Forgotten World (79): Tajikistan
A former Soviet republic, Tajikistan plunged into civil war almost as soon as it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The five-year civil war between the Moscow-backed government and the Islamist-led opposition, in which up to 50,000 people were killed and over one-tenth of the population fled the country, ended in 1997 with a United Nations-brokered peace agreement. It now faces the challenge of strengthening peace and reviving its ruined economy.
There are 6.3 million people in the landlocked country and, while Tajiks are the largest ethnic group, Uzbeks make up a quarter of the population. It is a very young citizenry with nearly half of Tajikistan’s population under 14 years of age. It is the poorest country in Central Asia, having few natural resources, but a new bridge between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is being built which will help the country to have access to trade lines with South Asia.