Tajikistan lies on the western slopes of the Pamirs in central Asia. Language and traditions are similar to those of Iran rather than those of Turkic Uzbekistan. Tajikistan decided on independence only when neighboring Soviet republics declared theirs in late 1991. Fighting between communist government forces and Islamist rebels, which erupted shortly afterward, has been contained since 1997 by a fragile peace agreement.

Unlike the other former Soviet -stans, Tajikistan is dominated by a people of Persian (Iranian) origin, rather than Turkic. The ethnic Tajiks make up around 65% of the population. The main ethnic conflict is with the Turkic Uzbeks. As in neighboring Uzbekistan, however, Russians are discriminated against, and their population has thinned from 400,000 in 1989 to fewer than 200,000. By 1990, the 35,000-strong German minority had left. The struggle between Dushanbe-based communists and the Islamist militants in the central and eastern regions displaced more than 50,000 refugees into Afghanistan, whose own Tajik population numbers over a million.

Strengths

Few, though Tajikistan has 14% of known world uranium reserves. Hydroelectric power has considerable potential. Carpet-making.

Weaknesses

Formal economy precarious. Dependence on barter economy. No central planning. Little diversification in agriculture; only 6% of land is arable. Exodus of skilled Russians. Production in all sectors in decline.

The lull in fighting between government forces and Islamist rebels, aided by a 1997 peace accord, has consolidated the regime of former communists led by President Rakhmanov. In 1998, the Islamist United Tajik Opposition (UTO) joined the government in conformity with the accord, which provided for a National Reconciliation Commission along with parliamentary elections. In the 2000 elections the pro-Rakhmanov PDPT, which headed the poll, claimed some support from former UTO members.

Tajikistan remains heavily dependent on Russia, particularly for economic and military assistance. The introduction of the Tajik somoni in 1995 enabled the government to wrest economic control back from Russia. A joint operation with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan was launched in 2000 to combat the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, based in northern Tajikistan. Tajik airfields were crucial during the US-led action in Afghanistan in 2001, and in 2002 Tajikistan became the last of the former Soviet Union countries to join NATO's Partnership for Peace program.

Security along the winding southern border with Afghanistan is bolstered by the presence of some 20,000 international (mostly Russian) peacekeepers. The Tajik army numbers only around 6000. There is no navy or air force.

Tajikistan has one key resource – uranium – which accounted for 30% of the USSR's total production before 1990. The end of the nuclear arms race has reduced its value, however. Most of Tajikistan is bare mountain, and just 6% of the land can be used for agriculture. Industry is concentrated in the Fergana Valley, close to the Uzbek border.

Landslides, particularly on the lower slopes of the Pamirs, are a serious problem. They are caused as much by the natural geography and earthquakes as by human activity.

Tajikistan has good cross-border roads and well-maintained airfields, the result of its use as a staging post by Soviet forces during the Afghan war. The best way to reach the mountainous interior is by air.

Tajikistan's health service has always been poor. The infant mortality rate before 1990 was one of the highest in the USSR.

The university at Dushanbe has been weakened by the departure of its Russian academics.

Only remote areas escape the violence perpetrated by armed gangs. Narcotics smuggling along the border with Afghanistan continues to increase.

More than 80% of Tajik people live below the poverty line; the war against the Islamist rebels worsened conditions. The former communist bureaucrats continue to be the wealthiest group.

Tourism in Tajikistan is virtually nonexistent, and insecurity and poverty make it unlikely to develop soon.

In the 19th century, Tajikistan was a collection of semi-independent principalities, some under Russian control, others under the influence of the Emirate of Bukhara (modern Bukhoro, Uzbekistan).

• 1925 Soviets take over Tajikistan.
• 1940 Cyrillic script introduced.
• 1989 Tajik becomes official language.
• 1991 Independence from Moscow.
• 1994, 1999 Imomali Rakhmanov reelected president.
• 1995 Legislative elections. Somoni introduced.
• 1997–1998 Peace accord with rebels; UTO joins government.
• 2000 Pro-Rakhmanov PDPT wins legislative elections.