alternate spelling and is widely used in English literature derived from Russian sources. Tadjikistan is the spelling in French and can occasionally be found in English language texts.

Controversy surrounds the correct term used to identify people from Tajikistan. The word Tajik has been the traditional term used to describe people from Tajikistan and appears widely in literature. But the ethnic politics of Central Asia have made the word Tajik a controversial word, as it implies that Tajikistan is only a nation for ethnic Tajiks and not ethnic Uzbeks, Russians, etc.

Likewise, ethnic Tajiks live in other countries, such as China, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, making the term ambiguous.

History

Early history

Modern Tajiks regard the Samanid Empire as the first Tajik state. This monument in Dushanbe honors Ismail Samani, ancestor of the Samanids and a source of Tajik nationalism.

The territory of what is now Tajikistan has been inhabited continuously since 4000 BCE.[citation needed] It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history, for the longest period being part of the Persian Empire.

Most of modern Tajikistan had formed parts of ancient Kamboja and Parama Kamboja kingdoms, which find references in the ancient Indian epics like the Mahabharata. Linguistic evidence, combined with ancient literary and inscriptional evidence has led many eminent Indologists to conclude that ancient Kambojas originally belonged to the Ghalcha-speaking area of Central Asia.

Acharya Yasaka's Nirukta[8] (7th century BCE) attests that verb Śavati in the sense "to go" was used by only the Kambojas. It has been shown that the modern Ghalcha dialects, Valkhi, Shigali, Sriqoli, Jebaka (also called Sanglichi or Ishkashim), Munjani, Yidga and Yaghnobi, mainly spoken in Pamirs and countries on the headwaters of the Oxus, still use terms derived from ancient Kamboja Śavati in the sense "to go".[9] The Yaghnobi language, spoken by the Yaghnobis in the Sughd Province around the headwaters of Zeravshan valley, also still contains a relic "Śu" from ancient Kamboja Śavati in the sense "to go".[10]

Further, Sir G Grierson says that the speech of Badakshan was a Ghalcha until about three centuries ago when it was supplanted by a form of Persian.[11] Thus, the ancient Kamboja, probably included the Badakshan, Pamirs and northern territories including the Yaghnobi region in the doab of the Oxus and Jaxartes.[12] On the east it was bounded roughly by Yarkand and/or Kashgar, on the west by Bahlika (Uttaramadra), on the northwest by Sogdiana, on the north by Uttarakuru, on the southeast by Darada, and on the south by Gandhara.

Numerous Indologists locate original Kamboja in Pamirs and Badakshan and the Parama Kamboja further north, in the Trans-Pamirian territories comprising Zeravshan valley, north up parts of Sogdhiana/Fargana — in the Sakadvipa or Scythia of the classical writers.[13]

Thus, in the pre-Buddhist times (7th–6th century BCE), the parts of modern Tajikistan including territories as far as Zeravshan valley in Sogdiana formed parts of ancient Kamboja and the Parama Kamboja kingdoms when it was ruled by the Indian Kambojas till it became part of Persian Achaemenid Empire. After the Persian Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great, the region became the northern part of Hellenistic Greco-Bactrian Kingdom.

Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan

From the last quarter of fourth century BCE until the first quarter of the second century BCE, it was part of the Bactrian Empire, from whom it was passed on to Scythian Tukharas and hence became part of Tukharistan. Contact with the Chinese Han Dynasty was made in the second century BCE, when envoys were sent to the area of Bactria to explore regions west of China.

Arabs brought Islam in the 7th century CE[citation needed]. The Samanid Empire supplanted the Arabs and enlarged the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, which became the cultural centers of Tajiks (both of which are now in Uzbekistan). The Mongols would later take partial control of Central Asia, and later the land that today comprises Tajikistan became a part of the Emirate of Bukhara. A small community of Jews, displaced from the Middle East after the Babylonian captivity, migrated to the region and settled there after 600 BCE, though the majority of the recent Jewish population did not migrate to Tajikistan until the 20th century.

