Tajikistan

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Background: Tajikistan has experienced three changes of government and a civil war since it gained independence in September 1991 when the USSR collapsed. A peace agreement was signed in June 1997, but implementation is progressing slowly. Russian-led peacekeeping troops are deployed throughout the country, and Russian-commanded border guards are stationed along the Tajikistani-Afghan border.

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Location: Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates: 39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km
water: 400 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries:
total: 3,651 km
border countries: 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: Syrdariya 300 m
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 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

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, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography—note: landlocked

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Population: 6,102,854 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 1,250,344; female 1,224,355)
15-64 years: 55% (male 1,661,488; female 1,681,839)
65 years and over: 4% (male 122,065; female 162,763) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.43% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 27.46 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 7.85 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 114.78 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.28 years
male: 61.15 years
female: 67.57 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani

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

Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97% (1989 est.)

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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

Data code: TI

Government type: republic

Capital: Dushanbe

Administrative divisions: 2 oblasts (viloyatho, singular—viloyat) and one autonomous oblast* (viloyati mukhtori); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshoni* (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: 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 Yahyo AZIMOV (since 8 February 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by 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 ABDULLOJANOV 40%

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli (181 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 February and 12 March 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)
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

Political parties and leaders: Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Abdulmajid DOSTIEV]; Rastokhez (Rebirth) Movement [Tohiri ABDUJABBOR]; National Unity Party [Abdulmalik ABDULLOJANOV]—evolved from the People's Party and Party of People's Unity; United Tajik Opposition or UTO [Said Abdullo NURI]—an umbrella group including; Islamic Revival Movement of Tajikistan or IMP [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; Democratic Party or TDP [Jumaboy NIYOZOV, chairman]; Lali Badakhshan Movement [Atobek AMIRBEKOV]; Party for the Political and Economic Renewal of Tajikistan or PPERT [Valijon BABAYEV]; Citizenship, Patriotism, Unity Party [Bobokhon MAHMADOV]; Adolatho "Justice" Party [Abdurahmon KARIMOV, chairman]; Party of Justice and Development [Rahmutullo ZAINAV]

International organization participation: CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, 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 has a mission at 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 FINN
embassy: temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in Almaty
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: NA
FAX: NA

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

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Economy—overview: Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the former Soviet republics. Agriculture dominates the economy, with cotton 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 five years of civil conflict and by the loss of subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products. Tajikistan thus depends on aid from Russia and Uzbekistan and on international humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs. Even if the peace agreement of June 1997 is honored, the country faces major problems in integrating refugees and former combatants into the economy. Moreover, constant political turmoil and the continued dominance by former communist officials have impeded the introduction of meaningful economic reforms. Still in a post-conflict status, the future of Tajikistan's economy and the potential for attracting foreign investment depend upon stability and progress in the peace process.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 5.3% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$990 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 35%
services: 40% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 46.3% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.9 million (1996)

Labor force—by occupation: agriculture and forestry 52%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 17%, services 31% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 5.7% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers and unregistered unemployed people (December 1998)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1998 est.)

Electricity—production: 13.555 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 4.09%
hydro: 95.91%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 12.555 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 3.8 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 2.8 billion kWh (1996)

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

Exports: $740 million (1998 est.)

Exports—commodities: cotton, aluminum, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles

Exports—partners: FSU 78%, Netherlands (1994)

Imports: $810 million (1998 est.)

Imports—commodities: fuel, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, textiles, foodstuffs

Imports—partners: FSU 55%, Switzerland, UK (1994)

Debt—external: $1 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $64.7 million (1995)

Currency: the Tajikistani ruble (TJR) = 100 tanga

Exchange rates: Tajikistani rubles (TJR) per US$1—998 (January 1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

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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

Radio broadcast stations: 1 state-owned radio broadcast station of NA type

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 0 (there are, however, repeaters that relay programs from Russia, Iran, and Turkey) (1997)

Televisions: NA

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

Highways:
total: 13,700 km
paved: 11,330 km (note—these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced)
unpaved: 2,370 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines: natural gas 400 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 59 (1994 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1994 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 45
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 36 (1994 est.)

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Military branches: Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 1,478,551 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,211,514 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 65,001 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $19.3 million (1997)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.8% (1997)

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Disputes—international: most of the boundary with China in dispute; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in Isfara Valley area

Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; opium poppy cultivation negligible in 1998 because of government eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Russia and Western Europe