Tajikistan

Tajikistan,officially theRepublic of Tajikistan,is alandlocked countryinCentral Asia.Dushanbeis thecapitaland most populous city. Tajikistan is bordered byAfghanistanto thesouth,Uzbekistanto thewest,Kyrgyzstanto thenorth, andChinato theeast. It is separated fromPakistanby Afghanistan'sWakhan Corridor. It has a population of over 10.7 million people.
The territory was previously home to cultures of theNeolithicand theBronze Age, including the city ofSarazm,and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of various faiths and cultures including theOxus civilization,Andronovo culture,Buddhism,Nestorian Christianity,Hinduism,Zoroastrianism,Manichaeism, andIslam. The area has been ruled by empires anddynastiesincluding theAchaemenid Empire,Sasanian Empire,Hephthalite Empire,Samanid Empire, andMongol Empire. After being ruled by theTimurid EmpireandKhanate of Bukhara, theTimurid Renaissanceflourished. The region waslater conqueredby theRussian Empire, before becoming part of theSoviet Union. Within the Soviet Union, thecountry's borders were drawnwhen it was part ofUzbekistanas anautonomous republicbefore becoming aconstituent republicof the Soviet Union on 5 December 1929.
On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan declared itself an independent sovereign nation asthe Soviet Union was disintegrating. Acivil warwas fought after independence, lasting from May 1992 to June 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. The country has been led since 1994 byEmomali Rahmon, who heads anauthoritarian regimeand whosehuman rights recordhas been criticised.
Tajikistan is apresidential republicconsisting offour provinces.Tajiksform the ethnic majority in the country,and their national language isTajik.Russianis used as the official inter-ethnic language.While the state isconstitutionally secular, theIslamic religionis nominally adhered to by 97.5% of the population. In theGorno-Badakhshanoblast, there is a linguistic diversity whereRushani,Shughni,Ishkashimi,Wakhi, and Tajik are some of the languages spoken. Mountains cover more than 90% of the country. It is adeveloping countrywith atransitional economythat is dependent onremittances, and on production ofaluminiumandcotton. Tajikistan is a member of theUnited Nations,CIS,OSCE,OIC,ECO,SCO,CSTO, and aNATOPfP partner.
The term "Tajik" itself ultimately derives from theMiddle PersianTāzīk, theTurkicrendition of theArabicethnonymṬayyi’, denoting aQahtaniteArab tribewho emigrated to theTransoxianaregion ofCentral Asiain the 7th century AD.Tajikistan appeared asTadjikistanorTadzhikistanin English prior to 1991. This is due to a transliteration from theRussian:"Таджикистан". In Russian, there is no single letter "j" to represent the phoneme/d͡ʒ/, and thereforeдж, or dzh, is used. Tadzhikistan is the alternate spelling and is used in English literature derived from Russian sources.
While theLibrary of Congress's 1997 Country Study of Tajikistan found it difficult to definitively state the origins of the word "Tajik" because the term is "embroiled in twentieth-century political disputes about whether Turkic or Iranic peoples were the original inhabitants of Central Asia,"scholars concluded that contemporaryTajiksare the descendants of theEastern Iranicinhabitants ofCentral Asia, in particular, theSogdiansand theBactriansand possibly other groups.In later works, Frye expands on the complexity of the historical origins of the Tajiks. In a 1996 publication, Frye explains that "factors must be taken into account in explaining the evolution of the peoples whose remnants are the Tajiks in Central Asia" and that "the peoples of Central Asia, whetherIranicorTurkicspeaking, have one culture, one religion, one set of social values and traditions with only language separating them."
Regarding Tajiks, theEncyclopædia Britannicastates:
Cultures in the region have been dated back to at least the fourth millennium BC, including theBronze AgeBactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex, theAndronovocultures and thepro-urban site of Sarazm, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
The earliest recorded history of the region dates back to about 500 BC when most, if not all, of Tajikistan was part of theAchaemenid Empire.Some authors have suggested that in the seventh and sixth centuries BC parts of Tajikistan, including territories in the Zeravshan valley, formed part of theHinduKambojastribebefore it became part of theAchaemenid Empire.After the region's conquest byAlexander the Greatit became part of theGreco-Bactrian Kingdom, a successor state of Alexander's empire. Northern Tajikistan (the cities ofKhujandandPanjakent) was part ofSogdia, a collection of city-states which was overrun byScytho-SiberiansandYuezhinomadic tribes around 150 BC. TheSilk Roadpassed through the region and following the expedition of Chinese explorerZhang Qianduring the reign ofWudi(141 BC–87 BC) commercial relations betweenHan Empireand Sogdiana flourished.Sogdians played a role in facilitating trade and worked in other capacities, as farmers, carpetweavers, glassmakers, and woodcarvers.
