Tajikistan Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Tajikistan?

Overview

The Republic of Tajikistan gained its independence during the breakup of the USSR and is part of former Soviet Central Asia nestled between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north and west, Afghanistan to the south, and China to the east.

Tajikistan is home to some of the highest mountains in the world, including parts of the Kunlun, Himalayan, Tienshan, and Pamir Ranges. Ninety-three percent of the country is mountainous with altitudes ranging from 1,000 feet to 25,000 feet, with fully 50% of Tajikistan's territory at elevations above 10,000 feet. Earthquakes of varying degrees are frequent. The massive mountain ranges are cut by hundreds of scenic canyons and gorges through which streams finger their way into the larger river valleys where the majority of the country's population lives and works.

The principal rivers of central Asia, the Amu-Darya and the Syr-Darya, both flow through Tajikistan, fed by melting snow in the mountains of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Geography - note

landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR

Tajikistan Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Asia
Total Area	55,251 Square Miles 143,100 Square Kilometers
Land Area	54,637 Square Miles 141,510 Square Kilometers
Water Area	1,000 Square Miles 2,590 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	2,269 Miles 3,651 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	2,865 Square Miles 7,421 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Geographic Coordinates	39 00 N, 71 00 E
Terrain	Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Highest Point	7,495 Meters
Highest Point Location	Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Lowest Point	300 Meters
Lowest Point Location	Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
Natural Resources	hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Time Zone	UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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