Russian presence

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to spread into Central Asia during the Great Game. Between 1864 and 1885 it gradually took control of the entire territory of Russian Turkestan from today's border with Kazakhstan in the north to the Caspian Sea in the west and the border with Afghanistan in the south. Tajikistan was eventually carved out of this territory, which historically had a large Tajik population.

After the overthrow of Imperial Russia in 1917, guerrillas throughout Central Asia, known as basmachi waged a war against Bolshevik armies in a futile attempt to maintain independence. The Bolsheviks prevailed after a four-year war, in which mosques and villages were burned down and the population heavily suppressed. Soviet authorities started a campaign of secularization, practicing Muslims, Jews, and Christians were persecuted,[citation needed] and mosques, churches, and synagogues were closed.

Soviet Tajikistan

In 1924, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as a part of Uzbekistan, but in 1929 the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR) was made a separate constituent republic. The predominantly ethnic Tajik cities of Samarkand and Bukhara remained in the Uzbek SSR. Between 1926 and 1959 the proportion of Russians among Tajikistan's population grew from less than 1% to 13%.[14]

In terms of living conditions, education and industry Tajikistan was behind the other Soviet Republics. In the 1980s, it had the lowest household saving rate in the USSR,[15] the lowest percentage of households in the two top per capita income groups,[16] and the lowest rate of university graduates per 1000 people.[17]

By the late 1980s Tajik nationalists were calling for increased rights. Real disturbances did not occur within the republic until 1990.[citation needed] The following year, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence.

Post-independence

A fighter in Tajikistan during the civil war.

The nation almost immediately fell into a civil war that involved various factions fighting one another; these factions were often distinguished by clan loyalties. The non-Muslim population, particularly Russians and Jews, fled the country during this time because of persecution, increased poverty and better economic opportunities in the West or in other former Soviet republics.

Emomalii Rahmon came to power in 1992, and continues to rule to this day. Ethnic cleansing was controversial during the civil war in Tajikistan. By the end of the war Tajikistan was in a state of complete devastation. The estimated dead numbered over 50,000. Around 1.2 million people were refugees inside and outside of the country.[18] In 1997, a ceasefire was reached between Rahmon and opposition parties (United Tajik Opposition).

Peaceful elections were held in 1999, but they were reported by the opposition as unfair, and Rahmon was re-elected by almost unanimous vote. Russian troops were stationed in southern Tajikistan, in order to guard the border with Afghanistan, until summer 2005. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, American, Indian and French troops have also been stationed in the country.

In 2008, the harshest winter in a quarter century caused financial losses of $850 million. Russia pledged $1 billion in aid.[19] Saudi Arabia sent about 10 planes carrying 80 tons of relief and emergency supplies in February and another 11 tons in March.[20]

Politics

President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon

Almost immediately after independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war that saw various factions, allegedly backed by Russia and Iran[citation needed] , fighting one another. All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russians, who were mostly employed in industry, fled to Russia. By 1997, the war had cooled down, and a central government began to take form, with peaceful elections in 1999.

"Longtime observers of Tajikistan often characterize the country as profoundly averse to risk and skeptical of promises of reform, a political passivity they trace to the country’s ruinous civil war," Ilan Greenberg wrote in a news article in The New York Times just before the country's November 2006 presidential election.[21]

Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament. The latest parliamentary elections occurred in 2005 (two rounds in February and March), and international observers believe that the elections have been corrupt for some time, arousing many accusations from opposition parties that President Emomali Rahmon manipulates the election process.

The latest presidential election held on November 6, 2006 was boycotted by "mainline" opposition parties, including the 23,000-member Islamist Islamic Renaissance Party. Four remaining opponents "all but endorsed the incumbent", Rahmon.[21] After November 2006 presidential elections, it is widely speculated that Rahmon has secured his seat for at least another two terms, which will allow him rule until 2020.[citation needed]

Tajikistan to this date is one of the few countries in Central Asia to have included an active opposition in its government. In the Parliament, opposition groups have often clashed with the ruling party but this has not led to great instability.

