CIA - The World Factbook

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.

Central Asia, west of China

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

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

hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides

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

7,487,489 (July 2010 est.)

26.49 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

6.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-1.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

2.94 children born/woman (2010 est.)

less than 0.3% (2007 est.)

fewer than 500 (2007 est.)

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

2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)

9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

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)

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]

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)

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

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.)

$13.34 billion (2008 est.)

$12.37 billion (2007 est.)

$4.741 billion (2009 est.)

5% of GDP (2009 est.)

NA% (31 December 2008)

15% (31 December 2007)

23.1% (31 December 2008)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$329.2 million (31 December 2007)

$544 million (31 December 2008)

$350.3 million (31 December 2007)

$889 million (31 December 2008)

$NA (31 December 2007)

cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers

16.1 billion kWh (2009 est.)

16.7 billion kWh (2009)

1 billion kWh (2008 est.)

667.8 million kWh (2009 est.)

238 bbl/day (2008 est.)

36,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

10,100 bbl/day (2008)

12 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

16.1 million cu m (2009 est.)

266.1 million cu m (2009 est.)

250 million cu m (2009 est.)

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

-$288 million (2009 est.)

$47.6 million (2008 est.)

$1 billion (2009 est.)

$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.)

$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.)

$195 million (31 December 2008 est.)

$1.691 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.503 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$112.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$12.71 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$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)

16 (number of licensed stations with only about 10 broadcasting) (2009)

24 (number of licensed stations with only about 15 active) (2009)

gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2009)

200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2008)

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Forces (2010)

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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