143,100 sq km (55,251 sq miles).

5,945,903 (1997).

41.6 per sq km.

Dushanbe.

528,600 (1993).

Tajikistan is bordered by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the south and China to the east. 93% of the republic is occupied by mountains, most notably by the sparsely populated Pamir Mountains, which include Ismoili Somoni (formerly Pik Kommunizma; 7495m/24,590ft), the highest point of the former Soviet Union. The mountainous terrain means that in winter it is impossible to reach the east or the north of the country by road without taking a detour through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the fertile plains of the southwest, cotton dominates the agriculture. In the north, in the Khojand (formerly Leninabad) region, cotton and silk are the main crops.

Republic. Gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Head of State: President Imomali S Rakhmanov since 1992. Head of Government: Prime Minister Yakhiye Azimov since 1996.

Tajik is the official language, an ancient Persian language similar to the languages of Iran and Afghanistan. In the Pamir Mountains, there are at least five different languages, all related to an even more ancient form of Iranian. Russian is widely used (35% of the population speak Russian fluently), and discrimination against Russian speakers is prohibited by law. English is frequently spoken by those involved in tourism.

Predominantly Sunni Muslim (80%) with a small Shi'ite Muslim minority (5%). A large Ishmaeli minority exists in the Pamirs. There is also a smaller and shrinking Russian Orthodox minority and a small Jewish community.

GMT + 5.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round, 2-pin continental plugs are standard