Map of Tajikistan
Tajikistan is a country in Asia with its capital at Dushanbe, home to about 10.79 million people across 143,100 km². The interactive map below plots 9 cities and towns, 6 rivers, 1 lakes, 1 mountain summits and 1 major dams recorded for Tajikistan in YearMaps.
- Population
- 10.79 million
- Area
- 143,100 km²
- Capital
- Dushanbe
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Tajikistan
Centred on Dushanbe at 38.5600° N, 68.7739° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe, its capital, is its largest and most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east; it is narrowly separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor. Its total population exceeds 11 million.
The territory was previously home to cultures of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, including the Oxus civilisation in the west. Parts of the country formed part of the Sogdian and Bactrian civilisations and were ruled by the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great, the Greco-Bactrians, the Kushans, the Kidarites, the Hephthalites, the First Turkic Khaganate, the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, the Samanid Empire, the Kara-Khanids, the Seljuks, the Khwarazmians, the Mongols, the Timurids, and the Khanate of Bukhara. The region was later conquered by the Russian Empire, before becoming part of the Soviet Union. Within the Soviet Union, the country's borders were drawn while it was part of Uzbekistan as the Tajik ASSR, before it became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union on 5 December 1929.
On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan declared itself an independent sovereign state as the Soviet Union was disintegrating. A civil war was fought after independence, lasting from May 1992 to June 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. The country has been led since 1994 by Emomali Rahmon, who heads an authoritarian regime and whose human rights record has been criticised.
Tajikistan is a presidential republic consisting of four provinces. Tajiks form the ethnic majority in the country, and their national language is Tajik. Russian is used as the official inter-ethnic language. While the state is constitutionally secular, Islam is nominally adhered to by 97.5% of the population. In the Gorno-Badakhshan oblast, there is considerable linguistic diversity, with languages such as Rushani, Shughni, Ishkashimi, Wakhi, and Tajik being spoken. Mountains cover more than 90% of the country. It is a developing country with a transitional economy that is dependent on remittances and on the production of aluminium and cotton. Tajikistan is a member of the United Nations, CIS, OSCE, OIC, ECO, SCO, and CSTO, and is a NATO PfP partner.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Tajikistan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Tajikistan
The Tajik people came under Russian imperial rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. At that time, bands of indigenous guerrillas (known as "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first established as an autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924, but in 1929 the Soviet Union made Tajikistan as a separate republic and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd Province. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan, and ethnic Tajiks an even larger minority in Uzbekistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the country experienced a civil war among political, regional, and religious factions from 1992 to 1997. Despite Tajikistan's general elections for both the presidency (once every seven years) and legislature (once every five years), observers note an electoral system rife with irregularities and abuse, and results that are neither free nor fair. President Emomali RAHMON, who came to power in 1992 during the civil war and was first elected president in 1994, used an attack planned by a disaffected deputy defense minister in 2015 to ban the last major opposition party in Tajikistan. RAHMON further strengthened his position by having himself declared "Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation," with limitless terms and lifelong immunity through constitutional amendments ratified in a referendum. The referendum also lowered the minimum age required to run for president from 35 to 30, which made RAHMON's first-born son Rustam EMOMALI, the mayor of the capital city of Dushanbe, eligible to run for president in 2020. RAHMON orchestrated EMOMALI's selection in 2020 as chairman of the Majlisi Milli (the upper chamber of Tajikistan's parliament), positioning EMOMALI as next in line of succession for the presidency. RAHMON opted to run in the presidential election later that year and received 91% of the vote. The country remains the poorest of the former Soviet republics. Tajikistan became a member of the WTO in 2013, but its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistani migrant laborers in Russia and Kazakhstan, pervasive corruption, the opiate trade, and destabilizing violence emanating from neighboring Afghanistan. Tajikistan has endured several domestic security incidents since 2010, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and between government forces and informal leaders in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. Tajikistan suffered its first ISIS-claimed attack in 2018, when assailants attacked a group of Western bicyclists, killing four. Friction between forces on the border between Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic flared up in 2021, culminating in fatal clashes between border forces in 2021 and 2022.
- Location
- Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan.
- Climate
- Mid-latitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains.
- Terrain
- Mountainous region dominated by the Alay Mountains in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofirnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest.
- Highest point
- Qullai Somoniyon 7,495 m.
- Lowest point
- Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 4,130 km; border countries: Afghanistan 1,357 km; China 477 km; Kyrgyzstan 984 km; Uzbekistan 1,312 km.
- Major rivers
- Syr Darya (shared with Kyrgyzstan [s], Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan [m]) - 3,078 km; Amu Darya river source (shared with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth.
- Natural resources
- Hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 27.9% (2023 est.); arable land: 6.1% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 1.5% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 20.4% (2023 est.); forest: 3.1% (2023 est.); other: 69% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Earthquakes; floods.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR.
- Languages
- Tajik (official) 84.4%, Uzbek 11.9%, Kyrgyz 0.8%, Russian 0.5%, other 2.4% (2010 est.)
- Religions
- Muslim 98% (Sunni 95%, Shia 3%) other 2% (2014 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Tajik 84.3% (includes Pamiri and Yagnobi), Uzbek 13.8%, other 2% (includes Kyrgyz, Russian, Turkmen, Tatar, Arab) (2014 est.)
- Economy
- Lower-middle-income Central Asian economy; large infrastructure projects, including Rogun Dam, and a push towards green development and digitalization driving growth; strong metal mining, electricity, and manufacturing industries; challenges include land scarcity, climate vulnerability, and complex bureaucratic processes for investors.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Tajikistan in Numbers
- Population
- 10.79 million
- GDP
- US$17.7 billion
- GDP per person
- US$1,637
- Life expectancy
- 71.9 years
- Population growth
- 1.83% a year
- Population density
- 76 per km²
- Urban population
- 26.2%
- Surface area
- 141,379 km²
- Forest cover
- 3.1%
- Arable land
- 6.1%
- Access to electricity
- 99.9%
- Internet users
- 55.8%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Tajikistan in Depth
History
Cultures in the region have been dated back to at least the fourth millennium BC, including the Bronze Age Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex, the Andronovo culture and the pro-urban site of Sarazm, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The earliest recorded history of the region dates back to about 500 BC when most, if not all, of Tajikistan was a part of the Achaemenid Empire. Some authors have suggested that in the seventh and sixth centuries BC parts of Tajikistan, including territories in the Zeravshan Valley, formed part of the Kambojas before they became part of the Achaemenid Empire. After the region's conquest by Alexander the Great it became part of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, a successor state of Alexander's empire.
Geography
Tajikistan is landlocked and is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It lies mostly between latitudes 36° and 41° N, and longitudes 67° and 75° E. It is covered by mountains of the Pamir range, and most of the country is over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level. The areas of lower land are in the north (part of the Fergana Valley) and in the southern valleys of the Kofarnihon and Vakhsh rivers, which form the Amu Darya. Dushanbe is located on the southern slopes above the Kofarnihon valley.
The Amu Darya and Panj rivers mark the border with Afghanistan, and the glaciers in Tajikistan's mountains are the source of runoff for the Aral Sea. There are over 900 rivers in Tajikistan longer than 10 kilometres.
Tajikistan consists of four administrative divisions.
Economy
In 2019, nearly 29% of Tajikistan's GDP came from immigrant remittances (mostly from Tajiks working in Russia). With foreign revenue precariously dependent on remittances from migrant workers overseas and on exports of aluminium and cotton, the economy is vulnerable to external shocks. In fiscal year 2000, international assistance remained an essential source of support for rehabilitation programmes that reintegrated former civil‑war combatants into the civilian economy, which helped to maintain peace. International assistance was also necessary to address the second year of drought, which resulted in a continued shortfall in food production. On 21 August 2001, the Red Cross announced that a famine was striking Tajikistan, and called for international aid for the country.
Demographics
In 2023, Tajikistan was estimated to have a population of 10,389,799, according to World Bank data. The Tajiks, who speak Tajik, are the main ethnic group, while there are minorities of Uzbeks and Russians, whose numbers are declining owing to emigration. This makes Tajikistan the only country in Central Asia to have a minority of Turkic people and a majority of Iranic people.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tajikistan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tajikistan: Key Facts
| Currency | Tajikistani somoni |
|---|---|
| Official language | Tajik |
| Head of state | Emomali Rahmon |
| Head of government | Kokhir Rasulzoda |
| Form of government | presidential system |
| Calling code | +992 |
| Internet domain | .tj |
| Highest point | Ismoil Somoni Peak |
| Lowest point | Syr Darya |
| Established | 9 September 1991 |
Facts from Wikidata Q863 (CC0).
History of Tajikistan: Empires and States
The atlas records 37 polities whose mapped territory included part of Tajikistan, from Achaemenid Persian Empire in 550 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Achaemenid Persian Empire | 550–330 BCE | Most |
| Achaemenid Empire | 550–327 BCE | Most |
| The Macedonian Empire of Alexander | 323–308 BCE | Most |
| Seleucid Empire | 307–248 BCE | Most |
| Greco-Bactrian Kingdom | 247–127 BCE | Nearly all |
| Yuezhi | 126 BCE – 42 CE | Nearly all |
| Great Yuan | 110 BCE – 50 CE | A small part |
| Kushan Empire | 43–237 CE | Nearly all |
| Western Kushans | 238–259 CE | Nearly all |
| Indo-Sasanian Empire | 260–357 CE | Nearly all |
| The Sasanian Empire | 260–357 CE | Nearly all |
| Kidarites | 358–450 CE | Nearly all |
| Xionites | 387–401 CE | A large part |
| White Huns | 410–560 CE | Nearly all |
| Göktürk Khaganate | 561–586 CE | Nearly all |
| Western Göktürks | 587–660 CE | Nearly all |
| Turks | 666–754 CE | Nearly all |
| Türgesh | 705–749 CE | Most |
| The Abbasid Caliphate | 755–885 CE | Nearly all |
| Samanid Empire | 886–999 CE | Nearly all |
| Kara-Khanids | 1000–1045 CE | Most |
| Western Karakhanid Khanate | 1046–1084 CE | Most |
| Great Seljuk Empire | 1085–1146 CE | Most |
| Kara-Khitans | 1147–1215 CE | Most |
| The Mongol Empire | 1220–1351 CE | Nearly all |
| Chagatai Khanate | 1294–1351 CE | Nearly all |
| Timurid Empire | 1375–1515 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Kingdom of Georgia to Timurid Empire | 1395–1406 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire | 1407–1467 CE | Nearly all |
| Kazakh Khanate | 1475–1608 CE | A large part |
| Shaybanids | 1502–1511 CE | Most |
| Khanate of Bukhara | 1516–1787 CE | Nearly all |
| Khanate of Kokand | 1709–1863 CE | A small part |
| Emirate of Bukhara | 1788–1919 CE | Most |
| The Russian Empire | 1864–1916 CE | Nearly all |
| Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | 1922–1991 CE | Nearly all |
| Republic of Tajikistan | 1992–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Tajikistan
Tajikistan on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Tajikistan
Tajikistan (Tajik: Тоҷикистон Tojikiston) is a landlocked country on the ancient Silk Road in Central Asia. The nation's majority culture is non-Turkic, unlike its neighbors to the north and west and east. Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet states, owing to its remote geography and a devastating civil war that wracked the country from 1992 until 1997. But travelers here will find a land of stunning beauty, replete with soaring mountains, quaint pamirs (U-shaped valleys or plateaus surrounded by mountains), turquoise alpine lakes, Silk Road cities and ruins, and a charming and hospitable people. For those looking to experience a true adventurer's dream in the Roof of the World without the throngs of tourists in Nepal and Pakistan, Tajikistan is the place to be.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Tajikistan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Tajikistan
9 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dushanbe | 1.09 million | Tadzhikistan Territories | National capital |
| 2 | Khujand | 437,684 | Leninabad | Populated place |
| 3 | Qurghonteppa | 311,574 | Khatlon | Admin-1 capital |
| 4 | Konibodom | 259,876 | Leninabad | Populated place |
| 5 | Uroteppa | 156,621 | Leninabad | Populated place |
| 6 | Kulob | 115,164 | Khatlon | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Khorugh | 30,000 | Gorno-Badakhshan | Populated place |
| 8 | Leninobod | 11,468 | Leninabad | Admin-1 capital |
| 9 | Kuybyshevskiy | 8,925 | Khatlon | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Tajikistan
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pik Imeni Ismail Samani | 7,495 m | 24,590 ft | Asia |
Pik Imeni Ismail Samani
Mountain · 7,495 m
Pik Imeni Ismail Samani is a mountain rising to 7,495 metres (24,590 ft) in Tajikistan, in the Asia region.
