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'Tajikistan' (, IPA: or ), officially, the 'Republic of Tajikistan' () is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who share culture and history with the Iranian peoples and Uzbek people and speak the Tajik language. Once the location of the Samanid Empire Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist 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. Its natural resources such as cotton and aluminium have contributed greatly to this steady improvement, although observers have characterized the country as having few natural resources besides hydroelectric power and its strategic location.Greenberg, Ilan, "Media Muzzled and Opponents Jailed, Tajikistan Readies for Vote," ''The New York Times'', November 4, 2006 (article dateline November 3, 2006), page A7, New York edition

Contents

Etymology

History

Early history

Russian presence

Soviet Tajikistan

Independence

Politics

Administrative divisions

Geography

Economy

Drugs trafficking

Demographics

Demographics

Culture

See also

References and footnotes

Further reading

External links

Etymology

"''Tajikistan''" means the "Land of the Tajiks" in Persian. Some believe the name Tajik is a geographic reference to the crown (''Taj'') of the Pamir Knot, but this is a folk etymology. The word "Tajik" was used to differentiate Iranians from Turks in Central Asia, starting as early as the 10th century. The addition of 'k' might have been for the purpose of euphony in the set phrase "Turk-o Tajik" ("Turks and Tajiks") which in Persian-language histories is found as an idiomatic expression meaning "everyone."
According to some other sources, the name Tajik (also spelled Tadjik, Tajik) refers to a group of people who are believed to be one of the pure and close decedents of the ancient Aryans. Their country was called Aryana Vajeh and the name "Taa-jyaan" from which came the word Tajik is mentioned in The Avesta. The Zoroaster's Gathas were also directed to an Aryan audience and there are several references to this community as being situated in the "home" of the Aryans.
Tajikistan frequently appeared as ''Tadjikistan'' or ''Tadzhikistan'' in English. This former transliteration of ''Tadjikistan'' or ''Tadzhikistan'' is from the Russian ''Таджикистан.'' (In Russian there is no single letter ''j'' to represent the phoneme /ʤ/ and ''дж'', or ''dzh'', is used.) ''Tadzhikistan'' is the most common alternate spelling and is widely used in English literature derived from Russian sources. ''Tadjikistan'' is the spelling in French and can occasionally be found in English language texts. In the Perso-Arabic script, "Tajikistan" is written 'تاجیکستان'.
Controversy surrounds the correct term used to identify people from Tajikistan. The word ''Tajik'' has been the traditional term used to describe people from Tajikistan and appears widely in literature. But the ethnic politics of Central Asia have made the word ''Tajik'' a controversial word, as it implies that Tajikistan is only a nation for ethnic Tajiks and not ethnic Uzbeks, Russians, etc. Likewise, ethnic Tajiks live in other countries, such as China, making the term ambiguous. In addition, the Pamiri population in Gorno-Badakhshan also have sought to create an ethnic identity separate from that of the Tajiks. There is a growing consensus that Tajikistani, which is not ethnic specific and is inclusive of ethnic Tajiks and non-Tajiks alike, is the correct term to call people. The term 'tajik' has been widely used as a synonym for 'Persian' and 'Iranian' up to the beginning of the 21 century.

History

Main articles: History of Tajikistan

Early history

The territory of what is now Tajikistan has been inhabited continuously since 4,000 BCE . It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history, for the longest the period under the Persian Empire. Before the Common Era, it was part of the Bactrian Empire. Arabs brought Islam in the 7th century CE. The Samanid Empire Persians supplanted the Arabs and built the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, which became the cultural centers of Tajiks (both of which are now in Uzbekistan). The Mongols would later take partial control of Central Asia, and later the land that today comprises Tajikistan became a part of the emirate of Bukhara. A small community of Jews, displaced from the Middle East after the Babylonian captivity, migrated to the region and settled there after 600 BCE, though the majority of the recent Jewish population did not migrate to Tajikistan until the 20th century.

Russian presence

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to spread into Central Asia during the Great Game, and it took control of Tajikistan. After the overthrow of Imperial Russia in 1917, guerillas throughout Central Asia, known as ''basmachi'' waged a war against Bolshevik armies in a futile attempt to maintain independence. The Bolsheviks prevailed after a four-year war, in which mosques and villages were burned down and the population heavily suppressed. Soviet authorities started a campaign of secularization, practicing Muslims, Jews, and Christians were persecuted, and mosques, churches, and synagogues were closed.

Soviet Tajikistan

Main articles: Tajik SSR

In 1924, the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as a part of Uzbekistan, but in 1929 the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic was made a separate constituent republic. The predominantly ethnic Tajik cities of Samarkand and Bukhara remained in the Uzbek SSR. In terms of living conditions, education and industry Tajikistan was somewhat behind the other Soviet Republics. By the late 1980s Tajik nationalists were calling for increased rights. Real disturbances did not occur within the republic until 1990. The following year, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence.

