Tajikistan

Tajikistan

area:	143,100sq km (55,520 sq mi)
population:	6,331,500
capital population:	Dushanbe (580,800)
government:	Transitional democracy
ethnic groups:	Tajik 62%, Uzbek 24%, Russian 8%, Tatar, Kyrgyz, Ukrainian, German
languages:	Tajik (official)
religions:	Islam
currency:	Rouble = 100 kopecks

Republic in central Asia. The mountainous Republic of Tajikistan lies in se Central Asia. In the n is the westernmost part of the Tian Shan range. In the e lie the snow-capped Pamirs, including Kommunizma Pik at 7495m (24,590ft). The capital, Dushanbe, lies at the foot of the central Gissar-Altai range. In the nw lies part of the Fergana valley on the ancient route to Samarkand. In the sw, a plain extends from Dushanbe to the River Amudarya border with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan is prone to earthquakes.

Climate

Tajikistan has a continental climate. Summers are hot and dry in the lowlands, but winters are long and cold in the mountains. Much of the country is arid, but the se has heavy snowfalls.

Vegetation

Vegetation varies greatly according to altitude. Much of Tajikistan consists of desert or rocky mountain landscapes capped by snow and ice.

History and Politics

The Tajiks are descendants of Iranians who settled in the area c.2500 years ago. Alexander the Great conquered the region in the 4th century bc. In the 7th century ad, Tajikistan was conquered by Arabs, who introduced Islam. In the 9th century, it fell to the Iranian Empire. The Tajik cities of Bukhara and Samarkand were vital centres of trade and Islamic learning. In the 13th century, Tajikistan was overrun by the Mongol hordes. From the 16th to the 19th century, Uzbeks ruled the area as the Khanate of Bukhara.

The fragmentation of the region aided Russian conquest from 1868. Following the Russian Revolution (1917), Tajikistan rebelled against Russian rule. Although Soviet troops annexed n Tajikistan into Turkistan in 1918, the Bukhara Emirate held out against the Red Army until 1921. In 1924, Tajikistan became an autonomous part of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In 1929, Tajikistan achieved full republic status, but Bukhara and Samarkand remained in the republic of Uzbekistan. During the 1930s, vast irrigation schemes greatly increased agricultural land. Many Russians and Uzbeks were settled in Tajikistan. As the pace of reform accelerated in Russia, many Tajiks demanded independence.

In 1989, Tajik replaced Russian as the official language. In 1990, the Tajik Parliament declared itself the supreme sovereign body. In 1991, Tajikistan became an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 1992 tension between the new government, consisting mainly of former communists, and an alliance of Islamic and democratic groups descended into full civil war. The government called for Russian military assistance, and by 1993 the Islamic-Democratic rebels had retreated into Afghanistan. Imamali Rakhmonov was appointed president. Fighting continued along the Afghan border, and the rebels made frequent incursions into Tajikistan. In 1994, a brief cease-fire enabled elections to take place. Rakhmonov was elected president amid an opposition boycott. In 1995, the civil war resumed and the Russian air force launched attacks on rebel bases in Afghanistan. In 1995, fresh elections saw the return of the (former communist) People's Party of Tajikistan, amid charges of electoral corruption and another opposition boycott. In 1996, a peace agreement was signed, formally ending the five-year civil war. Rakhmonov was re-elected in 1999.

Economy

The poorest former Soviet republic, Tajikistan is a low-income developing country (2000 GDP per capita, US$1140). It faced enormous problems in the transition to a market economy. The cost of civil war devastated its fragile economy. In 1994, Tajikistan ceded much of its economic sovereignty to Russia in return for financial and military assistance. Agriculture is the main activity. Livestock-rearing is important and cotton is the chief product. Tajikistan is rich in resources, such as hydroelectricity, oil, uranium and gold. Aluminium is the major manufactured export. Textiles are an important industry.

Political map

Physical map