Tajikistan Facts, Tajikistan Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 6,813,000
Capital:: Dushanbe; 554,000
Area:: 143,100 square kilometers (55,251 square miles)
Language:: Tajik, Russian
Religion:: Sunni and Shiite Muslim
Currency:: Somoni
Life Expectancy:: 68
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $1,300
Literacy Percent:: 99

Mountains cover more than 90 percent of this Central Asian republic, whose river valleys are home to a majority of the people. About two-thirds of the people are ethnic Tajiks, but about a quarter are Uzbeks. Shortly after independence in 1991, Tajikistan endured a five-year civil war between the Moscow-backed government and the Islamist-led opposition. A peace agreement was signed in 1997, but the political turmoil has depressed the economy. Tajikistan relies heavily on Russian assistance, and there are some 23,000 Russian troops guarding Tajikistan's borders—against weapons, drugs, and Islamic extremists.

ECONOMY

Industry: Aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers
Agriculture: Cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: Aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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