Legend:
Definition
Field Listing
Rank Order
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Background:
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Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions. 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.
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Location:
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Central Asia, west of China
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Geographic coordinates:
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39 00 N, 71 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 143,100 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Wisconsin
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
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Terrain:
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Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
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Natural resources:
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hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.41%
permanent crops: 0.92%
other: 93.67% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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7,200 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes and floods
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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6,863,752 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 39.8% (male 1,376,244; female 1,353,108)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,896,509; female 1,915,334)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 140,993; female 181,564) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 19.3 years
male: 19 years
female: 19.6 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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2.13% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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32.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 113.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 99.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 126.58 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 64.37 years
male: 61.39 years
female: 67.5 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than 200 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (2001 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani
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Ethnic groups:
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Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6%
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%
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Languages:
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Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.1% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Dushanbe
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Administrative divisions:
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2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
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Independence:
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9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
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Constitution:
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6 November 1994
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (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
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali KENJAYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members: Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko SAIDOV]
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International organization participation:
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AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: as of May 2003, no permanent site for a chancery had been selected
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58079-68
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48, 21-03-50, 21-03-52, 24-15-60
FAX: [992] (372) 51-00-28, 21-03-62
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. 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. Even though 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of Tajikistan.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $8 billion (2002 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5% (2002 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,250 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (2002)
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Population below poverty line:
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60% (2001 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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34.7 (1998)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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12% (2001 est.)
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Labor force:
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3.187 million (2000)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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40% (2002 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $502 million
expenditures: $520 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2002)
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Industries:
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aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
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Industrial production growth rate:
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10.3% (2000 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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14.18 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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14.52 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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3.909 billion kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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5.242 billion kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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250 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
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Exports:
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$710 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
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Exports - partners:
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Europe 43%, Russia 30%, Uzbekistan 13% (2000 est.)
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Imports:
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$830 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
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Imports - partners:
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Uzbekistan 27%, Russia 16%, Europe 12% (2000)
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Debt - external:
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$1 billion (2002 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$60.7 million from US (2001)
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Currency:
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somoni
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Currency code:
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TJS
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Exchange rates:
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Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.3722 (2001), 2.0763 (2000), 1.2378 (1999), 0.7766 (1998)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Railways:
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total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
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Highways:
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total: 29,900 km
paved: 21,400 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)
unpaved: 8,500 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
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Waterways:
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none
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Pipelines:
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natural gas 400 km (1992)
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Ports and harbors:
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none
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Airports:
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66 (2002)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 53
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 36 (2002)
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This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003
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