Tajikistan:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Tajikistan:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbekistan SSR to newly formed Tajikistan SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-97 civil war. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and security 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.

Location	Definition Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates	Definition 39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map references	Definition Asia
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries	Definition total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline	Definition 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims	Definition none (landlocked)
Climate	Definition midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Terrain	Definition Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Natural resources	Definition hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 7,220 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 99.7 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%) per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition earthquakes and floods
Environment - current issues	Definition inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition 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

Tajikistan: Geography

Tajikistan:
Geography