Country · Asia
Tajikistan
Republic of Tajikistan
Tajikistan is a country in Central Asia. About 9.1 million people live there, in an area of 143 100 square kilometres. Its capital city is Dushanbe.
Picture credit: Шухрат Саъдиев (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Шухрат Саъдиев (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Prince Roy (CC BY 2.0) · Dan Lundberg (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Maris Teteris (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Tajikistan?
Tajikistan lies in Central Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 341 km from the equator.
Tajikistan is landlocked: it has no coast at all, so you cannot reach the sea without crossing another country.
It shares a border with 4 countries: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
How big is Tajikistan?
Tajikistan covers 143 100 square kilometres.
That is about 3.5 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 94th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 63.6 people on every square kilometre.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Tajikistan?
About 9.1 million people live in Tajikistan.
That is the 95th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Russian and Tajik.
They pay with the Tajikistani somoni (ЅМ).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 64 years.
The land of Tajikistan
The land of Tajikistan sits on average 3 186 metres above sea level — high enough that much of it counts as mountain country.
Because it is landlocked, anything that comes by ship has to cross one of its 4 neighbours to get here.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Tajikistan different?
A dish the country is known for: O'sh.
Websites from here often end in .tj.
Tajikistan and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Tajikistan.
It takes up about 0.11 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 28th of 46 by size, and 29th by population.
Tajikistan and its neighbours
China, its largest neighbour, is about 67.8 times bigger.
China has more people: 1.4 billion against 9.1 million.
Nature and animals
The highest mountain in the country is Ismoil Somoni Peak, at 7 495 metres. The longest river in the country is the Panj. The largest lake in the country is Karakul.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Tajikistan compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 65 times as big as Tajikistan: 9 372 610 km² against 143 100 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 1.7 times as big as Tajikistan: 242 900 km² against 143 100 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Tajikistan?
The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Tajikistan?
About 9.1 million people live in Tajikistan, which makes it the 95th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Tajikistan?
Tajikistan borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan — 4 neighbours in total.
How big is Tajikistan?
Tajikistan covers 143 100 square kilometres, making it the 94th largest country in the world. That is about 3.5 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Tajikistan?
The highest mountain in Tajikistan is Ismoil Somoni Peak, 7 495 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Tajikistan?
The longest river in Tajikistan is the Panj, about 921 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Tajikistan?
The largest lake in Tajikistan is Karakul. It covers about 380 km².
Which continent is Tajikistan in?
Tajikistan is in Asia, in the part called Central Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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