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The Republic of Tajikistan (Тоҷикистон or تاجکستان),
formerly known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, is a
landlocked country in Central Asia. It has borders with
Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan
means the 'Land of the Tajiks'. The name Tajik, both for the
people and for the nation itself, is a geographic reference
to the crown (Taj) of the Pamir Knot.
History
Main article: History of Tajikistan
The land that is now Tajikistan has been inhabited
continuously since 4,000 BC. It has been under the rule of
various empires throughout history, mostly the Persian
Empire. Before AD, it was part of the Bactrian Empire. Arabs
brought Islam in the 7th century. The Persian Samanid Empire
supplanted the Arabs and built the cities of Samarkand and
Bukhara, which became the cultural centers of Tajiks. The
Mongols would later take partial control of the area, and
Tajikistan would become a part of the emirate of Bukhara.
In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to spread into
Central Asia during the Great Game, and it took control of
Tajikistan. After the overthrow of the Tsar in 1917, Tajik
guerillas, known as basmachi waged a war against Bolshevik
armies in a futile attempt to maintain independence. The
Bolsheviks would prevail after a four year war, in which
mosques and villages were burned down and the population
heavily suppressed.
As part of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan was initially
grouped with what is now Uzbekistan as the Tajik Autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic, but in 1929 was made a separate
constituent republic. Moscow did not do much to develop the
SSR, and it remained relatively behind other Soviet
Republics in living conditions, education and industry. In
the 1970s Islamic underground parties began to form, and
served to rally Tajiks against the USSR, but real
disturbances did not occur until 1990. The following year,
the USSR collapsed, and Tajikistan declared its
independence.
The nation almost immediately fell into a civil war that
involved various factions fighting one another, these
factions were often distinguished by clan loyalties. Emomali
Rahmonov was the first leader of the nation, and continues
to rule to this day. However, he has been accused of ethnic
cleansing against other ethnicities and groups during the
Tajikistan Civil War. In 1997 a ceasefire was reached
between Rahmonov and opposition parties (United Tajik
Opposition). Peaceful elections were held in 1999, but they
were reported by the opposition as unfair, and Rahmonov was
re-elected by almost unanimous vote. Russian troops were
stationed in southern Tajikistan, in order to guard the
border with Afghanistan, until summer 2005. Since the
September 11, 2001 attacks, American and French troops have
also been stationed in the country
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Tajikistan
Tajikistan has a population of 7,011,556 (July 2004). The
major ethnic group is the Tajik, although there is a
sizeable minority of Uzbeks, and a small population of
Russians, whose numbers are declining due to emigration.
Pamiris of Badakhshan are considered to belong to larger
group of Tajiks. Likewise, the official language of
Tajikistan is Tajik, while Russian is largely spoken in
business and for government purposes. Although the Tajik and
Uzbek are now classified as separate ethnic groups, on
account of their languages, this is a relatively new
phenomenon and originates from the conquest of Central Asia
by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Despite its
poverty, Tajikistan has a high rate of literacy with an
estimated 98% of the population having the ability to read
and write. Most of the population follows Sunni Islam,
although a sizeable number of Shi'a are present as well.
The Tajik Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare reported that
104,272 disabled people are registered in Tajikistan (2000).
This group of people suffers most from poverty in
Tajikistan. The Tajik government and the World Bank
considered activities to support this part of the population
(described in the Poverty Reduction Paper).
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