Independence

Main articles: Civil war in Tajikistan

The nation almost immediately fell into a civil war that involved various factions fighting one another, these factions were often distinguished by clan loyalties. The non-Muslim population, particularly Russians and Jews, fled the country during this time because of persecution, increased poverty and better economic opportunities in the West or in other former Soviet republics. Emomali Rahmonov came to power in 1992, and continues to rule to this day. However, he has been accused of ethnic cleansing against other ethnicities and groups during the Civil war in Tajikistan. In 1997, a ceasefire was reached between Rahmonov and opposition parties (United Tajik Opposition). Peaceful elections were held in 1999, but they were reported by the opposition as unfair, and Rahmonov was re-elected by almost unanimous vote. Russian troops were stationed in southern Tajikistan, in order to guard the border with Afghanistan, until summer 2005. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, American and French troops have also been stationed in the country.

Politics

Main articles: Politics of Tajikistan

:''See also: Human rights in Tajikistan''

Almost immediately after independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war that saw various factions, allegedly backed by Russia and Iran, fighting one another. All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russians, who were mostly employed in industry, fled to Russia. By 1997, the war had cooled down, and a central government began to take form, with peaceful elections in 1999.
"Longtime observers of Tajikistan often characterize the country as profoundly averse to risk and skeptical of promises of reform, a political passivity they trace to the country’s ruinous civil war," Ilan Greenberg wrote in a news article in ''The New York Times'' just before the country's November 2006 presidential election.
Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament. The latest elections occurred in 2005, and as all previous elections, international observers believe them to have been corrupt, arousing many accusations from opposition parties that President Emomali Rahmon manipulates the election process.
The November 6, 2006 election was boycotted by "mainline" opposition parties, including the 23,000-member Islamist Islamic Renaissance Party. Four remaining opponents "all but endorsed the incumbent", Rakhmon. After November 2006 presidential elections, it is widely speculated that Rahmon has secured his seat for at least another two terms, which will allow him rule till 2020.
Tajikistan to this date is one of the few countries in Central Asia to have included an active opposition in its government. In the Parliament, opposition groups have often clashed with the ruling party, but this has not led to great instability.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Provinces of Tajikistan

Tajikistan consists of 4 administrative divisions: 2 provinces (viloyat) (Sughd and Khatlon), 1 autonomous province (Gorno-Badakhshan), and the Region of Republican Subordination (formerly known as Karotegin Province).

Division	ISO 3166-2	Capital	Area (sq. km)	Pop (2000)	Key
Sughd	TJ-SU	Khujand	26,100	1,870,000	1
Region of Republican Subordination	TJ-RR	Dushanbe	28,400	1,338,000	2
Khatlon	TJ-KT	Qurghonteppa	24,600	2,150,000	3
Gorno-Badakhshan	TJ-BG	Khorugh	63,700	206,000	4

Each region consists of several districts (called "nohiya").

Geography

Main articles: Geography of Tajikistan

Satellite photograph of Tajikistan

Mountains of Tajikistan

Tajikistan is landlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is covered by mountains of the Pamir range, and more than fifty percent of the country is over 3,000 meters (approx. 10,000 ft) above sea level. The only major areas of lower land are in the north which is part of the Fergana Valley, and in the southern Kafirnigan and Vakhsh valleys which form the Amu Darya and have much higher rainfall. Dushanbe is located on the southern slopes above the Kafirnigan valley.
The Amu Darya and Panj rivers mark the border with Afghanistan, and Tajikistan's mountains are the major source of runoff for the Aral Sea
About 1% of the country's area is covered by lakes:

★ Kuli

★ Obanbori Norak

★ Qarokul

★ Shorkul

★ Yashilkul

★ Zorkul

Mountain	Height		Location
Independence Peak	7,174 m	23,537 ft	Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range
Kyzylart Pass	4,280 m	14,042 ft	Northern border in the Trans-Alay Range
Ismoil Somoni Peak (highest)	7,495 m	24,590 ft	North of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Avicenna Peak	6,974 m	22,881 ft	North of Ismoil Somoni Peak
Peak Korzhenievski	7,105 m	23,310 ft	Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Revolution Peak	6,973 m	22,880 ft	Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous oblast (province)
Qatorkuhi Akademiyai Fanho	6,785 m	22,260 ft	Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province
Concord Peak	5,469 m	17,943 ft	Southern border in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Qullai Karl Marks	6,726 m	22,067 ft	Southern border in the northern ridge of the Karakoram Range
Qullai Mayakovskiy	6,096 m	20,000 ft	Along the border to Afghanistan.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Tajikistan

Tajikistan was the poorest country in Central Asia as well in the former Soviet Union following a civil war after it became independent in 1991. With foreign revenue precariously dependent upon exports of cotton and aluminum, the economy is highly vulnerable to external shocks. In FY 2000, international assistance remained an essential source of support for rehabilitation programs that reintegrated former civil war combatants into the civilian economy, thus helping keep the peace. International assistance also was necessary to address the second year of severe drought that resulted in a continued shortfall of food production. On August 21, 2001, the Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and called for international aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan's economy grew substantially after the war. The GDP of Tajikistan expanded at an average rate of 9.6% over the period of 2000-2004 according to the World Bank data. This improved Tajikistan's position among other Central Asian countries (namely Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), which seem to have degraded economically ever since.^[1]
Tajikistan is an active member of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
A new bridge between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is being built right now which will help the country to have access to trade lines with South Asia. This will reduce prices on many imported goods. It will also make it easy for the people of Tajikistan to travel by roads to nearby South Asian countries. Previously, there was no such bridge between the two countries. The bridge is being built by the United States.^[2]

