Tajikistan : Ask Biography

General information

Common name

Tajikistan

Local name

Çumhuriji Toçikiston

Name

Çumhuriji Toçikiston

Anthem

Surudi Milli
National anthem of Tajikistan

Capital

Dushanbe

Largest city

capital

Official languages

Persian (Tajik)

Demonym

Tajikistani

Government

Government

Unitary semi-presidential republic

President

Emomalii Rahmon

Prime Minister

Oqil Oqilov

Independence (from the Soviet Union)

Independence (from the Soviet Union)

Establishment of the Samanid Empire

875 AD

Declared

September 9, 1991

Completed

December 25, 1991

Geography

Total Area

55251 sq mi (143100.1 km2) (102nd)

Water %

1.8

Demography

Population Est.

7,995,754 (96th)

Population census

6127000 (2000)

Density (pop.)

48.6/km² (155th) (125.8/sq mi)

Economy

GDP PPP

$13.666 billion (2009)

GDP (PPP) per capita

$2,103

GDP (nominal)

$4.982 billion (2009)

GDP (nominal) per capita

$767

Other information

Gini

33.59 (2004) (medium)

HDI

(+) 0.688 (2007) (medium) (127th)

Currency

Somoni (TJS)

Time zone

TJT (UTC+5)

Drives on the

right

Internet TLD

.tj

Calling code

992

Home | Country | Tajikistan

Tajikistan (c-enaudio=En-us-Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Çumhuriji Toçikiston; Jomhuri-ye Tajikestan; Республика Таджикистан, Respublika Tadzhikistan), is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and People's Republic of China to the east. Tajikistan also lies adjacent to Pakistan's Chitral and the Gilgit-Baltistan region, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor, which is claimed by both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Persian-speaking Tajik ethnic group, who share language, culture and history with Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Once part of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR). Mountains cover over 90% of this Central Asian republic.

After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating civil war which lasted from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Trade in commodities such as cotton, aluminium and uranium has contributed greatly to this steady improvement.