Tajikistan

Main article: History of Tajikistan The land that is now Tajikistan has been under the rule of various empires throughout history. In the time before Christ, it was part of the Bactrian Empire. Arabs brought Islam in the 7th century. The Samanid Empire supplanted the Arabs but was eventually superseded by Turkic invaders. The Mongols would later take control of the area, and Tajikistan would become a part of the emirate of Bukhara. Humans were permanently installed in Tajikistan from 4,000 BC.

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to expand, and spread into Central Asia. During the Great Game, it came in control of Tajikistan. After the overthrow of the Tsar in 1917, Tajik guerillas waged a war against Bolshevik armies in a futile attempt to maintain independence. The Bolsheviks would prevail after a four year war, in which mosques and villages were burned down and the population heavily suppressed.

As part of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan was initially grouped with what is now Uzbekistan in the Autonomous SSR, but was later made a separate SSR. Moscow did not do much to develop the Tadzhik SSR, and it remained relatively behind other Soviet Republics in living conditions, education and industry. In the 1970s Islamic underground parties began to form, and served to rally Tajiks against the USSR, but real disturbances did not occur until 1990. The following year, the USSR collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its indepdence.

The nation almost immediately fell into a civil war that involved various factions fighting one another, these factions were often distinguished by tribal loyalties. Emomali Rahmonov was the first leader of the nation, and continues to rule to this day. However, he has been accused of ethnic cleansing of other tribes during the civil war. In 1997 a cease-fire was reached between Rahmanov and Islamic opposition parties. Peaceful elections were held in 1999, but they were unfair, and Rahmanov was reelected by almost unanimous vote. Russian troops continue to be stationed in southern Tajikistan, in order to guard the border with Afghanistan. Since the September 11th Attacks, American 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 saw various factions, backed by Russia and Iran, fighting one another. All but 25,000 of the more than 400,000 ethnic Russian middle-management middle class fled to Russia. By 1997 the war had cooled down, and a central government began to take form.

Tajikistan is officially a republic, and holds elections for the President and Parliament. The latest elections occurred in 1999, and 2000. While peaceful, international observers believe the elections to have been flawed.

Tajikistan is the only former Soviet Republic to permit Islamic parties to take part in its governmental process. In the Parliament, opposition groups have often clashed with the ruling party, but this has not led to great instability.

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

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Tajikistan Tajikistan is divided into 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor):

Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog)
Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube),
Viloyati Sughd (Khujand - formerly Leninabad)

note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Geography

Main article: Geography of Tajikistan Tajikistan is completely landlocked, and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. Tajikistan is covered by many mountain ranges, including the Tian Shan, and more than fifty percent of the country is above sea level. The Amu-Darya and Pyanj Rivers mark the border with Afghanistan.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Tajikistan Tajikistan is the poorest CIS country and one of the poorest countries in the world. 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 21rd 2001, the Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and called for international financial aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Tajikistan Tajikistan has a population of 6,440,732. 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. Likewise, the official language of Tajikistan is Tajik, 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 Shia are present as well.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Tajikistan 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 that imposed modern arts on the area. This has not been completely detrimental though, as Tajikistan was known for it's 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 Farsi and eliminating Arabic words.

Most citizens of Tajikistan are Muslim. The impact of Islam has grown in recent years, and was a heavy bonding force during Tajikistans fight against Soviet rule and during its civil war. Historically, a lot of Tajik culture ties in to the Persian past of the region, and writers and poets such as ibn Sina, Firdausi, and Omar Khayyam are especially revered.

Music of Tajikistan

Holidays

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks

January 1	New Year's Day	-	-
March 8	International Woman's Day	-	-
March 20 - March 22	Persian New Year	Navruz	-
May 1	International Labor Day	-	-
May 9	Victory Day	-	-
September 9	Independence Day	-	-
November 6	Constitution Day	-	-
November 9	National Reconciliation Day	-	-
date varies	Eid al-Fitr	Eid-i-Ramazon	Commemorates end of Ramadan
date varies	Eid ul-Adha	Eid-i-Kurbon	Occurs 70 days after the end of Ramadan

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External links and references

Text in the sub-articles from the CIA World Factbook, 2003 and 2000

Central Asia

Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan

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History

Politics

Provinces

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Culture

Holidays

Miscellaneous topics

External links and references