Tajikistan Wikipedia

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Tajikistan

The Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik : ), formerly known as theTajik Soviet Socialist Republic , is a

landlocked country in Central Asia . Ithas borders with Afghanistan, China ,Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan .Tajikistan means the 'Land of theTajiks '. The name Tajik, both for the

people and for the nation itself, is ageographic reference to the crown(Taj ) of the Pamir Knot.

Contents

[hide ] 1 His tory 2 Pol itics 3 Pro vinces 4 Ge ography

o 4.1 Exclaves 5 Ec onomy 6 De mographics 7 Cu lture 8 Mi scellaneous topics

9 Fur ther Readi ng 10 D emocracy 11 C ulture

12 E xternal links and refer ences

History

Main article: History of Tajikistan

The land that is now Tajikistan has

been inhabited continuously since4,000 BC. It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history,mostly the Persian Empire . Before AD, it was part of the Bactrian Empire. Arabs broughtIslam in the 7th century. The Persian Samanid Empire supplanted the Arabs and built thecities of Samarkand and Bukhara, which became the cultural centers of Tajiks. TheMongols would later take partial control of the area, and Tajikistan would become a part

Republic of Tajikistan

Flag of Tajikistan Coat of Arms of Tajikistan

National anthem Surudi milli

Official language Tajik

Capital Dushanbe

President Emomali Rahmonov

Prime Minister Okil Okilov

Area Total % water

Ranked 92nd143,100 km0.3%

Population Total (2003) Density

Ranked 95th7,011,55648/km

HDI (2003 ) 0.652 ( 122nd ) medium

Independence Date

From Soviet Union September 9 , 1991

Currency Tajikistani Somoni

Time zone UTC +5

Calling Code 992

Internet TLD .tj
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of the emirate of Bukhara. A small community of Jews, displaced from the Middle Eastafter the Babylonian captivity, migrated to the region and settled there after 600 BC.

In the 19th century , the Russian Empire began to spread into Central Asia during theGreat Game , and it took control of Tajikistan. After the overthrow of the Tsar in 1917 ,

Tajik guerillas, known as basmachi waged a war against Bolshevik armies in a futileattempt to maintain independence. The Bolsheviks would prevail after a four year war, inwhich mosques and villages were burned down and the population heavily suppressed.Jews and Judaism were heavily persecuted during this time as well.

As part of the Soviet Union , Tajikistan was initially grouped with what is nowUzbekistan as the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , but in 1929 was made aseparate constituent republic. Moscow did not do much to develop the SSR, and itremained relatively behind other Soviet Republics in living conditions, education andindustry. In the 1970s Islamic underground parties began to form, and served to rallyTajiks against the USSR, but real disturbances did not occur until 1990. The following

year, the USSR collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its independence.

The nation almost immediately fell into a civil war that involved various factions fightingone another, these factions were often distinguished by clan loyalties. The Jewish

population further diminished during this time, due to persecution. Emomali Rahmonov was the first leader of the nation, and continues to rule to this day. However, he has beenaccused of ethnic cleansing against other ethnicities and groups during the Tajikistan Civil War . 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 andFrench troops have also been stationed in the country.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Tajikistan

Almost immediately after independence, Tajikistan was plunged into a civil war that sawvarious factions, allegedly backed by Russia and Iran, fighting one another. All but25,000 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.Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament.The latest elections occurred in 2005 , and as all previous elections, internationalobservers believe them to have been defective, arousing many accusations fromopposition parties that President Emomali Rahmonov manipulates the election process.
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Tajikistan to this date is the only country in Central Asia to have included an activeopposition in its government. In the Parliament, opposition groups have often clashedwith the ruling party, but this has not led to great instability.

Account of events from independence leading to the Bishkek agreement of 1997

Provinces

Administrative division .Main article: Provinces of Tajikistan

The country is divided into regions, or provinces (singular: viloyat, plural: viloyatho)(capitals in parentheses)-

Khatlon Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa ) Sughd Viloyati Sughd (Khujand ) Karotegin (Kofarnihon )

and one autonomous province (viloyati mukhtor)-
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Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAR) Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon (Khorugh ).

Additionally, the area containing the capital (RRS, Region of Republican Subordination ),Dushanbe , has no viloyat-level administrative divisions.

note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Geography

Map of Tajikistan

Main article: Geography 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 3,000meters (approx. 10,000 feet) above sea level . The Amu Darya and Panj rivers mark the

border with Afghanistan.

A photograph of Qullai Ismoili Somoni peak (then known as Peak Communism ) taken in1989 when Tajikistan was part of the Soviet Union .

About 1% of the country's area is covered by lakes:

Kuli Sarez Obanbori Norak
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Qarokul Shorkul Yashilkul Zorkul

The northern border is formed by the Trans-Alay Range (Lenin Peak 7174 m, Kyzylart Pass 4280 m). The highest peak is Qullai Ismoili Somoni (7495 m), between Qullai Revolutsiya (6974 m) to the north, Peak Korzhenievski (7105m) and Qatorkuhi Akademiyai Fanho (6785 m) further south, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region . The southern border of the country is formed by the northern most ridges of theKarakoram Range , with Concord Peak (5469 m), Qullai Karl Marks (6726 m) and Qullai Mayakovskiy (6096 m) along the border to Afghanistan.

