Republic of Tajikistan
Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон
Description:
Tajikistan is a beautiful mountainous country in Central Asia. This former SSR is unfortunately the poorest state in the region. It is home to around 8 million, and borders China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. This land is steeped in ancient history, despite having only achieved independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991, and fighting a civil war until 1997.
Maps!
Geographic Location of Tajikistan
It is found in Central Asia, the crossroads of cultures and religions, at the top of the world, wedged between Pamir and Alay Mountain Ranges.
Ethnic Groups
Ethnic groups: Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, 2.6% "Other"(Mostly mixed peoples).
Yellow: Tajik
Magenta: Russian
Green: Uzbek
Brown: Kyrgyz
The population is Tajik dominated, and is likely to become even moreso in the future, as Kyrgyz people assimilate more and more into Tajik groups, and Uzbeks and Russians have declining numbers due to immigration.
Languages
80% of the populace speaks Tajiki(A dialect of modern Persian) as a first language. This number is on the rise, as Russian has been removed as an official language since the early 2000s, and has been replaced by Tajiki as the lingua franca. However, other languages are still spoken, besides these two. Bartangi, Iskashemi, Oroshori, Rushani, Shughnani, Uzbeki, Wakhi, Yaghnobi, and Yazgulemi are all spoken by at least a few thousand people.
Yellow: Tajiki
Orange: Uzbeki
Blue: Bartangi
Maroon: Rushani
Green: Iskashemi
All of these languages are Indo-European.
Food
Food is typically rice based. Rice tends to be imported, as the climate is unsuitable for growing it, or many other crops. Food also contains lots of root vegetables, like radishes and carrots, usually shredded. Mutton is the most common meat, and most dishes contain both it and sheep fat. Flatbreads and yoghurt are commonly eaten alongside meals. Food is eaten communally with the hands. Green tea is the national beverage.
Traditions and Holidays
Muslim holidays are the most important, since 99% of the country is Muslim. Most holidays are celebrated with festivals. Villages are decorated traditionally, and giant communal feasts for often hundreds of people are prepared on most Islamic holidays. Dances are common, accompanied by folk music as well. Poppies and tulips, both native and abundant are used to decorate everything, from houses to cars. Traditionally, on holidays, Tajik garb dating back to Paleolithic times are worn, entailing sheepskins and narrow hats.