Tajikistan has given Iran its support in Iran's membership bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, after a meeting between the Tajik President and the Iranian foreign minister.[22]

Administrative divisions

Tajikistan consists of 4 administrative divisions. These are the provinces (viloyat) of Sughd and Khatlon, the autonomous province of Gorno-Badakhshan (abbreviated as GBAO), and the Region of Republican Subordination (RRP – Raiony Respublikanskogo Podchineniya in transliteration from Russian or NTJ – Ноҳияҳои тобеи ҷумҳурӣ in Tajik; formerly known as Karotegin Province). Each region is divided into several districts (Tajik: Ноҳия, nohiya or raion), which in turn are subdivided into jamoats (village-level self-governing units) and then villages (qyshloqs). As of 2006, there were 58 districts and 367 jamoats in Tajikistan.[23]

Division ISO 3166-2 Capital Area (km²) Pop (2008)
Sughd TJ-SU Khujand 25,400 2,132,100
Region of Republican Subordination TJ-RR Dushanbe 28,600 1,606,900
Khatlon TJ-KT Qurghonteppa  24,800 2,579,300
Gorno-Badakhshan TJ-BG Khorugh 64,200 218,000

Source: Population and area from State Statistical Committee of Tajikistan.[23]

Geography

Satellite photograph of Tajikistan
Overview Map of Tajikistan
Mountains of Tajikistan

Tajikistan is landlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is covered by mountains of the Pamir range, and more than fifty percent of the country is over 3,000 meters (approx. 10,000 ft) above sea level. The only major areas of lower land are in the north (part of the Fergana Valley), and in the southern Kofarnihon and Vakhsh river valleys, which form the Amu Darya. Dushanbe is located on the southern slopes above the Kofarnihon valley.

Mountain Height Location
Ismoil Somoni Peak (highest) 7,495 m 24,590 ft     North-western edge of Gorno-Badakhshan (GBAO), south of the Kyrgyz border
Ibn Sina Peak (Lenin Peak) 7,174 m 23,537 ft     Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range, north-east of Ismoil Somoni Peak
Peak Korzhenevskaya 7,105 m 23,310 ft     North of Ismoil Somoni Peak, on the south bank of Muksu River
Independence Peak (Revolution Peak) 6,974 m 22,881 ft     Central Gorno-Badakhshan, south-east of Ismoil Somoni Peak
Akademiya Nauk Range 6,785 m 22,260 ft     North-western Gorno-Badakhshan, stretches in the north-south direction
Karl Marx Peak 6,726 m 22,067 ft     GBAO, near the border to Afghanistan in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Mayakovskiy Peak 6,096 m 20,000 ft     Extreme south-west of GBAO, near the border to Afghanistan.
Concord Peak 5,469 m 17,943 ft     Southern border in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Kyzylart Pass 4,280 m 14,042 ft     Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range

The Amu Darya and Panj rivers mark the border with Afghanistan, and the glaciers in Tajikistan's mountains are the major source of runoff for the Aral Sea. There are over 900 rivers in Tajikistan longer than 10 kilometers.

About 2% of the country's area is covered by lakes, the best known of which are the following:

Lesser known lakes (all in the Pamir region) include

  • Bulunkul
  • Drumkul
  • Rangkul
  • Sasykkul
  • Shorkul
  • Turumtaikul
  • Tuzkul
  • Yashilkul

Economy

A young man selling dried fruit at a local market

Following the Civil War of 1992 - 1997, Tajikistan was the poorest country in Central Asia as well in the former Soviet Union. With foreign revenue precariously dependent upon exports of cotton and aluminum, the economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks. In FY 2000, international assistance remained an essential source of support for rehabilitation programs that reintegrated former civil war combatants into the civilian economy, thus helping keep the peace. International assistance also was necessary to address the second year of severe drought that resulted in a continued shortfall of food production.

