Tajikistan

Tajikistan is landlocked in Central Asia. It shares borders with Kyrgyzstan to the north, China to the east, Afghanistan to the south, and Uzbekistan to the west and northwest. Mountain ranges cover most of the country; the Pamirs occupy much of the east, while valleys and river basins support settlement and agriculture. The capital, Dushanbe, lies in the southwest.

Tajik is the official language and belongs to the Iranian branch of Indo-European languages; it is closely related to Persian varieties spoken in Iran and Afghanistan. Uzbek is also widely spoken, and Russian has been used in administration and commerce. Tajik culture reflects both Central Asian regional connections and Persian-language literary and cultural traditions. Navruz, celebrated around the spring equinox, is among the country's major cultural holidays.

The territory that is now Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1929. During the breakup of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan declared independence on 9 September 1991. A civil war followed amid political conflict; a United Nations-brokered peace agreement in June 1997 brought the fighting to an end. Tajikistan joined the United Nations on 2 March 1992, shortly after independence.

The World Bank identifies agriculture, mineral resources, water and hydropower as areas with growth potential. The World Bank notes that remittances from people working abroad play a large part in the economy and support household consumption, leaving the country exposed to changes in external conditions. Mountain geography shapes infrastructure needs, while access to transport, energy and employment is central to efforts to broaden economic opportunity.