Tajikistan

Republic of TajikistanJumhurii Tojikiston

republicIndependence 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Tajikistan as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalDushanbe, UTC+5

Position39 00 N, 71 00 E

Area143,100 sq km

LocationCentral Asia, west of China

Populationas each edition published it

7.32 million July 2006 est. · 5.68m in 1992

Population growth% a year

2.19% 2006 est. · 2.72% in 1993

Median ageyears

20 years 2006 est. · 19.3 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

64.94 years 2006 est. · 68.5 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4 children per woman 2006 est. · 5.3 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

106.49 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 74 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,200 2005 est. · $1,180 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

6.7% 2005 est. · -34% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

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. 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 1992-1997 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 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

Central Asia, west of China

18 fields

Land useshare of 143,100 sq km

arable land 6.52%permanent crops 0.89%other 92.59% (2005)irrigated 7,220 sq km (2003)

Area

143,100sq km

land: 142,700 sq kmwater: 400 sq kmslightly smaller than Wisconsin

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Highest point

7,495m

Qullai Ismoili Somonilowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m

Land boundaries

3,651km

border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Location

Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates

39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references

Asia

Climate

midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

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

Natural hazards

earthquakes and floods

Environment - current issues

inadequate sanitation facilities;
increasing levels of soil salinity;
industrial pollution;
excessive pesticides

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

154,162

65 and over4.8%

194,771

2,091,476

15-6457.4%

2,108,889

1,396,349

0-1437.9%

1,375,168

MaleFemale

Population

7,320,815

(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 2.19% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth

32.65Death

8.25Net migration

-2.48

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)64.94

62.03 · 68Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)106.49

117.83 · 94.59

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)99.4%

99.6% · 99.1%Median age years (2006 est.)20

19.7 · 20.4

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(2000 census)

Tajik 79.9%Uzbek 15.3%Russian 1.1%Kyrgyz 1.1%other 2.6% (2000 census)

Religions(2003 est.)

Sunni Muslim 85%Shi'a Muslim 5%other 10% (2003 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:: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Tajikistani(s)
adjective:: Tajikistani

Languages

Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

Government

Republic; President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

76.4%

Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%other 16.4%election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held November 2013)

Assembly of Representatives, 34 seats, elected 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly of Representativesone dot, one seat

PDPT 29CPT 2independents 3

Percent of vote

PDPT 74.9%CPT 13.6%Islamic Revival Party 8.9%other 2.5%

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form:: Tajikistan
local long form:: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form:: Tojikiston
former:: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type

republic

Capital

name:: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates:: 38 35 N, 68 48 E
time difference:: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor);
Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)

note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence

9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday

Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

Constitution

6 November 1994

Legal system

based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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 (eligible for a second term);
election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held November 2013);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results:: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4%

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 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)

elections:: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005 for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010)
election results:: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%;
seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5;
National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders

Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV];
Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV];
Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI];
Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV];
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV];
Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV];
Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV];
Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders

unregistered political parties:: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV];
Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV];
People's Unity Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV];
Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV];
Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV];
note - this is the SPT that was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under political parties) replaced it;
Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]

International organization participation

AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery:: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone:: [1] (202) 223-6090
FAX:: [1] (202) 223-6091

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON
embassy:: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003
mailing address:: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189
telephone:: [992] (37) 229-20-00
FAX:: [992] (37) 229-20-50

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 one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics.

43 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$8.617billion

(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $1.887 billion (2005 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,200

(2005 est.)

Real growth rate

6.7%

(2005 est.)industrial production growth: 8.2% (2002 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

7.1%

(2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)

agriculture 23.4%industry 28.6%services 48% (2005 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

46.6%

Netherlands

9.1%

Russia

19.3%

15.8%

Turkey

Kazakhstan

12.7%

7.3%

Uzbekistan

11.5%

Azerbaijan

8.6%

China

Ukraine

6.2%

4.9%

Latvia

Romania

4.6%

Iran

Turkmenistan

Exports $950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)Imports $1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues

$442.3 millionExpenditures

$542.6 million (2005 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $86 million

Electricity

Electricity production

16.5 billion (2004)Electricity consumption

15.05 billion (2003)Electricity exports

3.874 billion (2003)Electricity imports

4.81 billion (2004)

Economy - overview

Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; 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 civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced a slight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004.

Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises would further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden.

A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda would substantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam.

Labor force

3.7 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:: 67.2%
industry:: 7.5%
services:: 25.3% (2000 est.)

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

265,000

(2005)

Internet users

(2006)

Fixed lines

245,200

(2004) · country code .tj

Telephone system

general assessment:: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network
domestic:: cable and microwave radio relay
international:: country code - 992;
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

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 17Unpaved 23

Networkskm

Roadways

27,767 (2000)Railways

482Waterways

200 (2006)

Railways: broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) · Waterways: (along Vakhsh River)

total:: 482 km
broad gauge:: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)

Waterways

200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)

Military

Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005)

6 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.9%

(FY01)

males age 18-49:: 1,556,415
females age 18-49:: 1,568,780 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49:: 1,244,941
females age 18-49:: 1,297,891 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49:: 87,846
females age 18-49:: 85,869 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has published maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced;
talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;
disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan

Illicit drugs

major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets;
limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption;
Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Tajikistan.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/tajikistan/2006.

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