Background: Tajikistan has experienced three changes of government since it gained independence in September 1991. The current president, Emomali RAHMONOV, was elected in November 1994, yet has been in power since 1992. The country is suffering through its fourth year of a civil conflict, with no clear end in sight. Underlying the conflict are deeply rooted regional and clan-based animosities that pit a government consisting of people primarily from the Kulob (Kulyab), Khujand (Leninabad), and Hisor (Hissar) regions against a secular and Islamic-led opposition from the Gharm, Gorno-Badakhshan, and Qurghonteppa (Kurgan-Tyube) regions. Government and opposition representatives have held periodic rounds of UN-mediated peace talks and agreed in September 1994 to a cease-fire which has been periodically extended. Russian-led peacekeeping troops are deployed throughout the country, and Russian-commanded border guards are stationed along the Tajikistani-Afghan border.

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map reference: Commonwealth of Independent States

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: Pamirs and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Syrdariya 300 m
Extremes highest point: Qullai Kommunizm 7,495 m

Natural resources: significant hydropower potential, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten

Land use
Arable land: 6%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 25%
Forests and woodland: 4%
Other: 65% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 6,390 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: landlocked

Population: 5,945,903 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.18% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Tajikistani(s)
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 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 1,263,725; female 1,234,730)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,578,940; female 1,599,458)
65 years and over: 5% (male 114,118; female 154,932) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.18% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 27.93 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.74 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.42 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 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

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: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 109.5 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.68 years
Male: 61.55 years
Female: 67.97 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.58 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 99%
Female: 97% (1989 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
Conventional short form: Tajikistan
Local long form: Jumhurii Tojikistan
Local short form: none
Former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic

Capital: Dushanbe

Administrative divisions: 2 oblasts (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and one autonomous oblast* (viloyati avtonomii); Viloyati Avtonomii Badakhshoni Kuni* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Leninobod (Khujand - formerly Leninabad)
Note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence: 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: National Day, 9 September (1991)

Constitution: new constitution adopted 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 Assembly chairman since NA November 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister Yahyo AZIMOV (since 8 February 1996)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president who proposes them to the Supreme Assembly for approval
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6 November 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 58%, Abdumalik ABDULLAJANOV 40%

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli (181 seats; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 26 February and 12 March 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; estimated seats by party - Communist Party and affiliates 100, People's Party 10, Party of People's Unity 6, Party of Economic and Political Renewal 1, other 64

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president

International organization participation: CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM, ITU, NACC, OIC, 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 has a mission at the UN:address - 136 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10,021, telephone - [1] (212) 472-7,645, FAX - [1] (212) 628-0252; permanent representative to the UN is Rashid ALIMOV
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador R. Grant SMITH
From the us embassy: interim chancery, Oktyabrskaya Hotel, 105A Prospect Rudaki, Dushanbe 734,001
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [7] (3,772) 21-03-56
From the us FAX: Telex (787) 20,116

Flag description: three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven five-pointed gold stars is located in the center of the white stripe

Economy overview: Tajikistan had the next-to-lowest per capita GDP in the former USSR, the highest rate of population growth, an extremely low standard of living, and rampant inflation. Agriculture dominates the economy, with cotton being the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry is limited to a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The Tajik economy has been gravely weakened by four years of civil conflict and by the loss of subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products, which has left Tajikistan dependent on Russia and Uzbekistan and on international humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs. Moreover, constant political turmoil and the continued dominance by former communist officials have impeded the introduction of meaningful economic reforms. The regime made initial efforts to stabilize the economy and promote reform in 1996.

Real gdp growth rate: -17% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $920 (1996 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

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: -20% (1996 est.)

Labor force
Total: 1.9 million (1996)
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 52%
By occupation and construction: 17%
By occupation services: 31% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 2.4% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers and unregistered unemployed people (December 1996)

Budget
Revenues: $N/A
Expenditures: $N/A, including capital expenditures of $N/A

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports
Total value: $768 million (1996 est.)
Commodities: cotton, aluminum, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Partners: FSU 78%, Netherlands (1994)

Imports
Total value: $657 million (1996 est.)
Commodities: fuel, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, textiles, foodstuffs
Partners: FSU 55%, Switzerland, UK (1994)

Debt external: $635 million (of which $250 million to Russia) (1995 est.)

Exchange rates: Tajikistani rubles (TJR) per US$1 - 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)

Electricity
Capacity: 4.44 million kW (1994)
Production: 16.8 billion kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 2,135 kWh (1995 est.)

Telephones: 303,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: 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

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: 180 billion rubles (1995; note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Percent of gdp: 3.4% (1995)

Airports: 59 (1994 est.)
With paved runways total: 14
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (1994 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 45
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 36 (1994 est.)

Pipelines: natural gas 400 km (1992)

Railways: total:480 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines (1990)

Disputes international: boundary with China in dispute; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in Isfara Valley area; foreign support to Islamic fighters based in northern Afghanistan in Tajikistan's civil war

Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Russia and Western Europe