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Travel warning
Travellers are
advised against all non-essential travel to Tajikistan. The Karategin
valley, Kofarnihon and Tavildara areas, mountainous areas bordering
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and districts bordering Afghanistan in
particular should be avoided. For further advice contact a local
government travel advice department :
- British Foreign and Commonwealth Office : Website:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp
Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 4503/4
- US Department of State : Website:
http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
- Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade :
Website :
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/destinations/menu_e.htm
Area
143,100 sq km (55,251 sq miles).
Population
Population :
6,202,000 (official estimate 2000).
Population Density : 43.3 per sq km.
Capital
Dushanbe. Population: 562,000
(2000).
Geography
Tajikistan is bordered by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north,
Afghanistan to the south and China (PR) to the east. 93
per cent of the republic is occupied by mountains, most notably by the
sparsely populated Pamir Mountains, which include Mount Garmo
(formerly Pik Kommunizma; 7495m/24,590ft), the highest point of the
former Soviet Union. The mountainous terrain means that in winter it
is impossible to reach the east or the north of the country by road
without taking a detour through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the
fertile plains of the southwest, cotton dominates the
agriculture. In the north, in the Khudzand (formerly Leninabad)
region, cotton and silk are the main crops.
Government
Republic. Gained independence from
the Soviet Union in 1991. Head of State: President Imamali S
Rahmonov since 1992. Head of Government: Prime Minister Akil
Akilov since 1999.
Language
Tajik
is the official language, an ancient Persian language similar to the
languages of Iran and Afghanistan. In the Pamir
Mountains, there are at least five different languages, all related to
an even more ancient form of Iranian. Russian is widely used (35 per
cent of the population speak Russian fluently), and discrimination
against Russian speakers is prohibited by law. English is sometimes
spoken by those involved in tourism.
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Muslim (80 per
cent) with a small Shi’ite Muslim minority (5 per cent). A large
Ishmaeli minority exists in the Pamirs. There is also a smaller and
shrinking Russian Orthodox minority and a small Jewish community.
Time
Time : GMT + 5.
Electricity :
220 volts AC, 50Hz.
Round, two-pin continental plugs are standard.
Communications
Telephone :
IDD to Tajikistan is available but services are
unreliable. Country code: 992 (followed by 372 for Dushanbe). Outgoing
International code: 00. International telephone calls can be made from
telephone offices which will usually be found attached to a post
office (in Dushanbe, on Prospekt Rudaki). There are now also some new,
private telephone offices in Dushanbe. International, operator-routed
calls can also be ordered from some hotels such as the Hotel
Tajikistan and the Hotel Independence. Direct-dial calls within the
CIS are obtained by dialling 8 and waiting for another dial tone and
then dialling the city code. Calls within the city limits are free of
charge.
Mobile telephone :
AMPS network is operated by TajikTel (e-mail:
roam@tajiktel.td.silk.org).
Fax :
Services are available from the business centre on Prospekt Rudaki in
Dubashne and from major hotels.
Internet :
ISPs include Telecomm
Technology (e-mail:
info@tajnet.com;
website:
http://www.tajnet.com)
and InterCom (website:
http://www.tjinter.com).
Both these ISPs offer public Internet access at their offices. The
Central Asian Development Agency (website:
www.tajik.net)
has public e-mail centres in main towns. Access to the Internet can be
problematic owing to the underdeveloped telecommunications network.
Telegram :
Telegram services are available from post
offices in large towns.
Post :
Mail to Western Europe and the USA can take between 2 weeks and 2
months. Stamped envelopes can be bought from post offices. Addresses
should be laid out in the following order: country, postcode, city,
street, house number and lastly the person’s name. Postal services
available include registered mail, restricted delivery, special
delivery and Express mail (in Dushanbe only). Both surface and air
mail are available for parcels. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1800,
Sat: 0900-1700. Visitors can also use the post offices located within
the major hotels.
Press :
The press in Tajikistan is censored. All the main newspapers are
printed in Dushanbe and include Narodnaya Gazeta (Russian), Sadoi
Mardum and Tojikiston Ovozi (Tajik).
Radio :
BBC World Service
(website :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice)
and Voice of America (website :
http://www.voa.gov)
can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most
up-to-date can be found online. |
