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Tajikistan

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Tajikistan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia.

Tajikistan Map TI-map
Tajikistan Map TI-map

Being landlocked means there are no oceans nearby. The country sits near several neighbors. China is to the east. Afghanistan is to the south. Uzbekistan lies to the west. Kyrgyzstan is found to the north.

Tajikistan satellite photo
Tajikistan satellite photo

The land is very rugged. Mountains cover more than 90% of the total area.

Tajik mountains edit
Tajik mountains edit

This makes the landscape very high and steep.

Life in Tajikistan involves many different languages and traditions. Most people in the country are ethnic Tajiks. The national language is Tajik. Many people also use Russian to communicate between different groups.

Women of Dushanbe
Women of Dushanbe

In the Gorno-Badakhshan region, people speak several other languages. These include Shughni, Wakhi, and Rushani. While the state is secular, about 97.5% of the people follow Islam.

Abdullokhon Mosque Isfara
Abdullokhon Mosque Isfara

The economy relies on making cotton and aluminium.

Talco
Talco

People also send money home from other places to help the economy grow.

This region has a very long and busy history. People lived here during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

Ambassador from Kumedh (胡密丹), visiting the court of the Tang Dynasty. The Gathering of Kings (王会图) circa 650 CE
Ambassador from Kumedh (胡密丹), visiting the court of the Tang Dynasty. The Gathering of Kings (王会图) circa 650 CE

The Silk Road passed through these lands for many years. This path helped trade and ideas move between different cultures. Many strong groups ruled the area at different times. These included the Achaemenids and Alexander the Great. The Kushan Empire also held control for a few centuries.

MansurISamanidPaintingHistoryofIran
MansurISamanidPaintingHistoryofIran

Later, the Samanid Empire helped revive Persian culture in the region.

Modern Tajikistan has seen many big changes in recent years. The land was once part of the Russian Empire. Later, it became a part of the Soviet Union. On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan declared itself an independent state.

Tajik Parliament House, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Tajik Parliament House, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

However, independence was followed by a difficult civil war. This war lasted from May 1992 until June 1997.

Spetsnaz troopers during the 1992 Tajik war
Spetsnaz troopers during the 1992 Tajik war

Since the war ended, the country has worked toward stability. Foreign aid has helped the economy grow during this time. Emomali Rahmon has led the country since 1994.

Today, the capital city is Dushanbe. It is the largest and most crowded city in the country.

Dushanbe Presidential Palace 01
Dushanbe Presidential Palace 01

About 1.24 million people live in Dushanbe alone. The whole country has a population of more than 10.9 million people.

Big Hospital
Big Hospital

Tajikistan is a member of many global groups like the United Nations. It is a presidential republic made of four provinces.

Tajik National University (Main Building)
Tajik National University (Main Building)

Visitors might see people selling local goods in the markets.

Young Tajikistani dry fruit seller
Young Tajikistani dry fruit seller

The country continues to develop its economy and its people.

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🖼️ Images & Media (27)
National_anthem_of_Tajikistan,_performed_b...
File:Tajikistan (orthographic projection).svg
Tajikistan (orthographic projection).svg
File:Tajikistan Map TI-map.gif
Tajikistan Map TI-map.gif
File:Ambassador from Kumedh (胡密丹), visiting the court of the Tang Dynasty. The Gathering of Kings (王会图) circa 650 CE.jpg
Ambassador from Kumedh (胡密丹), visiting...
File:MansurISamanidPaintingHistoryofIran.jpg
MansurISamanidPaintingHistoryofIran.jpg
File:Thomas Edward Gordon Lake Victoria, Great Pamir, May 2nd, 1874.png
Thomas Edward Gordon Lake Victoria, Great...
File:Negotiations with basmachs Fergana, 1921.jpg
Negotiations with basmachs Fergana, 1921.jpg
File:Hammond Slides Central Asia Unlabeled 15.jpg
Hammond Slides Central Asia Unlabeled 15.jpg
File:Spetsnaz troopers during the 1992 Tajik war.jpg
Spetsnaz troopers during the 1992 Tajik war.jpg
File:Dushanbe Presidential Palace 01.jpg
Dushanbe Presidential Palace 01.jpg
File:Emomali Rahmonov 2001Nov03.jpg
Emomali Rahmonov 2001Nov03.jpg
File:Tajik Parliament House, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.JPG
Tajik Parliament House, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.JPG

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