On August 21, 2001, the Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and called for international aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan's economy grew substantially after the war. The GDP of Tajikistan expanded at an average rate of 9.6 % over the period of 2000–2004 according to the World Bank data. This improved Tajikistan's position among other Central Asian countries (namely Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), which seem to have degraded economically ever since.[24] Tajikistan is an active member of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

The recently completed Anzab tunnel which connects the previously hard to access Northern part of the country to the capital Dushanbe has been labeled as part of the new Silk Road. It is part of a road under construction that will connect Tajikistan to Iran and the Persian Gulf through Afghanistan.

A new bridge between Afghanistan and Tajikistan has been built which will help the country have access to trade lines with South Asia. The bridge was built by the United States.[25]

The primary sources of income in Tajikistan are aluminium production, cotton growing and remittances from migrant workers.[26]

Aluminium industry is represented by the state-owned Talco - the biggest aluminium plant in Central Asia and one of the biggest in the world.[27]

Tajikistan has great hydropower potential, and has focused on attracting investment for projects for internal use and electricity exports. Tajikistan is home to the hydroelectric power station Nurek with the highest dam in the world.[28] The latest development is the Russia's RAO UES energy giant working on Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power station (670 MW capacity) commenced operations on 18 January 2008.[29][30]

Other projects at the development stage include Sangduta-2 by Iran, Zerafshan by Chinese SinoHydro and Rogun power plant with a projected dam height of 335 metres (1,099 ft) to be built by Russia's UES.[31][32][33] Other energy resources include sizable coal deposits and smaller reserves of natural gas and petroleum.

Foreign remittance flows from Tajik migrant workers abroad, mainly in Russia, has become by far the main source of income for millions of Tajikistan's people and represents additional 36.2 % of country's GDP directly reaching the poverty-stricken population.[34] Migration from Tajikistan and the consequent remittances have been unprecedented in their magnitude and economic impact. Tajikistan has achieved transition from a planned to a market economy without substantial and protracted recourse to aid (of which it by now receives only negligible amounts), and by purely market-based means, simply by exporting its main commodity of comparative advantage — cheap labor.[35] The World Bank Tajikistan Policy Note 2006 concludes that remittances have played an important role as one of the drivers of Tajikistan's robust economic growth during the past several years, have increased incomes, and as a result helped significantly reduce poverty.[36]

Drug trafficking is the major illegal source of income in Tajikistan as it is an important transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; some opium poppy is also raised locally for the domestic market.[37] However with the increasing assistance from international organizations, such as UNODC, and cooperation with the US, Russian, EU and Afghan authorities a level of progress on fight against illegal drug-trafficking is being achieved.[38]

Tajikistan holds the third place in the world for heroin and raw opium confiscations (1216.3 kg of heroin and 267.8 kg of raw opium in the first half of 2006).[39][40] Drug money corrupts the country's government; according to some experts the well-known personalities that fought on both sides of the civil war and have held the positions in the government after the armistice was signed are now involved in the drug trade.[37] UNODC is working with Tajikistan to strengthen border crossings, provide training, and set up joint interdiction teams. It also helped to establish Tajikistani Drug Control Agency.[41]

Demographics

Elderly man from Tajikistan

Tajikistan has a population of 7,349,145 (July 2009 est.).[4] Tajiks who speak the Tajik language (a variety of Persian) are the main ethnic group, although there is a sizable minority of Uzbeks and a small population of Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration.[42] In 1989, ethnic Russians made up 7.6% of the population.[43] The Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to the larger group of Tajiks. All citizens of Tajikistan are called Tajikistanis[4]

The official and vernacular language of Tajikistan is Tajik. The constitution mentions Russian as the "language for interethnic communication"[44] even if its use is banned in government documents[2]. Nevertheless it is widely used in business and other fields. Despite its poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy with an estimated 99.5% of the population having the ability to read and write.[4] The majority of the population follow Sunni Islam. There is also a sizeable minority of Ismailis and following increased nationalism after the 1992–1997 Civil War, a growing interest in and conversions to Zoroastrianism.

