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

39 00 N, 71 00 E

Asia

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

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

7,220 sq km (2003)

99.7 cu km (1997)

earthquakes; floods

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

7,349,145 (July 2009 est.)

1.878% (2009 est.)

26.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

6.83 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

-1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

2.99 children born/woman (2009 est.)

less than 0.3% (2007 est.)

10,000 (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

3.4% of GDP (2006)

republic

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)

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

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)

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, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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

Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Because of a lack of employment opportunities in Tajikistan, nearly half of the labor force works abroad, primarily in Russia, supporting families in Tajikistan through remittances. The exact number of labor migrants is unknown, but estimated at around 1 million. 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, widespread unemployment, seasonal power shortages, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Completion of the Sangtuda I hydropower dam - built with Russian investment - and the Sangtuda II and Rogun dams will add substantially to electricity output. If finished according to Tajik plans, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. Tajikistan has also received substantial infrastructure development loans from the Chinese government to improve roads and an electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south trade, the US funded a $36 million bridge which opened in August 2007 and links Tajikistan and Afghanistan. While, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population continues to live in poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped to 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 commodities and lower remittances from Tajiks working in Russia, due to the declining economic conditions in that country.

$15.4 billion (2008 est.)

$14.27 billion (2007)

$11.32 billion (2006)

$4.788 billion (2008 est.)

7.9% (2008 est.)

7.8% (2007 est.)

7% (2006 est.)

$2,100 (2008 est.)

$1,700 (2007 est.)

$1,600 (2006 est.)

2.1 million (2008)

2.3% (2008 est.)

2.4% (2007 est.)

60% (2007 est.)

32.6 (2006)

20% of GDP (2008 est.)

11.8% (2008)

13.1% (2007 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)

$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

4% (2008)

14.8 billion kWh (2008)

17.8 billion kWh (2008)

1 billion kWh (2008 est.)

3 billion kWh (2008 est.)

503 bbl/day (2008)

10,600 bbl/day (2008)

NA bbl/day

10,100 bbl/day (2008)

12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

16 million cu m (2008)

542.7 million cu m (2008)

0 cu m (2008)

512.7 million cu m (2008)

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

$-1.8 billion (2008)

$1.4 billion f.o.b. (2008)

aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles

Netherlands 38.9%, Turkey 32.5%, Russia 6.6%, Uzbekistan 5.9%, Iran 5.1% (2007)

$3.2 billion f.o.b. (2008)

electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs

Russia 32.1%, Kazakhstan 13.1%, China 10.8%, Uzbekistan 8.4% (2007)

$220 million (31 December 2008)

$1.37 billion (31 December 2008)

$88 million (2008 est.)

NA

Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 3.4563 (2008 est.), 3.4418 (2007), 3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004)

340,000 (2007)

3.5 million (2007)

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

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

.tj

1,158 (2008)

19,500 (2005)

26 (2008)

gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2008)

200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2008)

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Forces (2008)

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