TheKushan Empire, a collection ofYuezhitribes, took control of the region in the first century AD and ruled until the fourth century AD during which timeBuddhism,Nestorian Christianity,Zoroastrianism, andManichaeismwere practised in the region.Later theHephthalite Empire, a collection of nomadic tribes, moved into the region, and theArabsdisseminated Islamin the eighth century.
TheSamanid Empire, 819 to 999, restoredPersiancontrol of the region and enlarged the cities ofSamarkandandBukhara, which became the cultural centers ofIran; the region was known as Khorasan. The empire was centered in Khorasan and Transoxiana; at its greatest extent encompassing Afghanistan, parts of Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, parts of Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.
Four brothers Nuh, Ahmad, Yahya, and Ilyas founded the Samanid state. Each of them ruled territory underAbbasidsuzerainty. In 892,Ismail Samani(892–907) united the Samanid state under one ruler, thus putting an end to the feudal system used by the Samanids. It was under him that the Samanids became independent of Abbasid authority.
TheKara-Khanid KhanateconqueredTransoxania(which corresponded approximately with what later would be Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan, and southwest Kazakhstan) and ruled between 999 and 1211.Their arrival in Transoxania signalled a definitive shift from Iranian to Turkic predominance in Central Asia,and gradually the Kara-khanids became assimilated into the Perso-Arab Muslim culture of the region.
In the 13th century, theMongol Empireswept through Central Asia, invaded theKhwarezmian Empireand sacked its cities, looting and massacring people.Turco-MongolconquerorTamerlanefounded theTimurid Empire, becoming the first ruler of theTimurid dynastyin and around what later became Tajikistan and Central Asia.
What later became Tajikistan fell under the rule of theKhanate of Bukharaduring the 16th century and, with the empire's collapse in the 18th century, it came under the rule of theEmirate of BukharaandKhanate of Kokand. TheEmirate of Bukhararemained intact until the 20th century.
During the 19th century, for the second time in world history, a European power (theRussian Empire) began to conquer parts of the region.RussianImperialismled to theRussian Empire's conquest ofCentral Asiaduring the 19th century'sImperial Era. Between 1864 and 1885, Russia gradually took control of the entire territory ofRussian Turkestan, the Tajikistan portion of which had been controlled by theEmirate of BukharaandKhanate of Kokand. Russia was interested in gaining access to a supply ofcottonand in the 1870s attempted to switch cultivation in the region from grain to cotton (a strategy later copied and expanded by the Soviets).
During the 19th century, theJadidistsestablished themselves as an Islamic social movement throughout the region. While the Jadidists were pro-modernization and not necessarily anti-Russian, the Russians viewed the movement as a threat because the Russian Empire was predominantly Christian.Russian troops were required to restore order during uprisings against the Khanate of Kokand between 1910 and 1913. Further violence occurred in July 1916 when demonstrators attacked Russian soldiers inKhujandover the threat of forcedconscriptionduringWorld War I. While Russian troops brought Khujand back under control, clashes continued throughout the year in various locations in Tajikistan.
After theRussian Revolutionof 1917 guerrillas throughout Central Asia, known asbasmachi, wageda waragainstBolshevikarmies in an attempt to maintain independence.The Bolsheviks prevailed after a four-year war, in whichmosquesand villages were burned down and the population suppressed.
Between 1928 and 1941, Soviet authorities started ananti-religious campaignofsecularization. PractisingChristianity,Islam, orJudaismwas discouraged and repressed; due to theSoviet anti-religious legislation, severalchurches,mosques, andsynagogueswere closed.As a consequence of the conflict and Soviet agriculture policies,Central Asia, Tajikistan included, underwent a famine that claimed lives.
In 1924, theTajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republicwas created as a part ofUzbekistan,and in 1929 the Tajikistan Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajikistan SSR, Таджикская ССР) was made a separate constituent republic;the predominantly ethnic Tajik cities ofSamarkandandBukhararemained in theUzbek SSR. Between 1927 and 1934,collectivization of agricultureand an expansion of cotton production took place, especially in the southern region.Soviet collectivization policy brought violence against farmers and peasants, classified asanti-Sovietcategories of "enemies of the people", andforced resettlementoccurred throughout Tajikistan. Consequently, some peasants fought collectivization and revived theBasmachi movement. Some industrial development occurred during this time along with the expansion of irrigation infrastructure.
Two rounds ofStalin's purges(1927–1934 and 1937–1938) resulted in the expulsion of nearly 10,000 people from all levels of theCommunist Party of Tajikistan.EthnicRussianswere sent in to replace those expelled and subsequently Russians dominated party positions at all levels, including the top position of first secretary.Between 1926 and 1959 the proportion of Russians among Tajikistan's population grew from less than 1% to 13%.Bobojon Ghafurov,First Secretary of the Communist Party of Tajikistanfrom 1946 to 1956, was the only Tajik politician of significance outside of the republic during the Soviet Era.