Exclaves

There are three Tajik exclaves [1] , all of them located in the Fergana Valley region where

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. The largest is Vorukh (exclave area between 95 and 130 km, population estimated between 23,000 and 29,000, 95% Tajiksand 5% Kyrgyz, distributed among 17 villages), located 45 km south of Isfara on theright bank of the Karafshin river, in Kyrgyz territory. Another exclave in Kyrgyzstan is asmall settlement near the Kyrgyz railway station of Kairagach. The last is the village of Sarvan, which includes a narrow, long strip of land (about 15 km long by 1 km wide)alongside the road from Angren to Kokand ; it is surrounded by Uzbek territory.

There are no enclaves within Tajikistan.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Tajikistan

Tajikistan was the poorest country in Central Asia following a civil war after it becameindependent in 1991. With foreign revenue precariously dependent upon exports of cotton and aluminium, 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, thushelping keep the peace. International assistance also was necessary to address the secondyear of severe drought that resulted in a continued shortfall of food production. OnAugust 21st , 2001 , the Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and

called for international aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan . Tajikistan's economy grewsubstantially 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 improvedTajikistan's position among other Central Asian countries (namely Turkmenistan andUzbekistan), which seem to have degraded economically ever since BBC's Guide to Central Asia.

Demographics
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Main article: Demographics of Tajikistan

Tajikistan has a population of 7,011,556 (July 2004). The major ethnic group is the Tajik ,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 Tajik ,while Russian is largely spoken in business and for government purposes. Although theTajik and Uzbek are now classified as separate ethnic groups, on account of their languages, this is a relatively new phenomenon and originates from the conquest of Central Asia by the Russian Empire in the 19th century . Despite its poverty, Tajikistanhas a high rate of literacy with an estimated 98% of the population having the ability toread and write. Most of the population follows Sunni Islam, although a sizeable number of Shi'a are present as well. Bukharan Jews had lived in Tajikistan since the 2nd centuryBC, but today only several hundred remain.

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 inTajikistan. The Tajik government and the World Bank considered activities to supportthis part of the population (described in the [ [2] ]) Poverty Reduction Paper.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Tajikistan

The culture of Tajikistan was originally shared with that of Uzbekistan, but duringCommunist rule, the cultural fabric of the region was disrupted by the Soviet leadershipimposing artificial boundaries and the notion of nation-state - alien to the region - on the

area. This has not been completely detrimental though, as Tajikistan was known for itstheater and famous novelists during the Soviet era. Among these writers were individualswho strove to purify the Tajik language by tying it in more with Dari and eliminatingRussian words and Arabic words.

Most citizens of Tajikistan are Sunni Muslim . The impact of Islam has grown in recentyears, and was a strong bonding force during Tajikistan's fight against Soviet rule andduring its civil war. Historically, a lot of Tajik culture ties it to the Persian past of theregion, and Persian writers, scientists and poets such as Ibn Sina , Firdausi , Rudaki , andOmar Khayym are especially revered.

Tajikistan is home to a small Jewish community and one synagogue, the Dushanbe synagogue.

Music of Tajikistan Islam in Tajikistan Public holidays in Tajikistan

Miscellaneous topics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pamiris&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badakhshanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajik_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'a_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukharan_Jewshttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000094946_02112004011765http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajik_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Sinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firdausihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudakihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khayy%C3%A1mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dushanbe_synagoguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dushanbe_synagoguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pamiris&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badakhshanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajik_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi'a_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukharan_Jewshttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_IBank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000094946_02112004011765http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajik_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunni_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Sinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firdausihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudakihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khayy%C3%A1mhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dushanbe_synagoguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dushanbe_synagoguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Tajikistan


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Communications in Tajikistan Foreign relations of Tajikistan Ittihodi Scouthoi Tojikiston Military of Tajikistan Transportation in Tajikistan

Further Reading

Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan by Kamoludin Abdullaev and ShahramAkbarzadeh

Land Beyond the River: The Untold Story of Central Asia by Monica Whitlock Lonely Planet Guide: Central Asia by Paul Clammer, Michael Kohn and Bradley

Mayhew Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation by Shirin Akiner Tajikistan: The Trials of Independence by Shirin Akiner , Mohammad-Reza Djalili

and Frederic Grare

Democracy

"We have to wait a little bit, and the nation will rebe l itself" by Daler Rahimov Tajik elections need international support by Daler Rahimov

Culture

The Mosque and State in Tajikistan by Daler Rahimov.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ittihodi_Scouthoi_Tojikistonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Akinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Akinerhttp://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93http://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=56http://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=56http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ittihodi_Scouthoi_Tojikistonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transportation_in_Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Akinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirin_Akinerhttp://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93http://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=56http://www.thinking-east.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=56

Documents

Tajikistan Wikipedia