Tajikistan

Republic of Tajikistan
ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон
Republic of Tajikistan ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон
	Flag Coat of Arms
	Motto: None
	Anthem: Surudi Milli
Capital and largest city	Dushanbe
Official languages	Persian/Tajik
Government	Republic
• President	Emomali Rahmonov
• Prime Minister	Okil Okilov
Independence
• Declared	September 9, 1991
• Completed	December 25, 1991
• Establishment of the Samanid Empire	875 AD
• Water (%)	0.3
Population
• July 2005 estimate	6,507,000 1 (100th 1)
• 2000 census	6,127,000
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$8.802 billion (139th)
• Per capita	$1,388 (159th)
Currency	Somoni (TJS)
Time zone	UTC+5
Calling code	992
ISO 3166 code	TJ
Internet TLD	.tj
	1.) Rank based on U.N. 2005 figures. Estimate based on CIA figures for 2006.

The Republic of Tajikistan (Persian/Tajik: ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон (Cyrillic), جمهوری تاجیکستان (Perso-Arabic), Çumhurii Toçikiston (Latin)) is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is home to the Tajiks, who share culture and history with the Iranians, and speak Tajik, a language closely related to Persian. Once the location of the famous Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

After independence, however, 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 aluminum have contributed greatly to this steady improvement.

Demographics

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 Persian, while Russian is largely spoken in business and for government purposes. Although the Tajik 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, 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. Bukharan 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.

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 [1]) Poverty Reduction Paper.

Culture

The culture of Tajikistan was originally shared with that of Uzbekistan, but during Communist rule, the cultural fabric of the region was disrupted by the Soviet leadership imposing 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 its theater and famous novelists during the Soviet era. Among these writers were individuals who strove to purify the Tajik language by tying it in more with Dari and eliminating Russian words and Arabic words.

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

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

The Yaghnobi people live in mountainous areas of northern Tajikistan. The estimated number of Yagnobians is now about 2500. Forced migrations have decimated their numbers. They speak the Yaghnobi language, which has its roots in the Sogdian language.