Tajiks began to be conscripted into theRed Armyin 1939 and duringWorld War IIaround 260,000 Tajik citizens fought againstNazi Germany,Finland, and theJapanese Empire. Between 60,000 (4%)and 120,000 (8%)of Tajikistan's 1,530,000 citizens were killed during World War II.
Following the war and the end of Stalin's reign, attempts were made to further expand the agriculture and industry of Tajikistan.During 1957–58Nikita Khrushchev'sVirgin Lands Campaignfocused attention on Tajikistan, where living conditions, education and industry lagged behind the otherSoviet Republics.In the 1980s, Tajikistan had the lowest household saving rate in the USSR,the lowest percentage of households in the two top per capita income groups,and the lowest rate of university graduates per 1000 people.
By the 1980s Tajik nationalists were calling for increased rights. Real disturbances did not occur within the republic until 1990. The following year, theSoviet Unioncollapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence on 9 September 1991, a day which is celebrated as the country'sIndependence Day.
In February 1990,riots and strikesinDushanbeand other cities began due to the difficult socio-economic situation, lack of housing, and youth unemployment.The nationalist and democratic opposition and supporters of independence joined the strikes and began to demand the independence of the republic and democratic reforms.Islamistsbegan to hold strikes to demand respect for their rights and independence. The Soviet leadership introduced Internal Troops in Dushanbe to eliminate the unrest.
Following independence, the nation fell intocivil waramong factions distinguished by clan loyalties.Regional groups from theGharmandGorno-Badakhshanregions of Tajikistan. led by a combination ofliberal democraticreformersandIslamists, who eventually became theUnited Tajik Opposition, rose up against the newly formed government of PresidentRahmon Nabiyev, which was dominated by people from theKhujandandKulobregions.
The war lasted until 1997. More than 500,000 residents fled during this time because of persecution and increased poverty, seeking better economic opportunities in the West or in other former Soviet republics.The estimated dead numbered over 100,000. Around 1.2 million people wererefugeesinside and outside of the country.
Emomali Rahmoncame to power in the early part of this conflict in 1992,after Nabiyev was forced at gunpoint on 7 September 1992 to resign from office.Rahmon defeated former prime ministerAbdumalik Abdullajanovin a November presidential election with 58% of the vote.
In 1997, aceasefirewas reached between Rahmon and opposition parties under the guidance of Gerd D. Merrem,Special Representative to the Secretary General, a result praised as a successful United Nations peacekeeping initiative. The ceasefire guaranteed 30% of ministerial positions would go to theopposition.Electionswere held in 1999 and were criticised by opposition parties and foreign observers as unfair; Rahmon was re-elected with 98% of the vote.Elections in 2006were again won by Rahmon (with 79% of the vote) and he began his third term in office. Opposition parties boycotted the 2006 election and theOrganization for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) criticised it, while observers from theCommonwealth of Independent Statesclaimed the elections were legal and transparent.
Rahmon's administration came under further criticism from OSCE in October 2010 for its censorship and repression of the media. OSCE claimed that the Tajik Government censored Tajik and foreign websites and instituted tax inspections on independent printing houses that led to the cessation of printing activities for a number of independent newspapers.
Russian border troops were stationed along the Tajik–Afghan border until summer 2005. Since theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks, French troops have been stationed atDushanbe Airportin support of air operations ofNATO'sInternational Security Assistance ForceinAfghanistan.United States ArmyandMarine Corpspersonnel periodically visit Tajikistan to conduct joint training missions of up to several weeks duration. TheGovernment of Indiarebuilt theAyni Air Base, a military airport located 15 km southwest of Dushanbe, at a cost of $70 million, completing the repairs in September 2010.It is the main base of the Tajikistan air force. There have been talks with Russia concerning use of the Ayni facility,and Russia continues to maintain a base on the outskirts of Dushanbe.
In 2010, there were concerns among Tajik officials that Islamic militarism in the east of the country was on the rise following the escape of 25 militants from a Tajik prison in August, an ambush that killed 28 Tajik soldiers in theRasht Valleyin September,and another ambush in the valley in October that killed 30 soldiers,followed by fighting outsideGharmthat left three militants dead. The country's Interior Ministry insisted that the central government maintained full control over the country's east, and the military operation in the Rasht Valley was concluded in November 2010.
Fighting eruptedagain, this time in and around Gorno-Badakhshan, in July 2012.In 2015, Russia sent more troops to Tajikistan.
