Republic of Tajikistan
Central Asia
Mountain · Ancient · Rugged
Tajikistan (officially Republic of Tajikistan) is a country located in Central Asia. Its capital city is Dushanbe, with other major cities including Khujand and Kulob. With a population of approximately 9.9M, the main language spoken is Tajik. The country covers an area of 143,100 km². The official currency is the Tajikistani somoni (ЅМ). Traffic drives on the right side.
Tajikistan is the most mountainous country in Central Asia — over 93% of its territory is covered by mountains, including parts of the Pamir range, sometimes called the 'Roof of the World', where peaks exceed 7,000 m.
Dushanbe serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Tajikistan, positioned in Central Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Khujand, Kulob, Qurghonteppa — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Dushanbe's name means 'Monday' in Tajik — the city grew from a Monday bazaar trading post into the Soviet administrative capital — a small Central Asian capital rebuilt in Soviet modernist style at 800 metres altitude, facing south toward Afghanistan across the Panj River, in a country where 93% of the territory is mountainous and the Pamirs rise to over 7,000 metres in the east.
With a population of approximately 9.9M, Tajikistan is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Tajik, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Tajikistan is reached via the dialling code +992. Tajiks are the only Persian-speaking people (alongside Iranians and Afghans speaking Dari) in a Central Asia dominated by Turkic languages — a linguistic distinction that creates cultural connections to Iran and a long literary tradition (Rudaki, considered the father of Persian poetry, was born in the Tajik region) while the Soviet imposition of the Cyrillic alphabet created a generation unable to read the pre-Soviet Persian script in which their literary heritage was written.
Tajikistan spans 143,100 km², in the Central Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 39.0°N, 71.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the Tajikistani somoni (ЅМ), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Tajikistan's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+05:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Wrestling holds a special place in the heart of Tajikistan's national identity. Wrestling and football are Tajikistan's primary sports, with the traditional gushtigiri wrestling style (similar to Uzbek kurash) representing a Central Asian sporting tradition whose origins are in the tournament wrestling of the medieval Silk Road towns — while the national football team's increasingly competitive results in AFC qualifiers reflect the country's post-civil war recovery and sport infrastructure development.
The highest point in Tajikistan is Ismoil Somoni Peak, rising to 7,495 metres above sea level. The Pamir Mountains occupy almost half of Tajikistan — the 'Roof of the World' where four of the world's major mountain ranges (Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Tian Shan) converge — with Ismoil Somoni Peak at 7,495 metres (the former Communism Peak) being the highest in the former Soviet Union and the second-highest peak in the Pamirs, rising above glaciers that feed the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers supplying Central Asia's irrigation water.