Tajikistan

The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbek SSR to the newly formed Tajik SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992-97. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community since the beginning of the NATO intervention in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and security assistance, which could create jobs and strengthen stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.

Economical characteristics

 * Currency: Somoni (ISO code: TJS)
 * Central bank discount rate: NA% (31 December 2008)
 * Commercial banks lending rate: 23.1% (31 December 2008)
 * Stock of money (M1): $656.1 million (31 December 2008)
 * Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $235.3 million (31 December 2008)

Notable events:

 * Banking crisis: 1996-?

Links

 * Tajikistan on Wikipedia
 * Central bank of Tajikistan
 * Country profile (pdf) from the Enterprise Studies page (part of the The World Bank Group)
 * Studies from the Library of Congress (1986-1998)
 * BBC country profile