In May 2015, Tajikistan's national security underwent a setback when ColonelGulmurod Khalimov, commander of the special-purpose police unit (OMON) of the Interior Ministry, defected to theIslamic State.Khalimov was allegedly killed on 8 September 2017 during a Russian airstrike nearDeir ez-Zor,Syria,although Tajikistan authorities express doubts whether he has died.
In 2021, following theFall of Kabul, Tajikistan allegedly got involved in thePanjshir conflictagainst theTalibanon the side of theNational Resistance Front of Afghanistan.
In September 2022armed clashes, including the use of artillery, erupted along most of the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
After independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war. Factions were supported by foreign countries includingAfghanistan, Iran, Pakistan,Uzbekistanand Russia. Russia and Iran focused on keeping peace in the warring nation to decrease the chances ofU.S.orTurkishinvolvement. Russia backed the pro-government faction and deployed troops from theCommonwealth of Independent Statesto guard the Tajikistan-Afghan border.All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russians, who were mostly employed in industry, fled to Russia. By 1997, the war had ended after apeace agreementbetween the government and the Islamist-led opposition, a central government began to take form, with peaceful elections in 1999.
"Longtime observers of Tajikistan often characterize the country as profoundly averse to risk and skeptical of promises of reform, a political passivity they trace to the country's ruinous civil war," Ilan Greenberg wrote in a news article inThe New York Timesbefore the country's November 2006 presidential election.
The parliamentary elections of 2005 aroused accusations from opposition parties and international observers that PresidentEmomali Rahmoncorruptly manipulates the election process and unemployment. Elections in February 2010 saw the ruling PDPT lose four seats in Parliament, yet still maintain a majority. TheOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europeelection observers said the 2010 polling "failed to meet many key OSCE commitments" and that "these elections failed on many basic democratic standards."The government insisted that only minor violations had occurred, which would not affect the will of the Tajik people.
The Tajik government has reportedly clamped down on facial hair as part of a crackdown on Islamic influence and due to its perceived associations withIslamic extremism, which is evident in borderingAfghanistan.
The presidential election held on 6 November 2006 was boycotted by "mainline" opposition parties, including the 23,000-memberIslamic Renaissance Party. Four remaining opponents "all but endorsed the incumbent", Rahmon.
Freedom of the press is officially guaranteed by the government, and independent press outlets remain restricted, as does an amount of web content.According to theInstitute for War & Peace Reporting, access to local and foreign websites is blocked, and journalists are sometimes obstructed from reporting on some events. In practice, no public criticism of the regime is tolerated and all direct protest is suppressed and denied coverage in the local media.
In the 2020Democracy Indexby theEconomist Intelligence Unit, Tajikistan was ranked 160th, afterSaudi Arabia, while receiving the designation of "authoritarian regime".
In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Tajikistan, signed a joint letter toUNHRCdefending China'streatment of Uyghursin theXinjiangregion.
In October 2020, President Emomali Rahmon wasre-electedfor another seven-year term with 90% of the vote, following a largely ceremonial election.
In April 2021, aconflict over waterwithKyrgyzstanescalated into one of theborder clashesbetween the two countries since independence.
In July 2021, Tajikistan appealed to members of a Russian-ledCollective Security Treaty Organization(CSTO) of ex-Soviet states for help in dealing with security challenges emerging from neighboringAfghanistan.The safety concerns emerged as foreign troops such as the US and British army exited the country, causing over 1,000 Afghan civilians and servicemen to flee to neighboring Tajikistan afterTalibaninsurgentstook control of partsof Afghanistan.
Tajikistan islandlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It lies mostly between latitudes36°and41° N, and longitudes67°and75° E. It is covered by mountains of thePamirrange, and most of the country is over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) abovesea level. The areas of lower land are in the north (part of theFergana Valley), and in the southernKofarnihonandVakhshriver valleys, which form the Amu Darya.Dushanbeis located on the southern slopes above the Kofarnihon valley.
TheAmu DaryaandPanjrivers mark the border with Afghanistan, and the glaciers in Tajikistan's mountains are the source ofrunofffor theAral Sea. There are over 900 rivers in Tajikistan longer than 10 kilometres.
Tajikistan consists of four administrative divisions. These are the provinces (viloyat) ofSughdandKhatlon, the autonomous province ofGorno-Badakhshan(abbreviated as GBAO), and theRegions of Republican Subordination(RRP – Raiony Respublikanskogo Podchineniya intransliterationfrom Russian or NTJ – Ноҳияҳои тобеи ҷумҳурӣ [Nohiyahoi tobei jumhurii] inTajik). Each region is divided intodistricts(Tajik:Ноҳия,nohiyaorraion), which in turn are subdivided intojamoats(village-level self-governing units) and then villages (qyshloqs). As of 2006, there were 58 districts and 367 jamoats in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan contains five terrestrial ecoregions:Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe,Gissaro-Alai open woodlands,Pamir alpine desert and tundra,Badghyz and Karabil semi-desert, andParopamisus xeric woodlands.