Bukharian Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd century BC, but today almost none are left. There is also a small population of Yaghnobi people who have lived in the mountainous district of Sughd Viloyat for many centuries. The German population in Tajikistan was 38,853 in 1979.[45] Nearly one million Tajik men worked abroad in 2009.[46]

Health

The state's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reported that 104,272 disabled people are registered in Tajikistan (2000). This group of people suffers most from poverty in Tajikistan. The government of Tajikistan and the World Bank considered activities to support this part of the population described in the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.[47] Public expenditure on health was at 1 % of the GDP in 2004.[48] In the early 2000s, there were 203 physicians per 100,000 people.[48] Infant mortality was 59 for 1,000 live births in 2005.[48]

Culture

Tajik family celebrating Eid

Historically, Tajiks and Persians come from very similar stock, speaking variants of the same language and are related as part of the larger group of Iranian peoples. The Tajik language is the mother tongue of around 80% of the citizens of Tajikistan. The main urban centers in today's Tajikistan include Dushanbe (the capital), Khujand, Kulob, Panjakent and Istaravshan.

The Pamiri people of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in the southeast, bordering Afghanistan and China, though considered part of the Tajik ethnicity, nevertheless are distinct linguistically and culturally from most Tajiks. In contrast to the mostly Sunni Muslim residents of the rest of Tajikistan, the Pamiris overwhelmingly follow the Ismaili sect of Islam, and speak a number of Eastern Iranian languages, including Shughni, Rushani, Khufi and Wakhi. Isolated in the highest parts of the Pamir Mountains, they have preserved many ancient cultural traditions and folk arts that have been largely lost elsewhere in the country.

The Yaghnobi people live in mountainous areas of northern Tajikistan. The estimated number of Yaghnobis is now about 25,000. Forced migrations in the 20th century decimated their numbers. They speak the Yaghnobi language, which is the only direct modern descendant of the ancient Sogdian language.

Tajikstan artisans created the Dushanbe Tea House, which was presented in 1988 as a gift to the sister city of Boulder, Colorado.[49]

Education

2002-2005 public spending on education was 3.5 % of the GDP.[48] According to a UNICEF-supported survey indicates that about 25 per cent of girls in Tajikistan fail to complete compulsory primary education because of poverty and gender bias.[50] Literacy is general in Tajikistan.[48] Tajikistan has universities. Some Universities have corporations with different countries. Like Russia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and others. In the middle of XX century Tajiks' education was high. It means that there were many well educated people. And now as a young nation and old country Tajikistan is providing all opportunities to its future generation-children in order to study well.

Schools and their systems

Schools in Tajikistan provide all student with middle education. It means that when students finish their school year, they will go to universities, colleges, institutes or other places in or get high education. There are three kinds of schools. They are: Lyceum, Gymnasium (school) and Middle schools. So all schools have the same same type of teaching. But there might be some differences. For example in the Middle schools they will teach as government says there are not so many things that students can do, like out of government says. Lyceum is a special type of school that provides students with outdoor activities and additional activities, but they also follow what government says. Gymnasium (school) is similar to Lyceum, but there you can see that students can study in any language they want ( they have Russian language, Tajik language. File:Students of Tajikistan

Religion

Tajikistan considers a secular state with a Constitution providing for freedom of religion. The Government has declared two Islamic holidays, Id Al-Fitr and Idi Qurbon, as state holidays. According to a 2009 U.S. State Department release, the population of Tajikistan is 98% Muslim, (approximately 95% Sunni and 3% Shia).[51] The remaining 2% of the population are Jews, Zoroastrians and ethnic Russian followers of Russian Orthodoxy. The great majority of Muslims fast during Ramadan, although only about one third in the countryside and 10% in the cities observe daily prayer and dietary restrictions.

Relationships between religious groups are generally amicable, although there is some concern among mainstream Muslim leaders that minority religious groups undermine national unity. There is a concern for religious institutions becoming active in the political sphere. The Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), a major combatant in the 1992–1997 Civil War and then-proponent of the creation of an Islamic state in Tajikistan, constitutes no more than 30% of the government by statute. Membership in Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Emancipation), a party which today aims for a nonviolent overthrow of secular governments and the unification of Tajiks under one Islamic state, is illegal and members are subject to arrest and imprisonment. Numbers of large mosques appropriate for Friday prayers are limited and some feel this is discriminatory.

