Tajikistan




                                 Geography


Location:
     Central Asia, between Uzbekistan and China
Map references:
     Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States,
     Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     143,100 sq km
land area:
     142,700 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:
     total 3,651 km, Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km,
     Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline:
     0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
     none; landlocked
International disputes:
     boundary with China in dispute; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on
     northern boundary in Isfara Valley area; Afghanistan's and other
     foreign support to Tajik rebels based in northern Afghanistan
Climate:
     midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar
     in Pamir Mountains
Terrain:
     Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in
     north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Natural resources:
     significant hydropower potential, some petroleum, uranium, mercury,
     brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten
Land use:
arable land:
     6%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     23%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     71%
Irrigated land:
     6,940 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
     inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity;
     industrial pollution; excessive pesticides; Tajikistan is part of the
     basin of the shrinking Aral Sea which suffers from severe
     overutilization of available water for irrigation and associated
     pollution




natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     NA
Note:
     landlocked


                                  People


Population:
     5,995,469 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.67% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     34.79 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.71 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     62 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     68.76 years
male:
     65.88 years
female:
     71.79 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     4.62 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Tajik(s)
adjective:
     Tajik
Ethnic divisions:
     Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of
     emigration), other 6.6%
Religions:
     Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%
Languages:
     Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy:
     age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
     100%
male:
     100%
female:
     99%
Labor force:
     1.95 million (1992)
by occupation:
     agriculture and forestry 43%, government and services 24%, industry
     14%, trade and communications 11%, construction 8% (1990)






                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Respublika i Tojikiston
local short form:
     none
former:
     Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
     TI
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Dushanbe
Administrative divisions:
     2 oblasts (viloyotho, singular - viloyat) and one autonomous oblast*
     (viloyati avtonomii); Viloyati Avtonomii Badakhshoni Kuni* (Khorugh -
     formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly
     Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Leninobad (Khujand - formerly Leninabad)
note:
     the administrative center names are in parentheses
Independence:
     9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
     National Day, 9 September (1991)
Constitution:
     a referendum on new constitution planned for June 1994
Legal system:
     based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     Head of State and Assembly Chairman Emomili RAKHMONOV (since NA
     November 1992); election last held 27 October 1991 (next to be held NA
     September 1994); results - Rakhman NABIYEV, Communist Party 60%;
     Davlat KHUDONAZAROV, Democratic Party, Islamic Rebirth Party and
     Rastokhoz Party 30%
head of government:
     Prime Minister Abdujalil SAMADOV (since 27 December 993)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers
note:
     the presidency was abolished in November 1992, when RAKHMANOV became
     head of state; a referendum on presidential or parliamentary system is
     planned for June 1994
Legislative branch:
     unicameral




Supreme Soviet:
     elections last held 25 February 1990 (next to be held NA September
     1994); results - Communist Party 99%, other 1%; seats - (230 total)
     Communist Party 227, other 3
Judicial branch:
     Prosecutor General
Political parties and leaders:
     Communist Party (Tajik Socialist Party - TSP), Shodi SHABDOLOV,
     chairman; Tajik Democratic Party (TDP), Shodmon YUSUF; Islamic Revival
     Party (IRP), Mohammed Sharif HIMOTZODA, Davat OUSMAN; Rastokhez
     Movement, Tohir ABDUJABBAR; Lali Badakhshan Society, Atobek AMIRBEK
note:
     all the above-listed parties but the Communist Party were banned in
     June 1993
Other political or pressure groups:
     Tajikistan Opposition Movement based in northern Afghanistan
Member of:
     CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, IDA, IDB, IMF, INTELSAT
     (nonsignatory user), IOC, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, WHO,
     WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     NA
chancery:
     NA
telephone:
     NA
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Stanley T. ESCUDERO
embassy:
     Hotel October, 105A Rudaki Prospect, Dushanbe
mailing address:
     use embassy street address
telephone:
     [7] (3772) 21-03-56 and 21-03-60
Flag:
     three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and
     green; a crown surmounted by seven five-pointed stars is located in
     the center of the white stripe


                                  Economy




Overview:
     Tajikistan had the lowest per capita GDP in the former USSR, the
     highest rate of population growth, and the lowest standard of living.
     Its economy at the start of 1994 is producing at roughly the 1989
     level and faces urgent reconstruction tasks from the 1992 civil war.
     Tajikistan's economy was severely disrupted by the breakup of the
     Soviet economy, which provided guaranteed trade relations and heavy
     subsidies and in which specialized tasks were assigned to each
     republic. Its economy is highly agricultural (43% of the work force);
     it has specialized in growing cotton for export and must import a
     large share of its food. Its industry (14% of the work force) produces
     aluminum, hydropower, machinery, and household appliances. Nearly all
     petroleum products must be imported. Constant political turmoil and
     continued dominance of former Communist officials have slowed the
     process of economic reform and brought near economic collapse while
     limiting foreign assistance. Tajikistan is in the midst of a prolonged
     monetary crisis in which it is attempting to continue to use the
     Russian ruble as its currency while its neighbors have switched to new
     independent currencies; Russia is unwilling to advance sufficient
     rubles without attaching stringent reform conditions.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.9 billion (1993 estimate from
     the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
     published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
     extrapolated to 1993 using official Tajik statistics, which are very
     uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
     -21% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $1,180 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     38% per month (1993 average)
Unemployment rate:
     1.1% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large
     numbers of underemployed workers and unregistered unemployed people
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
     $263 million to outside the FSU countries (1993)
commodities:
     cotton, aluminum, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
partners:
     Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
Imports:
     $371 million from outside the FSU countries (1993)
commodities:
     fuel, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, textiles,
     foodstuffs
partners:
     Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
External debt:
     $NA




Industrial production:
     growth rate -20% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
     4,585,000 kW
production:
     16.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,879 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable
     oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Agriculture:
     cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep and goats
Illicit drugs:
     illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
     consumption; limited government eradication programs; used as
     transshipment points for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Western
     Europe and North America
Economic aid:
recipient:
     Russia reportedly provided substantial general assistance throughout
     1993 and continues to provide assistance in 1994; Western aid and
     credits promised through the end of 1993 were $700 million but
     disbursements were only $104 million; large scale development loans
     await IMF approval of a reform and stabilization plan
Currency:
     1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks; acquiring new Russian rubles as currency
     under December 1993 agreement
Exchange rates:
     NA
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     480 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
     29,900 km
paved:
     21,400 km
unpaved:
     earth 8,500 km (1990)
Pipelines:
     natural gas 400 km (1992)
Ports:
     none; landlocked
Airports:
total:
     58
usable:
     30




with permanent-surface runways:
     12
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     4
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
     13
note:
     a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
     poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached
     by the national network; 303,000 telephone circuits (December 1991);
     telephone density about 55 per 1000 persons(1951); linked by cable and
     microwave to other CIS republics, and by leased connections to the
     Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by INTELSAT to
     international gateway switch in Ankara; satellite earth stations - 1
     Orbita and 2 INTELSAT (one INTELSAT earth station provides TV
     receive-only service from Turkey)


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army (being formed), National Guard, Security Forces (internal and
     border troops)
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,361,143; fit for military service 1,116,246; reach
     military age (18) annually 57,681 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP