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FACTBOX-Key facts about Tajikistan

06 Nov 2006 13:14:23 GMT
Source: Reuters

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about the Central Asian state of Tajikistan, where President Imomali Rakhmonov is likely to gain another term in office in Sunday's election.

GEOGRAPHY: Tajikistan covers 143,100 sq km (55,300 sq miles). The Pamir mountains, topping 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) and billed by Tajiks as the "Roof of the World", make up more than 90 percent of its territory.

POPULATION: 7 million. Tajiks are ethnically akin to Persians and their language is similar to Farsi. Some 900,000 people, half the work force, work abroad. Salaries average around $30 a month.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED:

-- After the fall of the Soviet Union, civil war broke out in 1992. The five-year conflict claimed 100,000 lives.

-- In 1997, the Russian-backed government of Rakhmonov signed a general peace agreement with the United Tajik Opposition, led by Islamic guerrillas.

-- Former opposition commander Rahmon Sanginov, one of the government's most wanted figures, was killed in a gun battle with security forces in August 2001.

-- A month later, culture minister Abdurakhim Rakhimov was shot dead by an unidentified gunman.

-- Tajikistan was a staunch supporter of the U.S. "war on terror" after the Sept. 11 attacks.

-- Russia opened a military base and took control of a space monitoring centre in 2004.

-- Rakhmonov was first elected president in 1994 and won a second presidential poll in 1999. In 2003, a referendum enabled him to stand for another two consecutive 7-year terms. Tajikistan has never held an election judged free and fair by international observers.

DRUGS: Tajikistan is the main export route for Afghan heroin to Russia and Europe.

-- Heroin costs around $1,000 per kg (2.2 lb) at the Tajik border but soars to $100,000 to $300,000 per kg when the drug reaches Western Europe.

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Last updated:Mon Nov 6 13:16:06 2006