In 2019, nearly 29% of Tajikistan's GDP came fromimmigrantremittances(mostly from Tajiks working in Russia).With foreign revenue precariously dependent upon remittances from migrant workers overseas and exports of aluminium and cotton, the economy is vulnerable to external shocks. In fiscal year 2000, international assistance remained an essential source of support for rehabilitation programs that reintegrated former civil war combatants into the civilian economy, which helped keep the peace. International assistance was necessary to address the second year ofdroughtthat resulted in a continued shortfall of food production. On 21 August 2001, theRed Crossannounced that afaminewas striking Tajikistan, and called for international aid for Tajikistan andUzbekistan.In January 2012, 680,152 of the people living in Tajikistan were living withfood insecurity. Out of those, 676,852 were at risk of Phase 3 (Acute Food and Livelihoods Crisis) food insecurity, and 3,300 were at risk of Phase 4 (Humanitarian Emergency). Those with the highest risk of food insecurity were living in theMurghob DistrictofGBAO.
Themalnutritionrate in Tajikistan will reach 30% in 2023 according to the United NationsWorld Food Programme(WFP). As in the rest ofCentral Asia, soils are deteriorating and water resources are diminishing, particularly as a result ofclimate change.
Tajikistan's economy grew after the war. The GDP of Tajikistan expanded at an average rate of 9.6% over the period of 2000–2007 according to the World Bank data. This "improved" Tajikistan's position among other Central Asian countries (namelyTurkmenistanand Uzbekistan), which seem to have degraded economically ever since.The primary sources of income in Tajikistan arealuminiumproduction, cotton growing and remittances from migrant workers.Cotton accounts for 60% of agricultural output, supporting 75% of the rural population, and using 45% of irrigated arable land.The aluminium industry is represented by the state-ownedTajik Aluminum Company– the biggest aluminium plant in Central Asia and one of the biggest in the world.
Tajikistan's rivers, such as theVakhshand thePanj, have hydropower potential, and the government has focused on attracting investment for projects for internal use and electricity exports. Tajikistan is home to theNurek Dam, the second highest dam in the world.Russia'sRAO UEShas been working on the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power station (670 MW capacity) commenced operations on 18 January 2008.Other projects at the development stage include Sangtuda-2 by Iran, Zerafshan by the Chinese companySinoHydro, and theRogun power plantthat, at a projected height of 335 metres (1,099 ft), would supersede the Nurek Dam as highest in the world if it is brought to completion.A planned project,CASA-1000, will transmit 1000 MW of surplus electricity from Tajikistan to Pakistan with power transit through Afghanistan. The total length of transmission line is 750 km while the project is planned to be on Public-Private Partnership basis with the support of WB, IFC, ADB and IDB. The project cost is estimated to be around US$865 million.Other energy resources include coal deposits and smaller reserves of natural gas and petroleum.
In 2014 Tajikistan was the world's mostremittance-dependent economy with remittances accounting for 49% of GDP and expected to fall by 40% in 2015 due to the economic crisis in the Russian Federation.Tajik migrant workers abroad, mainly in the Russian Federation, have become the main source of income for millions of Tajikistan's peopleand with the 2014–2015 downturn in the Russian economy the World Bank warned that numbers of Tajik men would return home and face "few" economic prospects.
According to some estimates about 47% of the population lives on less than US$1.25 per day.Migration from Tajikistan and the consequent remittances have been unprecedented in their magnitude and economic impact. In 2010, remittances from Tajik labour migrants totalled an estimated $2.1 billion US dollars, an increase from 2009. Tajikistan has achieved transition from a planned to a market economy without "substantial and protracted" recourse to aid, and by purely market-based means, simply by exporting its main commodity of comparative advantage — cheap labour.The World Bank Tajikistan Policy Note 2006 concludes that remittances have played a role as 1 of the drivers of Tajikistan's economic growth during the past years, have increased incomes, and as a result helped reduce poverty.
Drug trafficking is an illegal source of income in Tajikistanas it is a transit country for Afghannarcoticsbound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; someopium poppyis raised locally for the domestic market.With the increasing assistance from international organisations, such as UNODC, and co-operation with the US, Russian, EU and Afghan authorities a level of progress on the fight against illegal drug-trafficking is being achieved.Tajikistan holds third place in the world forheroinand rawopiumconfiscations (1216.3 kg of heroin and 267.8 kg of raw opium in the first half of 2006).Drug money corrupts the country's government; according to some experts the personalities that fought on both sides of thecivil warand have held the positions in the government after the armistice was signed are involved in the drug trade.UNODCis working with Tajikistan to strengthen border crossings, provide training, and set up joint interdiction teams. It helped to establish Tajikistani Drug Control Agency.
