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
- To 1918 -- controlled by a succession of Iranians, Mongols, Uzbeks, Afghans and Russians
- 1918-1925 -- controlled by USSR
- 1926-1991 -- part of USSR
- 1991 -- independence
FINANCIAL
- Monetary unit:
- Tajik ruble
CNN WEATHER INFORMATION
- Forecast map:
- Africa and Mideast forecast map (includes Tajikistan)