Central Asia :: Tajikistan
page last updated on May 5, 2010
Flag of Tajikistan
Location of Tajikistan
 
Map of Tajikistan
Introduction ::Tajikistan
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 ::Tajikistan
Central Asia, west of China
39 00 N, 71 00 E
total: 143,100 sq km
country comparison to the world: 95
land: 141,510 sq km
water: 2,590 sq km
slightly smaller than Wisconsin
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
Current Weather
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
arable land: 6.52%
permanent crops: 0.89%
other: 92.59% (2005)
7,220 sq km (2003)
99.7 cu km (1997)
total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%)
per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)
earthquakes; floods
inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
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
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 ::Tajikistan
7,487,489 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
0-14 years: 34.1% (male 1,300,221/female 1,255,316)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 2,313,460/female 2,357,496)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 110,807/female 150,189) (2010 est.)
total: 22.2 years
male: 21.7 years
female: 22.7 years (2010 est.)
1.852% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
26.49 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
6.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
-1.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
urban population: 26% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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 (2010 est.)
total: 39.78 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 66
male: 44.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 34.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
total population: 65.68 years
country comparison to the world: 164
male: 62.63 years
female: 68.88 years (2010 est.)
2.94 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
less than 0.3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
10,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria (2009)
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani
Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census)
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.5%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2000 census)
total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 10 years (2006)
3.4% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 132
Government ::Tajikistan
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
republic
name: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
6 November 1994
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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
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elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 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%
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; members serve five-year terms) and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 28 February 2010 (next to be held in February 2015); Assembly of Representatives - last held on 28 February 2010 (next to be held in February 2015)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 71%, Islamic Revival Party 8.2%, CPT 7%, APT 5.1%, PER 5.1%, other 3.6%; seats by party - PDPT 55, Islamic Revival Party 2, CPT 2, APT 2, PER 2
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
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]
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]
ADB, CICA, 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, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth GROSS
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
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; red represents the sun, victory, and the unity of the nation, white stands for purity, cotton, and mountain snows, while green is the color of Islam and the bounty of nature; the crown symbolizes the Tajik people; the seven stars signify the Tajik magic word "seven" - a symbol of perfection and the embodiment of happiness
Economy ::Tajikistan
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 and Kazakhstan, supporting families in Tajikistan through remittances. The exact number of labor migrants is unknown, but estimated at around 1 million. Less than 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and 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, 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 - finished in 2009 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, more than half of the population continues to live in poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped below 8% in 2005-08, as the effects of higher oil prices and then the international financial crisis began to register - mainly in the form of lower prices for key export commodities and lower remittances from Tajiks working abroad, due to the global economic downturn. In 2009 GDP growth dropped to 3.4% as a result of the world recession.
$13.8 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
$13.34 billion (2008 est.)
$12.37 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
$4.741 billion (2009 est.)
3.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
7.9% (2008 est.)
7.8% (2007 est.)
$1,800 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
$1,900 (2008 est.)
$1,700 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
agriculture: 18.9%
industry: 21.9%
services: 59.2% (2009 est.)
2.1 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 117
agriculture: 49.8%
industry: 12.8%
services: 37.4% (2009 est.)
2.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
2.3% (2008 est.)
note: official rates; actual unemployment is higher
60% (2009 est.)
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 25.6% (2007 est.)
32.6 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 99
34.7 (1998)
5% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
revenues: $1.22 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion (2009 est.)
6.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
20.5% (2008 est.)
NA% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 15
15% (31 December 2007)
23.1% (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2008)
$329.2 million (31 December 2007)
$544 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 115
$350.3 million (31 December 2007)
$889 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 114
$NA (31 December 2007)
$NA
cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
-6.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
16.1 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
16.7 billion kWh (2009)
country comparison to the world: 73
1 billion kWh (2008 est.)
667.8 million kWh (2009 est.)
238 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
36,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
349 bbl/day
country comparison to the world: 129
10,100 bbl/day (2008)
country comparison to the world: 140
12 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
16.1 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
266.1 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
250 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
-$288 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
$47.6 million (2008 est.)
$1 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$1.575 billion (2008 est.)
aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Netherlands 36.7%, Turkey 26.5%, Russia 8.6%, Iran 6.6%, China 5.7%, Uzbekistan 5.1% (2008)
$2.908 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
$3.699 billion (2008 est.)
electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Russia 32.3%, China 11.9%, Kazakhstan 8.8%, Uzbekistan 4.7% (2008)
$214 million (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
$195 million (31 December 2008 est.)
$1.691 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
$1.503 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$112.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$12.71 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
$10.86 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 4.3813 (2009), 3.4563 (2008), 3.4418 (2007), 3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005)
Communications ::Tajikistan
360,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 108
3.5 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 101
general assessment: foreign investment in the telephone system has resulted in major improvements
domestic: conversion of the existing fixed network from analogue to digital was more than 90% complete by 2009; 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) (2009)
16 (number of licensed stations with only about 10 broadcasting) (2009)
24 (number of licensed stations with only about 15 active) (2009)
.tj
987 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 161
600,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 103
Transportation ::Tajikistan
26 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 128
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 (2009)
total: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2009)
total: 680 km
country comparison to the world: 107
broad gauge: 680 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
total: 27,767 km (2000)
country comparison to the world: 100
200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 99
Military ::Tajikistan
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Forces (2010)
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
males age 16-49: 1,980,012
females age 16-49: 1,990,084 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,461,896
females age 16-49: 1,642,240 (2010 est.)
male: 77,585
female: 75,201 (2010 est.)
3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
Transnational Issues ::Tajikistan
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
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)
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