Besides Russia, China is one of the economic and trade partners of Dushanbe. Tajikistan belongs to the group of countries associated with Chinese investment within theBelt and Road Initiative.
As a landlocked country, Tajikistan has no ports and the majority of transportation is via roads, air, and rail. In years Tajikistan has pursued agreements with Iran and Pakistan to gain port access in those countries viaAfghanistan. In 2009, an agreement was made between Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to improve and build a 1,300 km (810 mi) highway and rail system connecting the three countries to Pakistan's ports. The proposed route would go through theGorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Provincein the eastern part of the country.In 2012, the presidents of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Iran signed an agreement to construct roads and railways, and oil, gas, and water pipelines to connect the three countries.
Therailroadsystem totals only 680 kilometres (420 mi) of track,all of it1,520 mm(4 ft11+27⁄32in)broad gauge. The principal segments are in the southern region and connect the capital with the industrial areas of theHisorandVakhshvalleys and withUzbekistan,Turkmenistan,Kazakhstanand Russia.Most international freight traffic is carried by train.TheBokhtar–Kulobrailway connected theKulob Districtwith the central area of the country.
In 2009 Tajikistan had 26 airports, 18 of which had paved runways, of which two had runways longer than 3,000 meters.
The total length of roads in the country is 27,800 kilometres. Automobiles account for more than 90% of the total volume of passenger transportation and more than 80% of domestic freight transportation.
In 2004 theTajik–Afghan Friendship Bridgebetween Afghanistan and Tajikistan was built, improving the country's access toSouth Asia. The bridge was built by the United States.
As of 2014highway and tunnel construction projects are underway or have been completed. Projects include rehabilitation of the Dushanbe – Chanak (Uzbek border), Dushanbe – Kulma (Chinese border), and Kurgan-Tube – Nizhny Pyanj (Afghan border) highways, and construction of tunnels under the mountain passes ofAnzob, Shakhristan, Shar-Sharand Chormaghzak.These were supported by international donor countries.
In 2021, Tajikistan was estimated to have a population of 9,749,625 as per theWorld Bankdata.TheTajikswho speakTajikare the main ethnic group, while there are minorities ofUzbeksandRussians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration,making Tajikistan the only country in Central Asia to have a minority of Turkic people, and instead a majority of Iranic people.ThePamirisofBadakhshan, a population ofYaghnobi people, and a minority ofIsmailisare considered to belong to the larger group of Tajiks. Citizens of Tajikistan are calledTajikistanis.
In 1989, ethnicRussians in Tajikistanmade up 7.6% of the population; by 1998 the proportion had reduced to approximately 0.5% following theTajikistani Civil Warwhich had displaced the majority of ethnic Russians. Following the end of the war, Russian emigration continued.Theethnic Germanpopulation of Tajikistan has declined due to emigration: having topped at 38,853 in 1979, it has "almost vanished" since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
TheTajiksare the principal ethnic group in most of Tajikistan, and in northern and westernAfghanistan,and there are more Tajiks in Afghanistan than in Tajikistan. Tajiks are a minority inUzbekistan.About 2.4 million Tajik citizens were officially registered in Russia in 2021.
The officiallanguagesof Tajikistan areTajikas the state language andRussianas the interethnic language, as understood in Article 2 of the Constitution: "The state language of Tajikistan shall be Tajik. Russian shall be the language of international communication."
The state (national) language (Tajik:забони давлатӣ,romanized:zaboni davlatí,Russian:государственный язык,romanized:gosudarstvennyy yazyk) of the Republic of Tajikistan isTajik, which is written in theTajik Cyrillic alphabet. Millions of native Tajik speakers live in neighboringUzbekistanand in Russia.
According to article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan,Russian is recognized as the second official language of Tajikistan; the official language of inter-ethnic communication (Russian:язык межнационального общения;Tajik:забони муоширати байни миллатҳо) in the country.
Approximately 90% of the population of Tajikistan speaks Russian at varying levels.The varieties of Russian spoken in Tajikistan are referred to by scholars asTajik(istani) Russianand it shares some similarities withUzbek(istani) Russian, such as morphological differences and lexical differences such as the use of wordурюкfor a wild apricot orкислушкаfor rhubarb.
Both Russian and Tajik speakers in the country use the following words in common in addressing unfamiliar people and acquaintances.
The "highly educated" part of the population of Tajikistan, and theintelligentsia, prefer to speak Russian and Persian, the pronunciation of which in Tajikistan is called the "Iranian style".
