The republic's mountains yield coal, antimony, silver, gold, salt, uranium, mercury, tungsten, lead, and zinc. Mineral springs provide the basis for numerous health resorts. Cotton ginning, silk spinning, food processing, winemaking, carpet weaving, metals processing, and the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, and cement are the leading industries. There is some petroleum, and Tajikistan is well provided with hydroelectric resources. Cotton, aluminum, and textiles are exported and fuels, chemicals, and transport equipment are imported.
Trade is primarily with other former Soviet republics.
The people of Tajikistan are probably descended from the inhabitants of ancient Sogdiana . By the 9th and 10th cent., the Tajiks had achieved much success in fruit growing, cattle raising, and the development of handicrafts and trade. The Tajik territory was conquered by the Mongols in the 13th cent. In the 16th cent., it became part of the khanate of Bukhara. By the mid-19th cent.