World Facts Index
 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 Uzbekistan SSR to newly
formed Tajikistan 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 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 and security 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 of Tajikistan
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Location:
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Central Asia, west of China |
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Coordinates:
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39 00 N, 71 00 E |
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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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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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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 of Tajikistan
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Population:
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7,211,884 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168)
15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) |
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Median age:
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20 years |
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Growth rate:
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2.19% |
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Infant mortality:
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106.49 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 64.94 years
male: 62.03 years
female: 68 years |
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Fertility rate:
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4 children born/woman |
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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 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other
2.6% |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other
10% |
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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%
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
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*
[Gorno-Badakhshan] (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 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); prime minister appointed by 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 (34 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; all
serve five-year terms) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president) |
Economy
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, but this sector is burdened with debt and an 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. 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, 7% in 2006, and 7.8% in 2007. 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. 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, but suffers winter
power shortages due to poor management of water levels in rivers and
reservoirs. 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.
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GDP:
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$11.96 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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7.8% |
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GDP per capita:
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$1,600 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 23.4%
industry: 28.6%
services: 48% |
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Inflation rate:
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7.1% |
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Labor force:
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3.7 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% |
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Unemployment:
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12% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $442.3 million
expenditures: $542.6 million |
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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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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1% |
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Agriculture:
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cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables;
cattle, sheep, goats |
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Exports:
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aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits,
vegetable oil, textiles |
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Export partners:
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US 23.2%, Netherlands 15.5%, Turkey 10.9%, Uzbekistan
8.1%, Switzerland 7%, Russia 7%, Norway 5.5% |
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Imports:
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electricity, petroleum products, aluminum
oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs |
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Import partners:
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Russia 17%, Uzbekistan 14.4%, Kazakhstan 13.1%, China
11.3%, Azerbaijan 7.4%, Ukraine 4.6% |
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Currency:
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somoni |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |