Tadjikistan

General information about the country: The territory is 142,600 km2. The state is located in the south-east of Central Asia. It borders Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Afghanistan. Independence was proclaimed on September 9, 1991. By the nature of the surface, the Republic is a typical mountainous country with absolute heights from 300 to 7,495 meters. 93% of its territory is occupied by mountains belonging to the highest mountain systems. The Ferghana Valley is located in the north of Tajikistan; in the northwest and in the central part - the Turkestan, Zerafshan, Hissar and Alai ranges; in the southeast — the Pamirs (one of the highest points of the globe — Peak I. Somoni — 7,495 meters); the southwestern part is lowered — Vakhsh, Hissar and other valleys. Administratively, Tajikistan is divided into Sughd, Khatlon regions, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) and regions of republican subordination (RRP). The capital and the adjacent 8 districts form a separate administrative-territorial unit. Major cities: Khojent (Khujand), Kurgan-Tube, Tursunzade, Kulyab, Khorog. Population: 8,743 million people (as of December 2016). The majority of the population (over 95%) professes Sunni Islam. GBAO peoples are Ismailis (more than 3%). There are Orthodox churches and synagogues in Dushanbe, Khojent and Kurgan-Tube. About 85% of the population are Tajiks, about 14% are Uzbeks, and there are also Kyrgyz, Russians, and Turkmens – all less than 1%. The time zone is UTC+5.