Tajikistan

Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон Jumhurii Tojikiston Republic of Tajikistan
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: none
Anthem: Surudi Milli
Capital (and largest city)	Dushanbe 38°33′N 68°48′E
Official languages	Tajik
Government	Unitary republic
- President	Emomali Rahmonov
- Prime Minister	Okil Okilov
Independence
- Declared	September 9, 1991
- Completed	December 25, 1991
- Establishment of the Samanid Empire	875 AD
Area
- Total	143,100 km² (95th) 55,251 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.3
Population
- July 2006 estimate	7,320,0001 (100th1)
- 2000 census	6,127,000
- Density	45 /km² (151st) 117 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$8.802 billion (139th)
- Per capita	$1,388 (159th)
HDI (2004)	0.652 (medium) (122nd)
Currency	Somoni (TJS)
Time zone	TJT (UTC+5)
Internet TLD	.tj
Calling code	+992
1 Rank based on UN figures for 2005; estimate based on CIA figures for 2006.

Tajikistan (alternately Tajikstan), officially, the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik: ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is home mainly to the Tajiks, who share culture and history with the Iranians, and speak the Tajik language. Once the location of the Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.

After independence, Tajikistan suffered from a devastating civil war which lasted from 1990 to 1999. Since the end of the war, newly-established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. Its natural resources such as cotton and aluminium have contributed greatly to this steady improvement, although observers have characterized the country as having few natural resources besides hydroelectric power and its strategic location.