Tajikistan

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and many more displaced in fighting between the Tajik government and Islamic rebels since the former Soviet republic gained independence in 1991.

A peace accord signed in Moscow on June 27, 1997 formally ended the civil war, and since then a 44-member U.N. Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) has been working with a force of about 20,000 Russian-led troops to maintain order.

But the fragile peace is often disturbed by maverick armed bands, and the hostilities are further complicated by seething regional and clan rivalries.

Land and People | History |
| Financial | Weather

DEMOGRAPHICS:

Population:
5,916,373
Average life span:
61 male, 68 female
Average yearly income (US$):
$600
GDP per capita (US$):
$1,486
Literacy rate:
98%

THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE:

Capital:
Dushanbe
Size:
55,300 square miles (143,100 sq. km)
(Slightly smaller than Wisconsin)
Government type:
Republic
Political leaders:
President Imomali Rakhmonov
Prime Minister Yakhyo Azimov
United Tajik Opposition (UTO)leader Said Abdullo Nuri
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 80%
Languages:
Tajik (official); Russian

MODERN HISTORY

FINANCIAL

Monetary unit:
Tajik ruble

CNN WEATHER INFORMATION

Forecast map:
Africa and Mideast forecast map (includes Tajikistan)