Tajikistan
Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: none former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
republicIndependence 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Tajikistan as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implementation reportedly completed by late 1999. Part of the agreement required the legalization of opposition political parties prior to the 1999 elections, which occurred, but such parties have made little progress in successful participation in government. Random criminal and political violence in the country remains a complication impairing Tajikistan's ability to engage internationally.
Geography
Central Asia, west of China
18 fieldsLand boundaries
total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Terrain
Pamir and Alay mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Natural resources
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use
arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 25% forests and woodland: 4% other: 65% (1993 est.)
Environment - current issues
- inadequate sanitation facilities;
- increasing levels of soil salinity;
- industrial pollution;
- excessive pesticides;
- part of the basin of the shrinking Aral Sea suffers from severe overutilization of available water for irrigation and associated pollution
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 41.18% (male 1,367,194; female 1,341,967) 15-64 years: 54.22% (male 1,773,605; female 1,793,345) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 131,009; female 171,561) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.18 years male: 61.09 years female: 67.42 years (2001 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.)
Government
Republic; President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: none former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Administrative divisions
- 2 oblasts (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and one autonomous oblast* (viloyati mukhtori);
- Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Leninobod (Khujand - formerly Leninabad) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Emomali RAHMONOV (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;
- election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006);
- prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president;
- percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
Legislative branch
- 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 National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005) election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%;
- seats by party - NA;
- National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
- seats by party - NA
Political parties and leaders
- Congress of People's Unity of Tajikistan [Saiffidin TURAYEV];
- Democratic Party or TDP [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman];
- Islamic Rebirth Party [Muhammadsharif HIMMAT-ZODA, chairman];
- Lali Badakhshan Movement [Atobek AMIRBEKOV];
- National Movement Party [Hakim MUHHABATOV];
- Party of Justice and Development [Rahmatullo ZOIROV];
- People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV];
- Rastokhez (Rebirth) Movement [Tohiri ABDUJABBOR];
- Socialist Party [Sherali KENJAEV];
- Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV];
- Adolatho "Justice" Party [Abdurahmon KARIMOV, chairman]
International organization participation
AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- Tajikistan does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a permanent mission to the UN: address - 136 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, telephone - [1] (212) 472-7645, FAX - [1] (212) 628-0252;
- permanent representative to the UN is Rashid ALIMOV
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert P. J. FINN embassy: temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in Almaty (Kazakhstan) mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: NA
Flag description
- 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
Economy
Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, 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 Tajikistani economy has been gravely weakened by six years of civil conflict and by the loss of subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products. Most of its people live in abject poverty. Tajikistan depends on aid from Russia and Uzbekistan and on international humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs.
The future of Tajikistan's economy and the potential for attracting foreign investment depend upon stability and continued progress in the peace process.
Budget
revenues: $146 million expenditures: $196 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries
aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Imports - commodities
electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Exchange rates
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.2 (January 2001), 1550 (January 2000), 998 (January 1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996) note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- poorly developed and not well maintained;
- many towns are not reached by the national network domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch;
- Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey);
- satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Television broadcast stations
0 (there are, however, repeaters that relay programs from Russia, Iran, and Turkey) (1997)
Transportation
8 fieldsHighways
total: 29,900 km paved: 21,400 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather) unpaved: 8,500 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 51 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)
Military
Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- portions of Tajikistan's northern and western border with Uzbekistan and its eastern border with China have not been officially demarcated;
- territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in Isfara Valley area
Illicit drugs
- major transshipment zone for heroin and opiates from Afghanistan going to Russia and Western Europe;
- limited illicit cultivation of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Tajikistan.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/tajikistan/2001.