Results for Tajikistan
On this page:
 
Dictionary:

Tajikistan

  (tä-jĭk'ĭ-stăn', -stän') pronunciation or Tadzhik Soviet Socialist Republic)
Tajikistan
(Click to enlarge)
Tajikistan
(Mapping Specialists, Ltd.)
(Formerly Ta·dzhik·i·stan

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.

 

 
 

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.

For more information on Tajikistan, visit Britannica.com.

 
(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. Two thirds of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, while some 900,000 members of the workforce are employed in Russia or other foreign countries. The 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, but mining and raw-materials processing, which were formerly important, have diminished since the economic collapse in the 1990s, which occurred after Soviet rule ended and civil war began. Cotton ginning, silk spinning, winemaking, carpet weaving, metals processing, and the manufacture of textiles were also leading industries, but these too have been curtailed. The surviving and revived industries include some aluminum, zinc, and lead processing; hydropower generation; light manufacturing (chemicals and fertilizers); and food processing. There is some petroleum, and Tajikistan is well provided with hydroelectric resources.

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
(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
Tajikistan

The international dialing code for Tajikistan is:   992


 
Local Time: Tajikistan

Local Time: Jul 20, 5:54 AM

 
Statistics: Tajikistan
Click to enlarge

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. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-97 civil war. 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 in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase 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

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)
Natural hazards:earthquakes and floods
Environment - current issues:inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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:7,076,598 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 35% (male 1,261,247/female 1,218,686)
15-64 years: 61.2% (male 2,145,300/female 2,184,519)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 113,186/female 153,660) (2007 est.)
Median age:total: 21.3 years
male: 20.8 years
female: 21.8 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:1.895% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:27.33 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:7.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.035 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.982 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.737 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 43.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 48.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 38.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 64.61 years
male: 61.6 years
female: 67.78 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:3.09 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 100 (2001 est.)
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%, Shi'a 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)

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 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 RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 79.3%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 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: last held 25 March 2005 for the National Assembly (next to be held in February 2010) and 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly of Representatives (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 KARAKULOV]; Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV (imprisoned October 2005); Rahmatullo VALIYEV, deputy]; Islamic Revival Party [Muhiddin KABIRI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimzon BOBOYEV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders:unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's Unity Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is a SPT that was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]
International organization participation:AsDB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, 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. Only 7% of the land area is arable; cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, 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. While Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population continues to live in abject poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004 but dropped to 8% in 2005 and to 7% in 2006. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises could increase productivity. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda I and II would substantially add to electricity production, which could be exported for profit. If finished, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. In 2006, Tajikistan was the recipient of substantial infrastructure development credits from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to improve its roads and electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south trade, the US is constructing a $36 million bridge linking Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$9.521 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$2.066 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:7% (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 23%
industry: 28%
services: 49% (2006 est.)
Labor force:3.7 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 67.2%
industry: 7.5%
services: 25.3% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:12% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:32.6 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):11.9% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:revenues: $519.3 million
expenditures: $612.4 million (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Industrial production growth rate:8.2% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:16.89 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:14.66 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:4.257 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:4.508 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production:252.8 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:28,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:12 million bbl (1 January 2006)
Current account balance:$-21.4 million (2006 est.)
Exports:$1.512 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners:Netherlands 40.7%, Turkey 31.7%, Iran 5.4%, Uzbekistan 4.8%, Russia 4.7% (2006)
Imports:$1.955 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:Russia 24.6%, Kazakhstan 10.8%, Uzbekistan 10.2%, China 8.6%, Azerbaijan 8% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$203.8 million (2006 est.)
Debt - external:$876 million (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$241.4 million from US (2005)
Currency (code):somoni (TJS)
Exchange rates:Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002)
Fiscal year:calendar year

Transportation

Airports:26 (2007)
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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 8
under 914 m: 8 (2007)
Pipelines:gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006)
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) (2006)

Military

Military branches:Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Force (2007)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 1,556,415
females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 1,244,941
females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 87,846
females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3.9% (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
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
Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон
Jumhūrī-yi Tojīkiston
جمهوری تاجیکستان
Republic of Tajikistan
Flag of Tajikistan Coat of Arms of Tajikistan
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto
none
Anthem
Surudi Milli
Location of Tajikistan
Capital
(and largest city)
Dushanbe
38°33′N, 68°48′E
Official languages Persian (Tajik)
Demonym Tajik or Tajikistani
Government Unitary state
 -  President Emomali Rahmon
 -  Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov
Independence
 -  Declared September 9 1991 
 -  Completed December 25 1991 
Area
 -  Total  km² (95th)
 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 0.3
Population
 -  July 2006 estimate 7,320,0001 (100th1)
 -  2000 census 6,127,000 
 -  Density 45/km² (151st)
 /sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 -  Total $8.802 billion (139th)
 -  Per capita $1,388 (159th)
Gini? (2003) 32.6 (medium
HDI (2004) Straight_Line_Steady.svg0.652 (medium) (122nd)
Currency Somoni (TJS)
Time zone TJT (UTC+5)
Internet TLD .tj
Calling code [[+992]]
1 Rank based on UN figures for 2005; estimate based on CIA figures for 2006.

