Map of Tajikistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Tajikistan has completed its transition from the civil war that plagued the country from 1992 to 1997. There have been no major security incidents in more than two years although the country remains the poorest in the region. 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.


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Location: Central Asia west of China

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N 71 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 143,100 km²
Land: 142,700 km²
Water: 400 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries
Total: 3,651 km
Border countries: (4) Afghanistan 1,206 km; , China 414 km; , Kyrgyzstan 870 km; , Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
Extremes highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

Natural resources: hydropower some petroleum uranium mercury brown coal lead zinc antimony tungsten silver gold

Land use
Arable land: 6.61%
Permanent crops: 0.92%
Other: 92.47% (2001)

Irrigated land: 7,200 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes and floods

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


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Population: 7,011,556 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.14% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: 60% (2003 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Tajikistani
Adjective: Tajikistani

Ethnic groups: Tajik 64.9% Uzbek 25% Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration) other 6.6%

Languages: Tajik (official) Russian widely used in government and business

Religions: Sunni Muslim 85% Shi'a Muslim 5% other 10% (2003 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.2% (male 1,384,035; female 1,361,137)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 1,957,712; female 1,976,488)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 145,717; female 186,467) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 19.5 years
Male: 19.2 years
Female: 19.8 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.14% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 32.63 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 8.42 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.86 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 112.1 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 124.47 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 99.11 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.47 years
Male: 61.53 years
Female: 67.55 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 200 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.4%
Male: 99.6%
Female: 99.1% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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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: Dushanbe

Administrative divisions
Note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president
Election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%

Legislative branch
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 Revival Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hamrohon ZARIPOV
In the us chancery: 1725 K Street NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20,006
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 223-6,090
In the us fax: [1] (202) 223-6,091
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
From the us embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734,003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at: 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3,272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3,272-58-79-68
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48, 21-03-52, 24-15-60
From the us fax: [992] (372) 21-03-62, 51-00-28

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 5% to 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 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will 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 an interest rate of 4% a 3-year grace period and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of Tajikistan.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 7% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 30.8%
Industry: 29.1%
Services: 40.1% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton grain fruits grapes vegetables; cattle sheep goats

Industries: aluminum zinc lead chemicals and fertilizers cement vegetable oil metal-cutting machine tools refrigerators and freezers

Industrial production growth rate: 10.3% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 3.187 million (2000)
By occupation agriculture: 67.2%
By occupation industry: 7.5%
By occupation services: 25.3% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 40% (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 60% (2003 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.2%
Highest 10: 25.2% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 34.7 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $253.5 million
Expenditures: $238.5 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2003 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 16.3% (2003 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-50 million (2003)

Exports: $750 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: aluminum electricity cotton fruits vegetable oil textiles
Partners: Netherlands 25.4% Turkey 24.4% Latvia 9.9% Switzerland 9.7% Uzbekistan 8.5% Russia 6.6% Iran 6.4% (2003)

Imports: $890 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: electricity petroleum products aluminum oxide machinery and equipment foodstuffs
Partners: Russia 20.2% Uzbekistan 15.1% Kazakhstan 10.9% Azerbaijan 7% Ukraine 7% Romania 4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1 billion (2002 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates
Note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles


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Electricity
Production: 14.18 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 14.52 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 3.909 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 5.242 billion kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 50 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 1.3 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 1.25 billion m³ (2001 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 242,100 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 47,600 (2003)

Telephone 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: 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

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .tj
Hosts: 69 (2004)
Users: 4,100 (2003)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $35.4 million (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 3.9% (FY01)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 66 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 15
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 51
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 10
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 40 (2003 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 541 km; oil 38 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 482 km
Broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)

Roadways

Waterways: 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2003)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: prolonged regional drought created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1000 km² of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 km² of Tajikistani lands but demarcation has not yet commenced; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

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 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third world-wide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)