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Background:
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Tajikistan has completed its transition from the civil war
that plagued the country from 1992 to 1997. There have been no
major security incidents in more than two years, although the
country remains the poorest in the region. Attention by the
international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan
has brought increased economic development assistance, which
could create jobs and increase stability in the long term.
Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade
Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for
Peace.
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Location:
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Central Asia,
west of China |
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Geographic coordinates:
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39 00 N, 71 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
143,100 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than Wisconsin |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km,
Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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midlatitude
continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in
Pamir Mountains |
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Terrain:
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Pamir and Alay
Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north,
Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower, some
petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony,
tungsten, silver, gold |
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Land use:
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arable land:
5.4%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 93.7% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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7,200 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes and
floods |
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate
sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity;
industrial pollution; excessive pesticides |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental
Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked;
mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the
north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai
Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest
mountain in the former USSR |
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Population:
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7,011,556 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
39.2% (male 1,384,035; female 1,361,137)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 1,957,712; female 1,976,488)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 145,717; female 186,467)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
19.5 years
male: 19.2 years
female: 19.8 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.14% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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32.63
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.42 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.86 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
112.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 99.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 124.47 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 64.47 years
male: 61.53 years
female: 67.55 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani |
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Ethnic groups:
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Tajik 64.9%,
Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration),
other 6.6% |
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim
85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.) |
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Languages:
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Tajik (official),
Russian widely used in government and business |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.1% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Dushanbe |
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Administrative divisions:
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2 provinces (viloyatho,
singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati
mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan]
(Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in
parentheses |
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Independence:
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9 September 1991
(from Soviet Union) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day
(or National Day), 9 September (1991) |
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Constitution:
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6 November 1994 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil
law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;
head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since
20 January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president, approved by the Supreme Assembly
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president;
percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to
be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president;
Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003
that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year
terms for the president |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Supreme
Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of
Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi
Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected
by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve
five-year terms)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic
Revival Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for
the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and
23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA
2005) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
(judges are appointed by the president) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Party
or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Revival
Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic Party
of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic
Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn
NAZRIYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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there are two
unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members:
Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko
SAIDOV] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Hamrohon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Street NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC
20006
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
734003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully
operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at: 531
Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone
7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48 (Dushanbe)
FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62 |
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Economy - overview:
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Tajikistan has
the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet
republics. Only 5% to 6% of the land area is arable. Cotton is
the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited
in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten.
Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower
facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light
industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely
damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a
sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even
though 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty,
Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997.
Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned
enterprises will further increase productivity. Tajikistan's
economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven
implementation of structural reforms, weak governance,
widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt
restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December
2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace period,
and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of
Tajikistan. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $6.996 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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9.9% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $1,000 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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60% (2003 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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16% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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3.187 million
(2000) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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40% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$502 million
expenditures: $520 million, including capital
expenditures of $86 million (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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aluminum, zinc,
lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil,
metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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10.3% (2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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14.18 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
1.9%
hydro: 98.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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14.52 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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250 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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20,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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50 million cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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1.3 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, grain,
fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats |
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Exports:
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$750 million
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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aluminum,
electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles |
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Exports - partners:
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Netherlands
29.4%, Turkey 16.1%, Russia 11.9%, Uzbekistan 9.9%,
Switzerland 9.4%, Hungary 5.4%, Latvia 4.2% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$890 million
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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electricity,
petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment,
foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Russia 23.1%,
Uzbekistan 18.6%, Ukraine 11.4%, Kazakhstan 10.1%,
Turkmenistan 6.6%, Azerbaijan 5.8%, India 4.5% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$1 billion (2002
est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$60.7 million
from US (2001) |
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Currency:
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somoni |
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Currency code:
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TJS |
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Exchange rates:
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Tajikistani
somoni per US dollar - 3.06 (2003), 2.76 (2002), 2.37 (2001),
2.08 (2000), 1.24 (1999)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30
October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old
Tajikistani rubles |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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237,600 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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13,200 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many
towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 992; linked by cable and
microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch;
Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in
Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2
Intelsat |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 8, FM 10,
shortwave 2 (2002) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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13 (2001) |
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Internet country code:
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.tj |
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Internet hosts:
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302 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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3,500 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 482
km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
27,767 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (2000) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Pipelines:
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gas 540 km; oil
38 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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none |
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Airports:
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66 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 40 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Air Force,
Air Defense Force, Presidential National Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,762,730 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 1,444,325 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
86,761 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$35.4 million
(FY01) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.9% (FY01) |
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Disputes - international:
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prolonged
regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu
Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede
1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for
China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani
lands but demarcation has not yet commenced; talks continue
with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;
disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan |
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Illicit drugs:
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major transit
country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a
lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit
cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption;
Tajikistan seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in
Central Asia and stands third world-wide in seizures of
opiates (heroin and raw opium) |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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