By law, religious communities must register by the State Committee on Religious Affairs (SCRA) and with local authorities. Registration with the SCRA requires a charter, a list 10 or more members, and evidence of local government approval prayer site location. As noted above, religious groups who do not have a physical structure are not allowed to gather publicly for prayer. Failure to register can result in large fines and closure of place of worship. There are reports that registration on the local level is sometimes difficult to obtain.[52]

Sport

Tajikistan's mountains provide many opportunities for outdoor sports, such as hill walking, mountain biking, and more challenging mountain climbing. Facilities are limited so tourists need to be largely self sufficient and plan carefully. Mountain climbing tours to the Fann Mountains and the Pamirs, including the 7,000 m peaks in the region, are seasonally organized by local and international alpine agencies.

Football is a popular sport. The Tajikistan national football team competes in the FIFA and AFC leagues. It also hosts many football clubs.

Government

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments Date of Information: 10/19/2009


Pres. Emomali RAHMON

Prime Min. Oqil OQILOV

Dep. Prime Min. Murodali ALIMARDON

Dep. Prime Min. Asadullo GHULOMOV

Dep. Prime Min. Ruqiya QURBANOVA

Min. of Agriculture Qosim QOSIMOV

Min. of Culture Mirzoshohrukh ASRORI

Min. of Defense Sherali KHAYRULLOYEV, Col. Gen.

Min. of Economic Development & Trade Farrukh HAMRALIEV

Min. of Education Abdujabbor RAHMONOV

Min. of Energy & Industry Sherali GUL

Min. of Finance Safarali NAJMUDDINOV

Min. of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon ZARIFI

Min. of Health Nusratullo SALIMOV

Min. of Internal Affairs Abdurahim QAHOROV

Min. of Justice Bakhtiyor KHUDOYOROV

Min. of Labor & Social Security Shukhurjon ZUHOROV

Min. of Land Improvement & Water Economy Saidi YOQUBZOD

Min. of Transport & Communications Olimjon BOBOEV

Chmn., State Committee on National Security Khayridin ABDURAHIMOV

Chmn., State Committee on State Property Davlatali SAIDOV

Chmn., State Committee on Statistics Mirgand SHABOZOV

Prosecutor Gen. Bobojon BOBOKHONOV

Dir., Drug Control Agency Rustam NAZAROV, Lt. Gen.

Chmn., National Bank Sharif RAHIMZODA

Ambassador to the US Abdujabbor SHIRINOV

Permanent Representative to the UN, New York Sirojidin ASLOV

Transport

See also

References and footnotes

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.
PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