Native Uzbek speakers live in the north and west of Tajikistan. In fourth place (after Tajik, Russian and Uzbek) by number of native speakers arePamir languages, whose native speakers live inKuhistani Badakshshan Autonomous Region. The majority ofZoroastriansin Tajikistan speak one of the Pamir languages. Native speakers of theKyrgyz languagelive in the north ofKuhistani Badakshshan Autonomous Region.Yagnobi languagespeakers live in the west of the country. TheParya languageof localRomani people(Central Asian Gypsies) is spoken in Tajikistan. Tajikistan has communities of native speakers ofPersian,Arabic,Pashto,Armenian,Azerbaijani,Tatar,Turkmen,Kazakh,Chinese, andUkrainian.
In 2009 nearly 1 millionTajiksworked abroad (mainly in Russia).More than 70% of the female population lives in traditional villages.
Tajikistan is asecular statewith a constitution providing for freedom of religion, but nevertheless it heavily regulates the practices of its Muslim majority.Sunni Islam of theHanafischool has been officially recognised by the government since 2009.The government has declared two Islamic holidays,Eid ul-FitrandEid al-Adha, as state holidays. According to aUS State Departmentrelease and Pew research group, the population of Tajikistan is 98%Muslim. Approximately 87–95% of them areSunniand roughly 3% areShiaand roughly 7% arenon-denominational Muslims.The Shia part of the population predominantly live in theGorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Regionand are followers of theIsmailitebranch of Shia Islam.The remaining 2% of the population are followers ofRussian Orthodoxy,Protestantism,ZoroastrianismandBuddhism. Muslims fast during Ramadan, while about one third in the countryside and 10% in the cities observe daily prayer and dietary restrictions.
Bukharan Jewshad lived in Tajikistan since the second century BC. In the 1940s, the Jewish community of Tajikistan numbered nearly 30,000 people. Most were Persian-speaking Bukharan Jews who had lived in the region for millennia along with Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe who resettled there in the Soviet era. As of 2011, the Jewish population was estimated at less than 500, with roughly half living inDushanbe.
There is a concern for religious institutions becoming active in the political sphere. TheIslamic Renaissance Party(IRP), a combatant in the1992–1997 Civil Warand then-proponent of the creation of anIslamic statein Tajikistan, constitutes no more than 30% of the government by statute.  Membership inHizb ut-Tahrir, a militant Islamic party which aims for an overthrow of secular governments and the unification of Tajiks under one Islamic state, is illegal and members are subject to arrest and imprisonment.
By law, religious communities must register by the State Committee on Religious Affairs (SCRA) and with local authorities. Registration with SCRA requires a charter, a list of 10 or more members, and evidence of local government approval prayer site location. Religious groups that do not have a physical structure are not allowed to gather publicly for prayer. Failure to register can result in fines and closure of a place of worship. There are reports that registration on the local level is sometimes difficult to obtain.People under the age of 18 are barred from public religious practice.
As of January 2016, as part of an "anti-radicalisation campaign", police in the Khatlon region reportedly shaved the beards of 13,000 men and shut down 160 shops selling thehijab. Shaving beards and discouraging women from wearing hijabs is part of a government campaign targeting trends that are deemed "alien and inconsistent with Tajik culture", and "to preserve secular traditions".
Approximately 1.6% of the population in Tajikistan isChristian, mostlyOrthodox Christians.The territory of Tajikistan is part of theDushanbe and Tajikistan Dioceseof theCentral Asian Metropolitan Districtof theRussian Orthodox Moscow Patriarchate. The country is home to communities ofCatholics,Armenian Christians,Protestants,Lutherans,Jehovah's Witnesses,Baptists,Mormons, andAdventists.
The state's Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reported that 104,272 disabled people are registered in Tajikistan (2000). The government of Tajikistan and the World Bank considered activities to support this part of the population described in the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.Public expenditure on health was at 1% of the GDP in 2004.
Life expectancyat birth was estimated to be 69 years in 2020.Theinfant mortalityrate was approximately 30.42 deaths per 1,000 children in 2018.In 2014, there were 2.1 physicians per 1,000 people, higher than any other low-income country afterNorth Korea.
Tajikistan has experienced a decrease in per capita hospital beds since 1992 following the dissolution of theUSSR, while the number remains at 4.8 beds per 1,000 people, above the world average of 2.7.
According to the World Bank, 96% of births are attended by skilled health staff, rising from 66.6% in 1999.
In 2010, the country experienced an outbreak ofpoliothat caused more than 457 cases of polio in both children and adults and resulted in 29 deaths before being brought under control.
In the summer of 2021, coronavirus ravaged the country, and theTajik president's sister reportedly died in a hospital ofCOVID-19. According to local media, the president's sister's sons physically assaulted thehealth ministerand a senior doctor.