Ismoil Somoni Peak (Tajik: Қуллаи Исмоили Сомонӣ, romanized: Qulla-i Ismō‘il-i Sōmōnî/Qullaji Ismojili Somonī; Russian: пик Исмои́ла Сомони́, romanized: pik Ismoíla Somoní) is the highest mountain in Tajikistan, as well as the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union before Tajikistan's independence. The mountain is named after Ismail Samani, a ruler of the Samanid Empire. It is located in the Pamir Range.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ismoil Somoni Peak (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Elevation
- 7,495 m (24,590 ft)
- Global rank
- #13 of 641 indexed
- Region
- Asia (#13)
- Country
- Tajikistan
- Coordinates
- 38.9324°, 72.0217°
Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Pik Imeni Ismail Samani ranks #13 by elevation, below Gongga Shan (7,556 m) and above Nowshak (7,492 m).
- Ranges:
- Pamirs (Asia), Hindu Kush (Asia)
- Neighbouring summits:
- Nowshak (7,492 m), Tirich Mir (7,708 m), Nanga Parbat (8,125 m)
More about Pik Imeni Ismail Samani
History
By the end of the 1880s, a Russian expedition, led by V.F. Oshanin, conducted research and named various regions in the area. He noted in his diary: "I believe that the eastern peak has a height of up to 25,000 feet (7,600 metres)." The central Pamirs would continue to be visited by the expeditions of Kosineko, Korzhenevsky, Lipsky, Novitsky, Musketov, and others, but they failed to reach the Academy of Sciences Range.
In 1913, the central part of the Pamirs was explored by an expedition led by the German mountain explorer and climber Willi Rickmer Rickmers. The expedition penetrated the upper reaches of the Obikhingou River, where they saw a 6650 m peak. It was given the name Garmo Peak, according to the name given by the Tajiks from Pashimgar.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ismoil Somoni Peak (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pik Imeni Ismail Samani: Key Facts
| Topographic prominence | 3,402 m |
|---|---|
| Mountain range | Tajik National Academy of Sciences Range |
Facts from Wikidata Q41413 (CC0).
Major Dams in Tajikistan
1 dam recorded. Ranked by structural height.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nurek Dam | 300 m | Vakhsh | 3,015 MW | 1980 |
Largest Lakes in Tajikistan
1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obanbori Qayroqum | 445 km² | Reservoir |
Rivers in Tajikistan
6 rivers recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tajikistan
5 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarazm | 2010 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) |
| 2 | Pamir National Park | 2013 | Natural | (vii) (viii) |
| 3 | Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor | 2023 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) (v) |
| 4 | Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve | 2023 | Natural | (ix) |
| 5 | Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal | 2025 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Tajikistan
5 mountain ranges, deserts and other landforms recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | 46.28M km² | Continent | Asia |
| 2 | Plateau of Tibet | 3.05M km² | Plateau | Asia |
| 3 | Tarim Basin | 423,249 km² | Basin | Asia |
| 4 | Pamirs | 97,312 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
| 5 | Fergana Valley | 18,784 km² | Valley | Asia |
States and Provinces of Tajikistan
1 first-level divisions with their own map.
Countries Bordering Tajikistan
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Asia
Tajikistan: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Tajikistan?
- The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe.
- What is the population of Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan has a population of about 10.79 million, the #91 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan covers 143,100 km², ranking #97 by area, with about 75 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Tajikistan in?
- Tajikistan is in Asia.
- Which countries border Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan shares a land or maritime border with China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan.
- What is the largest city in Tajikistan?
- Dushanbe is the largest city in Tajikistan, with a metropolitan population of about 1.09 million.
- What is the highest mountain in Tajikistan?
- The highest summit recorded for Tajikistan in YearMaps is Pik Imeni Ismail Samani at 7,495 m (24,590 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Tajikistan?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Tajikistan is Obanbori Qayroqum, at roughly 445 km².
- What is the tallest dam in Tajikistan?
- The tallest dam recorded for Tajikistan is Nurek Dam at 300 m, on the Vakhsh.