  1. ^ Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan, November 6, 1994, Article 2.
  2. ^ a b According to the law signed on Oct. 6, 2009, government documents must be written only in Tajik (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jLJnxvR7y69z29eejXVylsz4UvWA).
  3. ^ Despite legal dispositions imposing government documents to be written only in Tajik, the Constitution keeps mentionning Russian as the "language for interethnic communication" (http://www.tajik-gateway.org/index.phtml?lang=ru&id=874)
  4. ^ a b c d e The World Factbook, People of Tajikistan
  5. ^ a b c d "Tajikistan". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=923&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=78&pr.y=4. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
  6. ^ "Human Development Report 2009: Tajikistan". The United Nations. http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_TJK.html. Retrieved 2009-10-18. 
  7. ^ "UNDP: Human development indices - Table 3: Human and income poverty (Population living below national poverty line (2000-2007))" (PDF). http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDI_2008_EN_Tables.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  8. ^ Nirukta II.2.
  9. ^ Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 456ff, 468, 473, 474, 476, 500, 511, 524 etc; Journal of Royal Asiatic Society of Asia, 1911, pp 801-802, Sir Griersen; India as Known to Panini, 1968, p 49, Dr V. S. Aggarwala; Geographical Data in the Early Puranas, A Critical Study, 1972, p 164, Dr M. R. Singh; Bharata Bhumi aur uske Nivasi, Samvat 1987, pp 297-305, Dr J. C. Vidyalankar; Geographical and Economical Studies in the Mahabharata, Upayana Parva, p 37, Dr Motichandra; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, pp 127-28, 167, 218, Dr J. L. Kamboj; Sindhant Kaumudi Arthaprakashaka, 1966, pp 20-22, Acharya R. R. Pande.
  10. ^ Proceedings and Transactions of the ... All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, p 118; Indian Culture, 1934, p 193, Indian Research Institute; Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 455-56, Dr G. A. Grierson; cf: History and Archeology of India's Contacts with Other Countries from the... , 1976, p 152, Dr Shashi P. Asthana - Social Science; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 39, Dr Moti Chandra - India; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, p 128, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan).
  11. ^ Linguistic Survey of India, X, p. 456, Sir G Grierson; Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, pp 107-108.
  12. ^ Dr J. C. Vidyalankara, Proceedings and Transactions of 6th A.I.O. Conference, 1930, p 118; cf: Linguistic Survey of India, Vol X, pp 455-56, Dr G. A. Grierson.
  13. ^ See: The Deeds of Harsha: Being a Cultural Study of Bāṇa's Harshacharita, 1969, p 199, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala; Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1930, p 118, Dr J. C. Vidyalankara; Prācīna Kamboja, jana aura janapada =: Ancient Kamboja, people and country, 1981, Dr Jiyālāla Kāmboja, Dr Satyavrat Śāstrī - Kamboja (Pakistan).
  14. ^ Tajikistan - Ethnic Groups, U.S. Library of Congress
  15. ^ Boris Rumer, Soviet Central Asia: A Tragic Experiment, Unwin Hyman, London, 1989, p. 126.
  16. ^ Statistical Yearbook of the USSR 1990, Goskomstat, Moscow, 1991, p. 115 (Russian).
  17. ^ Statistical Yearbook of the USSR 1990, Goskomstat, Moscow, 1991, p. 210 (Russian).
  18. ^ Tajikistan: rising from the ashes of civil war. United Nations
  19. ^ Tajikistan loses $850 million from cold winter. Trading Markets.com
  20. ^ Tenth Saudi relief plane leaves for Tajikistan. Saudi Embassy
  21. ^ a b Greenberg, Ilan, "Media Muzzled and Opponents Jailed, Tajikistan Readies for Vote," The New York Times, November 4, 2006 (article dateline November 3, 2006), page A7, New York edition
  22. ^ "Press TV - Iran makes move to join SCO". Presstv.ir. 2008-03-24. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=48781&sectionid=351020101. Retrieved 2009-10-02. 
  23. ^ a b Population of the Republic of Tajikistan as of 1 January 2008, State Statistical Committee, Dushanbe, 2008 (Russian)
  24. ^ "BBC's Guide to Central Asia". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456938/html/nn4page1.stm. Retrieved 2006-11-01. 
