Capital: Dushanbe
Currency: Somoni (SM)
Borders: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
The former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan is a land-locked nation,
situated just north of Pakistan and bordering Afghanistan to the
south, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan to the north and Uzbekistan in
the west. The landmass of Tajikistan is 142,700 sq km with a further
400 sq km of water. The terrain is comprised of the Pamir and Alay
mountain ranges, the Fergana Valley in the north and the Kofarnihon
and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest. The highest point of elevation is
Qullai Ismoili Somoni at a height of 7495m. Qullai Ismoili Somoni
was actually the tallest mountain in the former USSR. Tajikistan
possesses the very valuable natural resources of petroleum, uranium,
mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver and
gold.Tajikistan announced independence from
the Soviet Union on 9th September 1991. This day is now an official
national holiday within Tajikistan. The ethnic mix is made up of
Tajiks, Uzbeks and Russians. The official language is Tajik although
Russian is widely used for government and business matters. The
religious groups are Sunni Muslim and Shi'a Muslim. The national
unit of currency is the Somoni.
Agriculture accounts for 67.2% of the national workforce, producing
cotton, grain, fruits, grapes and vegetables. Tajikistan's largest
import partner is Uzbekistan. The transport network of Tajikistan
consists of 482 km of railways and 29,900 km of highways, of which
21,400 km are paved.
The climate is mid-altitude continental with hot summers and harsh
winters. Conditions are semi-arid to polar in the Pamir region.
Winter temperatures often drop to -28°C in many regions of
Tajikistan. Earthquakes and floods also periodically trouble this
land. |
