Tajikistan lies in Central Asia, part of Asia. Treaties and official documents call it Republic of Tajikistan. Its seat of government is Dushanbe.
It covers 143,100 km², which ranks it 97th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Nepal and just ahead of Greece. For scale, it is almost exactly the same size as Nepal.
It is home to roughly 10.6 million people, placing it 91st of 250 by population — between Portugal above it and Papua New Guinea below. Within Central Asia alone it is the 5th largest of 5 and the 3rd most populous.
The lie of the land
Plotted on a globe it falls at 39.0° north, 71.0° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 4,341 km from the equator, in what geographers would call temperate latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach the United States, Türkiye and Spain — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
4 countries share a land border with it: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The largest of them by area is China, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 1.50 billion people.
This is one of the world's landlocked countries. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, which reliably raises the cost of trade, because port access depends on a transit agreement with a neighbour. 3 of its neighbours, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, are landlocked too. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Tajikistan
Density comes out at around 74 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
People from Tajikistan are called Tadzhiks.
Officially it is multilingual, listing Russian and Tajik. Tajik is listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes it effectively unique to Tajikistan. Russian, the first listed, is shared with 7 other entries worldwide.
Against Asia as a whole it is the 29th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 13% of everyone living in Central Asia.
Money, codes and practical details
It uses the Tajikistani somoni (ЅМ, TJS). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Tajikistan.
The top-level domain is .tj. To phone it from abroad you dial +992. Its ISO codes are tj and TJK, which is what most databases and flag files use.
Dushanbe is the city to remember for this country.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Tajikistan shares borders with 4 countries:
Fun facts about Tajikistan
- Its capital city is Dushanbe.
- It lies about 4,341 km from the equator, in temperate latitudes.
- Population density works out at roughly 74 people per square kilometre.
- The United States and Türkiye sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- Tajik is listed as an official language for no other entry in this dataset.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as Nepal.
Tajikistan — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Tajikistan?
- The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe.
- How big is Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan covers 143,100 km², ranking 97th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as Nepal.
- What language is spoken in Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan lists 2 official languages: Russian and Tajik. Tajik does not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.
- Is Tajikistan a country?
- Yes. Tajikistan is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Is Tajikistan landlocked?
- Yes. Tajikistan has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Where is Tajikistan located?
- Tajikistan is in Central Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 39.0° north and 71.0° east, roughly 4,341 km from the equator in temperate latitudes.
- Which countries border Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan borders 4 countries: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. China is the largest of them by area.
- What currency does Tajikistan use?
- Tajikistan uses the Tajikistani somoni, written ЅМ (currency code TJS). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- What is the population of Tajikistan?
- Tajikistan has a population of about 10.6 million, which makes it the 91st most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Portugal sits just above it and Papua New Guinea just below.