Drugs trafficking

Drug trafficking is a major source of income in TajikistanSilk Road Studies, COUNTRY FACTSHEETS, EURASIAN NARCOTICS: TAJIKISTAN 2004 as it is an important transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; some opium poppy is also raised locally for the domestic market. Tajikistan holds the third place in the world for heroin and raw opium confiscations.^[3] Drug money corrupts the country's government; according to some experts the well-known personalities that fought on both sides of the civil war and have held the positions in the government after the armistice was signed are now involved in the drug trade.

Demographics

A boy sells nuts and dried fruits at a market in Tajikistan

Main articles: Demographics of Tajikistan

Tajikistan has a population of 7,320,716 (July 2006 est.). Tajiks who speak the Tajik language are the main ethnic group, although there is a sizable minority of Uzbeks and a small population of Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration. Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to larger group of Tajiks. Likewise, the official language of Tajikistan is the Tajik language, while Russian is largely spoken in business and for government purposes. Despite its poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy with an estimated 98% of the population having the ability to read and write. Most of the population follows Sunni Islam, although a sizable number of Shi'a are present as well. Bukharian Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd century BC, but today only a few hundred remain. There is also a small population of Yaghnobi people who have lived in the mountainous district of Sughd Viloyat for many centuries.
The Tajik Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reported that 104,272 disabled people are registered in Tajikistan (2000). This group of people suffers most from poverty in Tajikistan. The Tajik government and the World Bank considered activities to support this part of the population described in the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.^[4]

Demographics

A boy sells dried fruits at a market in Tajikistan

Main articles: Demographics of Tajikistan

Tajikistan has a population of 7,076,598 (July 2007 est.). Tajiks who speak the Tajik language are the main ethnic group, although there is a sizeable minority of Uzbeks, and a small population of Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration. Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to larger group of Tajiks. Likewise, the official language of Tajikistan is the Tajik language, while Russian is largely spoken in business and for government purposes. Despite its poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy with an estimated 98% of the population having the ability to read and write. Most of the population follows Sunni Islam, although a sizeable number of Shi'a are present as well. Bukharian Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd century BC, but today only a few hundred remain. There is also a small population of Yaghnobi people who have lived in the mountainous district of Sughd Viloyat for many centuries.
The Tajik Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reported that 104,272 disabled people are registered in Tajikistan (2000). This group of people suffers most from poverty in Tajikistan. The Tajik government and the World Bank considered activities to support this part of the population described in the World Bank's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.^[4]

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Tajikistan

Statue of Persian poet Rudaki in Panjakent, Tajikistan. Poetry is an important element in the culture of Tajikistan

Historically, Tajiks and Persians come from very similar stock with a mutual language and are related as part of the larger group of Iranian peoples. Tajik culture can be divided into two areas, Metropolitan and Kuhiston(Highland). Ancient towns such as Bukhara, Samarkand, Herat, Balkh and Nishopur Khiva are no longer part of the country. More modern centres include Dushanbe (the capital), Khudjand, Kulob, Panjikent and Istarvshan.
The Yaghnobi people live in mountainous areas of northern Tajikistan. The estimated number of Yagnobians is now about 25,000. Forced migrations have decimated their numbers. They speak the Yaghnobi language, which has its roots in the Sogdian language.


★ Music of Tajikistan

★ Islam in Tajikistan

★ Public holidays in Tajikistan

★ Cuisine of Tajikistan

See also

★ Central Asian Union

★ Communications in Tajikistan

★ Foreign relations of Tajikistan

★ Ittihodi Scouthoi Tojikiston

★ Military of Tajikistan

★ Transportation in Tajikistan

★ List of cities in Tajikistan

★ Agriculture in Tajikistan

★ Dushanbe synagogue

References and footnotes

1. BBC's Guide to Central Asia
2. US Army Corps of Engineer, Afghanistan-Tajikistan Bridge
3. CIA World Factbook. Tajikistan, transnational issues
4. Tajikistan - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and joint assessment
5. Tajikistan - Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and joint assessment

Further reading

★ ''Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan'' by Kamoludin Abdullaev and Shahram Akbarzadeh

★ ''Land Beyond the River: The Untold Story of Central Asia'' by Monica Whitlock

★ ''Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation'' by Shirin Akiner

★ ''Tajikistan: The Trials of Independence'' by Shirin Akiner, Mohammad-Reza Djalili and Frederic Grare

External links

★ BBC Country Profiles: Tajikistan

★ CIA World Factbook - Tajikistan

★ Open Directory Project - ''Tajikistan''

★ Khovar Tajikistan news agency.

★ Tajik Development Gateway

★ Tajikistan Travel Guide

★ ''neweurasia'' Tajikistan blog

★ United Friends - Tajikistan Tourist information and photographs

★ Footage of Tajikistan civil war 1990 - 1999