In 2023, according to theWorld Health Organization, Tajikistan received its certification, declaring its status as amalaria-free country.
An estimated 99.8% of the population of Tajikistan have the ability to read and write.
Public education in Tajikistan consists of 11 years of primary and secondary education and the government planned to implement a 12-year system in 2016.There is a number oftertiary education institutionsincludingKhujand State University, which has 76 departments in 15 faculties,Tajikistan State University of Law, Business, & Politics,Khorugh State University,Agricultural University of Tajikistan,Tajik National University, and other institutions. Universities were established during the Soviet Era. As of 2008tertiary education enrollment was 17%, below the sub-regional average of 37%,while higher than any otherlow-income countryafterSyria.Tajiks left the education system due to "low" demand in the labour market for people with "extensive" educational training or professional skills.
Public spending on education was relatively constant between 2005–2012 and fluctuated from 3.5% to 4.1% ofGDPbelow theOECDaverage of 6%.TheUnited Nationsreported that the level of spending was "severely inadequate to meet the requirements of the country's high-needs education system."
According to a UNICEF-supported survey, about 25% of girls in Tajikistan fail to complete compulsory primary education because of poverty and gender bias,whileliteracyis "generally high" in Tajikistan.Estimates of out of school children range from 4.6% to 19.4% with the majority being girls.
In September 2017, theUniversity of Central Asialaunched its second campus in Khorog, Tajikistan, offering majors in Earth & Environmental Sciences and Economics.Tajikistan was ranked 107th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024.
Science in the territory of Tajikistan achieved "success" in the Middle Ages, and scientific organizations were created in the Soviet period. During the period of independence, the scientific sphere has experienced a "crisis": the annual number of patent applications for inventions decreased in 1994–2011 from 193 to 5.A contribution to science is made by universities, where in 2011 6707 researchers worked, of which 2450 had academic degrees.
TheTajik languageis the mother tongue of around 80% of the citizens of Tajikistan. Urban centers in Tajikistan includeDushanbe(the capital),Khujand,Kulob,Panjakent,Bokhtar,KhorughandIstaravshan. There areUzbek,KyrgyzandRussianminorities.
TheYaghnobi peoplelive in areas of northern Tajikistan. The estimated number of Yaghnobis is about 25,000. Forced migrations in the 20th century decimated their numbers. They speak theYaghnobi language, which is the only direct descendant of theSogdian language.
Tajikistan artisans created theDushanbe Tea House, which was presented in 1988 as a gift to the sister city ofBoulder, Colorado.
In the country, especially among women from the indigenous population, the wearing of traditional national clothing is preserved. The seamstresses and embroiderers of regions of Tajikistan use factory fabrics and local needlework embroidery for home decoration and women's clothing. The practice of Chakan embroidery is preserved among women in certain areas, passing the knowledge down from one generation to the next.
The national sport of Tajikistan isgushtigiri, a form ofwrestling.
Another sport isbuzkashi, a game played on horseback, likepolo. Buzkashi may be played as an individual sport and as a team sport. The aim of the game is to grab a 50 kg dead goat, ride clear of the other players, get back to the starting point and drop it in a designated circle. It is played atNowruzcelebrations.
Tajikistan has sent athletes to everySummer Olympic Gamesand fourWinter Olympic Gamessince gaining independence and has enjoyed limited success.The country's best results have come in thehammer throw, withAndrey AbduvaliyevandDilshod Nazaroveach winning gold in the men's event in1992and2016respectively (albeit with Abduvaliyev participating as part of theUnified Team). Tajikistan's highest medal haul at an Olympic Games came in the2024 Summer Olympics, where its athletes won three medals.
TheTajikistan Football Federationis the governing body offootballin Tajikistan. While neither the men's nor the women's teams have qualified for aWorld Cup, the men's side qualified for the2023 AFC Asian Cup, in which they unexpectedly reached the quarter finals.The men's team participated in theAFC Challenge Cupon four occasions, winning the inaugural edition in2006.The women's side has twice participated in theCAFA Women's Championship, finishing third in the2018 editionandhosting the tournament in 2022.
TheTajikistan Cricket Federationwas formed in 2012 as the governing body for the sport ofcricketin Tajikistan. It was granted affiliate membership of theAsian Cricket Councilin the same year.
In 2008, rugby union was officially registered with theMinistry of Justice, and there are three men's clubs.
Khorugh, capital ofGorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, is the location of highest altitude wherebandyhas been played.
Tajikistan has oneski resort, calledSafed Dara(formerlyTakob), near the town ofVarzob.
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfromThe World Factbook.CIA.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan : country studies.Federal Research Division.
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