Tajikistan (Tajik: Тоҷикистон, IPA: [tɔʤikɪsˈtɔn] or [tɒːʤikɪsˈtɒn]), officially, the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik: ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who share culture and history with the Persian peoples and Uzbek people and speak the Tajik language. Once the location of the Samanid Empire Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist 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. Its natural resources such as cotton and aluminium have contributed greatly to this steady improvement, although observers have characterized the country as having few natural resources besides hydroelectric power and its strategic location.[1]

Etymology

"Tajikistan" means the "Land of the Tajiks" in Persian. 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 Iranians 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." According to some other sources, the name Tajik (also spelled Tadjik, Tajik) refers to a group of people who are believed to be one of the pure and close decedents of the ancient Aryans. Their country was called Aryana Vajeh and the name "Taa-jyaan" from which came the word Tajik is mentioned in The Avesta. The Zoroaster's Gathas were also directed to an Aryan audience and there are several references to this community as being situated in the "home" of the Aryans.

Tajikistan frequently appeared as Tadjikistan or Tadzhikistan in English. This former transliteration of Tadjikistan or Tadzhikistan is from the Russian Таджикистан. (In Russian there is no single letter j to represent the phoneme /ʤ/ and дж, or dzh, is used.) 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. In the Perso-Arabic script, "Tajikistan" is written تاجیکستان.

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, making the term ambiguous. In addition, the Pamiri population in Gorno-Badakhshan also have sought to create an ethnic identity separate from that of the Tajiks. There is a growing consensus that Tajikistani, which is not ethnic specific and is inclusive of ethnic Tajiks and non-Tajiks alike, is the correct term to call people[citation needed]. The term 'tajik' has been widely used as a synonym for 'Persian' and 'Iranian' up to the beginning of the 21 century.[citation needed]

History

Main article: History of Tajikistan

Early history

See also: Samanid dynasty

The territory of what is now Tajikistan has been inhabited continuously since 4,000 BCE [citation needed]. It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history, for the longest the period under the Persian Empire. Before the Common Era, it was part of the Bactrian Empire. Arabs brought Islam in the 7th century CE. The Samanid Empire Persians supplanted the Arabs and built 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

See also: The Great Game

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to spread into Central Asia during the Great Game, and it took control of Tajikistan. After the overthrow of Imperial Russia in 1917, guerillas 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

Main article: Tajik SSR

In 1924, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as a part of Uzbekistan, but in 1929 the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic was made a separate constituent republic. The predominantly ethnic Tajik cities of Samarkand and Bukhara remained in the Uzbek SSR. In terms of living conditions, education and industry Tajikistan was somewhat behind the other Soviet Republics.[citation needed] By the late 1980s Tajik nationalists were calling for increased rights. Real disturbances did not occur within the republic until 1990. The following year, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence.

Independence

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. Emomali Rahmonov came to power in 1992, and continues to rule to this day. However, he has been accused of ethnic cleansing against other ethnicities and groups during the Civil war in Tajikistan[citation needed]. In 1997, a ceasefire was reached between Rahmonov and opposition parties (United Tajik Opposition). Peaceful elections were held in 1999, but they were reported by the opposition as unfair, and Rahmonov 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 and French troops have also been stationed in the country.

Politics

See also: Human rights in Tajikistan
Modern Tajiks proudly view the Persian Samanid Empire as being the first Tajik state in history. This monument located in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe honors Saman Khuda, ancestor of the Samanids and a source of Tajik nationalism.
Enlarge
Modern Tajiks proudly view the Persian Samanid Empire as being the first Tajik state in history. This monument located in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe honors Saman Khuda, ancestor of the Samanids and a source of Tajik nationalism.

Almost immediately after independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war that saw various factions, allegedly backed by Russia and Iran, 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.[1]

Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament. The latest elections occurred in 2005, and as all previous elections, international observers believe them to have been corrupt, arousing many accusations from opposition parties that President Emomali Rahmon manipulates the election process.

