Special Sub-Topic: Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks Click Here To Play: Tajikistan: Land of the Tajiks

Tajikistan is located in Central Asia. Which of the following countries does it NOT share a border with?

India. Tajikistan is a fairly small country. Its total area is approximately 55,250 square miles. It borders China to the east, Afghanistan to the south, and Uzbekistan to the west. It also borders Kyrgyzstan to the north.

The capital and largest city in Tajikistan is Dushanbe. What day of the week does "Dushanbe" mean in the Tajik language?

Monday. Dushanbe was called Dyushambe until 1929, when it adopted the name Stalinabad. It was named for the word 'Monday', because the city was developed in a village that was at one time a popular Monday marketplace.

The Republic of Tajikistan is a relatively young country. What country ruled over the area from the 1920s to 1991?

Soviet Union. Tajikistan, or Tajik SSR as it was known, was one of 15 republics that made up the USSR, or the Soviet Union. They controlled the area until Tajikistan gained its independence in 1991.

What type of landscape best describes the majority of Tajikistan?

Mountainous. Tajikistan is covered by the mountains of the Pamir mountain range. Over half of the country has an altitude of over 3000 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level!

The country of Tajikistan is completely landlocked. It has no coastline.

t. Tajikistan is completely landlocked, although it does contain a few lakes. However, these lakes are quite small, as only about two percent of the country is covered by water.

Tajikistan is directly beside the country of Pakistan, but they do not share a border. What passageway separates these two countries?

Wakhan Corridor. The Wakhan Corridor is part of Afghanistan and it runs between Tajikistan and Pakistan. It is sometimes called the Wakhan Salient, and in some places is less than ten miles wide. It was once part of the Silk Road, but was later closed to normal traffic.

There are a few languages spoken in Tajikistan, but what is the country's official language?

Tajik. Tajik is the only official language of Tajikistan. However, Russian is its unofficial language for inter-ethnic communication. Tajik is a variety of the Persian language and is the most common language in Tajikistan.

After gaining independence in 1991, what major event occurred in Tajikistan for the following five years--from 1992 until 1997?

Civil War. The civil war in Tajikistan began in 1992 with protesters who were against the presidential elections and who felt they were not fairly represented in the country. On June 26, 1997, the two sides came to an agreement and a peace accord was signed, ending the fighting. Over 50,000 were estimated to have been killed during the war.

Following 1997, Tajikistan was one of the poorest countries in Asia. In 2004, a bridge was built over the Amu (or Amudarya) River, connecting Tajikistan to Afghanistan and creating easier trade routes to southern Asia. What country was key in helping to build this bridge?

United States. The United States governmental support for the Aga Khan Development Network helped build this bridge. It is sometimes called the "Tajik-Afghan Friendship Bridge". This suspension bridge has a total length of 135 metres.

The name Tajikistan comes from the Persian language, but what does it mean?

Land of the Tajiks. The territory of Tajikistan was once part of the Persian Empire and has continued to be influenced by Persian culture. The word "Tajik" has been used to define the difference between Turks and Iranians since the 10th century.