  25. ^ "US Army Corps of Engineer, Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge". US Army Corps of Engineer. http://www.aed.usace.army.mil/Snapshots.asp?PageNo=2. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  26. ^ "Background Note: Tajikistan". US Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. December 2007. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5775.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  27. ^ "Алюминий по-таджикски (Tajikistani Aluminium)" (in Russian). "Эксперт Казахстан" (Ekspert Kazakhstan) #23. 2004-12-06. http://www.expert.ru/printissues/kazakhstan/2004/23/23ka-kpov3/. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  28. ^ "Highest Dams (World and U.S.)". ICOLD World Register of Dams. 1998. http://npdp.stanford.edu/damhigh.html. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  29. ^ "Первая очередь Сангтудинской ГЭС в Таджикистане будет запущена 18 января (First stage of the Sangtuda HPS launched on 18 January)" (in Russian). Vesti. 2007-12-25. http://npdp.stanford.edu/damhigh.html. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  30. ^ "Sangtuda-1 HPS launched on January 18, 2008". Today Energy. 2008-01-05. http://www.energytoday.eu/articles/81528.php. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  31. ^ "Iran participates in power plant project in Tajikistan". IRNA. 2007-04-24. http://www2.irna.com/en/news/view/line-18/0704240278195019.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  32. ^ "Chinese To Build Tajik Hydroelectric Plant". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 2007-01-18. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/01/c7eca5d9-67f9-4659-88f9-696875ac873e.html. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  33. ^ "РАО «ЕЭС России» построит «Рогунскую ГЭС» в Таджикистане (RAO UES to construct Rogun HPS in Tajikistan)" (in Russian). EnergyLand.info. 2007-09-14. http://www.energyland.info/news/world_news/2007/09/14/news_1264. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  34. ^ Dilip Ratha, Sanket Mohapatra, K. M. Vijayalakshmi, Zhimei Xu (2007-11-29). "Remittance Trends 2007. Migration and Development Brief 3" (PDF). World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTDECPROSPECTS/Resources/476882-1157133580628/BriefingNote3.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  35. ^ Alexei Kireyev (January 2006). "The Macroeconomics of Remittances: The Case of Tajikistan. IMF Working Paper WP/06/2" (PDF). IMF. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2006/wp0602.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  36. ^ "Tajikistan Policy Note. Poverty Reduction and Enhancing the Development Impact of Remittances. Report No. 35771-TJ" (PDF). World Bank. June 2006. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/08/22/000160016_20060822094201/Rendered/PDF/357710TJ.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  37. ^ a b Silk Road Studies, Country Factsheets, Eurasian Narcotics: Tajikistan 2004
  38. ^ Roger McDermott (2006-01-10). "Dushanbe looks towards Afghanistan to combat drug trafficking". Eurasia Daily Monitor. http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=414&issue_id=3579&article_id=2370646. Retrieved 2008-03-08. 
  39. ^ CIA World Factbook. Tajikistan, transnational issues
  40. ^ Overview of the drug and crime situation in Central Asia. Factsand Figures, Coordination and Analysis Unit of the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia
  41. ^ Fighting Drugs, Crime and Terrorism in the CIS Dushanbe, 4 October 2007[dead link]
  42. ^ Russians left behind in Central Asia, Robert Greenall, BBC News, 23 November 2005.
  43. ^ Tajikistan - Ethnic Groups. Source: U.S. Library of Congress.
  44. ^ http://www.tajik-gateway.org/index.phtml?lang=ru&id=874
  45. ^ Russian-Germans in Tajikistan. Pohl, J. Otto. "Russian-Germans in Tajikistan." Neweurasia, 29 March 2007.
  46. ^ Deployment of Tajik workers gets green light. Arab News. May 21, 2007.
  47. ^ "Tajikistan - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and joint assessment". World Bank. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000094946_02112004011765. Retrieved 2006-11-01. 
  48. ^ a b c d e http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_TJK.html
  49. ^ The Dushanbe-Boulder tea house. Retrieved on 2 May 2009
  50. ^ http://www.unicef.org/media/media_27308.html
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  52. ^ TAJIKISTAN: Religious freedom survey, November 2003 -Forum 18 News Service, 20 November 2003

Further reading

  • Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan by Kamoludin Abdullaev and Shahram Akbarzadeh
  • Land Beyond the River: The Untold Story of Central Asia by Monica Whitlock
  • Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation by Shirin Akiner
  • Tajikistan: The Trials of Independence by Shirin Akiner, Mohammad-Reza Djalili and Frederic Grare
  • Tajikistan and the High Pamirs by Robert Middleton, Huw Thomas and Markus Hauser, Odyssey Books, Hongkong 2008 (ISBN 978-9-622177-73-4)

External links

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General information

Translations: Tajikistan
Top

Français (French)
n. - Tadjikistan

Português (Portuguese)
n. - Tajikistan

Español (Spanish)
n. - Tajikistán

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
塔吉克

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 塔吉克

한국어 (Korean)
타지키스탄 (아프가니스탄 북방에 위치하는 독립 국가 연합 가맹국의 하나; 수도 Dushanbe)


 
 

 

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