The November 6, 2006 election was boycotted by "mainline" opposition parties, including the 23,000-member Islamist Islamic Renaissance Party. Four remaining opponents "all but endorsed the incumbent", Rakhmon.[1] 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 till 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.

Administrative divisions

Tajikistan consists of 4 administrative divisions: 2 provinces (viloyat) (Sughd and Khatlon), 1 autonomous province (Gorno-Badakhshan), and the Region of Republican Subordination (formerly known as Karotegin Province).

Division ISO 3166-2 Capital Area (sq. km) Pop (2000) Key
Sughd TJ-SU Khujand 26,100 1,870,000 1
Region of Republican Subordination TJ-RR Dushanbe 28,400 1,338,000 2
Khatlon TJ-KT Qurghonteppa  24,600 2,150,000 3
Gorno-Badakhshan TJ-BG Khorugh 63,700 206,000 4

Each region consists of several districts (called "nohiya").

Geography

Satellite photograph of Tajikistan
Enlarge
Satellite photograph of Tajikistan
Mountains of Tajikistan
Enlarge
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 which is part of the Fergana Valley, and in the southern Kafirnigan and Vakhsh valleys which form the Amu Darya and have much higher rainfall. Dushanbe is located on the southern slopes above the Kafirnigan valley.

The Amu Darya and Panj rivers mark the border with Afghanistan, and Tajikistan's mountains are the major source of runoff for the Aral Sea

About 1% of the country's area is covered by lakes:

Mountain Height Location
Independence Peak 7,174 m 23,537 ft     Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range
Kyzylart Pass 4,280 m 14,042 ft     Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range
Ismoil Somoni Peak (highest) 7,495 m 24,590 ft     North of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Avicenna Peak 6,974 m 22,881 ft     North of Ismoil Somoni Peak
Peak Korzhenievski 7,105 m 23,310 ft     Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Revolution Peak 6,973 m 22,880 ft     Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous oblast (province)
Qatorkuhi Akademiyai Fanho 6,785 m 22,260 ft     Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Concord Peak 5,469 m 17,943 ft     Southern border in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Qullai Karl Marks 6,726 m 22,067 ft     Southern border in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Qullai Mayakovskiy 6,096 m 20,000 ft     Along the border to Afghanistan.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Tajikistan

Tajikistan was the poorest country in Central Asia as well in the former Soviet Union following a civil war after it became independent in 1991. 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.[2] Tajikistan is an active member of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

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.[3]

Drug trafficking

Drug trafficking is a major source of income in Tajikistan[4] 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. Tajikistan holds the third place in the world for heroin and raw opium confiscations.[5] 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.[4]

Demographics

A boy sells dried fruits at a market in Tajikistan
Enlarge
A boy sells dried fruits at a market in Tajikistan

Tajikistan has a population of 7,076,598 (July 2007 est.). Tajiks who speak the Tajik language are the main ethnic group, although there is a sizeable minority of Uzbeks, and a small population of Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration. Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to larger group of Tajiks. Likewise, the official language of Tajikistan is the Tajik language, while Russian is largely spoken in business and for government purposes. Despite its poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy with an estimated 98% of the population having the ability to read and write. Most of the population follows Sunni Islam, although a sizeable number of Shi'a, mostly Ismailis are present as well. Bukharian Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd century BC, but today only a few hundred remain. There is also a small population of Yaghnobi people who have lived in the mountainous district of Sughd Viloyat for many centuries.

The Tajik 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 Tajik government and the World Bank considered activities to support this part of the population described in the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.[6]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Tajikistan
Statue of Persian poet Rudaki in Panjakent, Tajikistan. Poetry is an important element in the culture of Tajikistan
Enlarge
Statue of Persian poet Rudaki in Panjakent, Tajikistan. Poetry is an important element in the culture of Tajikistan

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 two-thirds of the citizens of Tajikistan. Ancient towns such as Bukhara, Samarkand, Herat, Balkh and Khiva are no longer part of the country. The main urban centers in today's Tajikistan include Dushanbe (the capital), Khujand, Kulob, Panjakent and Istaravshan.

The Pamiri people of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region 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.

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ^ a b c 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
  2. ^ BBC's Guide to Central Asia. BBC News. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
  3. ^ US Army Corps of Engineer, Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge
  4. ^ a b Silk Road Studies, COUNTRY FACTSHEETS, EURASIAN NARCOTICS: TAJIKISTAN 2004
  5. ^ CIA World Factbook. Tajikistan, transnational issues
  6. ^ Tajikistan - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and joint assessment. World Bank. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.

Further reading

  • Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan by Ka