8b hfh tajikistan additionalresources

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TajikistanOverview

TheRepublicofTajikistanisalandlockedandmountainouscountrylocatedinCentralAsia.Itshares

politicalboundarieswithfourothercountries;Kyrgyzstantothenorth,Chinatotheeast,Afghanistanto

thesouth,andUzbekistantothewest.TajikistanremainsthepoorestandmosteconomicallyfragileoftheformerSovietRepublics.MorethanhalfofitspopulationlivesonlessthanUS$2aday.

TajikistansFlag

TheTajikistanflagismadeupofthreestripesof

whichthemiddlewhitestripeisthelargest.The

whiteisusedtosymbolizepurityandcottonaswell

asthesnowymountainpeaksofTajikistan.Thered

coloristorepresentthesun,thestrengthandunity

ofthenationalongwithvictory.Greenisthecolorof

Islamandarepresentationofthegiftofnature.The

centralcrownsurroundedbysevenstarshastwo

meanings.Thecrownisusedtorepresentthepeople

ofTajikistan,thesevenstarsistoshowhappinessandperfection.1

CourtesyofCIAWorldFactbook

PhysicalGeography

Tajikistanconstitutesanareaof143,100sqkm,over90percentofwhichismountainous.2TheTrans-

AlayMountainslieinthenorthernportionofthecountryandarejoinedwiththeruggedPamir

MountainsbytheAlayValley.Tajikistanshighestpointat7,495metersQullaiIsmoiliSomoni,was

previouslyknownasCommunismPeak,andwasthetallestmountainintheformerUSSR.Whilethelowestelevationinthecountryisroughly300meters,fiftypercentofthecountryisatanelevationof

over3,000meters.3Largevalleysallowingforexpansiveagricultureperiodicallypunctuatethe

mountains.TheseincludethewesternFerganaValleyinthenorth,theKofarnihonValley,andthe

VakhshValley(bothinthesouthwest).Thereareover8,000glaciersinTajikistan,predominatelylocated

inthePamirMountains.4ThelargestistheFedchenkoGlacier,whichisroughly70kmlongandoccupies

anareaofroughly700sqkm.ItisthelongestglacieroutsideofthePolarRegions.5Theseglaciers

appeartobedisappearingatanalarmingrateduetoglobalwarming(seebelow).Glaciallakesthatdot

theterrainandglacialrunoffhelpfeedlargerivers,whichflowwestfromthemountains.Theserivers

drainintotheAralSeabasinandareasourceofvaluablewaternotonlyforTajikistan,butthemany

surroundingcountries.TheselargeriversystemsincludetheAmuDarya,SyrDarya,andZeravshan

Rivers.Tajikistanalone,contributesroughlyfiftypercentofthewatervolumetotheAralSea.6

1CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.

2Tajikistan:CountryOverview".WorldGeography:UnderstandingaChangingWorld.ABC-CLIO,2010.Web.26

July2010.3WorldBank/UNISDR.CentralAsiaandCaucasusDisasterRiskManagementInitiative,RiskAssessmentfor

CentralAsiaandCaucasus,Deskstudyreview.2009.45.Web.26July2010.4ChemonicsInternationalInc.,BiodiversityAssessmentforTajikistan.2001.USAID.3.Web.24July2010.

5OxfamInternational.ReachingTippingPoint?ClimateChangeandPovertyinTajikistan.2009.7.Web22July

2010.6ChemonicsInternationalInc.,BiodiversityAssessmentforTajikistan.2001.USAID.3.Web.24July2010.


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Fluctuatingclimateandwaterresourcemanagementpoliciescontinuetobeapointoftensioninthe

region.

Tajikistanhasasemiaridcontinentalclimatewithtemperaturesandrainfallvaryingdependingon

altitude.Mostareasexperiencehotsummersandcoldwinters,withcoldertemperaturesinhigher

elevations.Tajikistanssouthwesternlowlandsexperiencethewarmesttemperaturesandhighestrainfalls.7Theregionisrichinbiodiversitywithdeserts,semi-deserts,forests,wetlands,steppes,

deciduousshrub-lands,andmeadowsconstitutingthemajoreco-regions.

Tajikistanisinaveryseismicallyactiveregionduetoitsproximitytotectonicplateboundaries.Thereis

ahighriskofearthquakesthatcanhavedevastatingeffectsonthepeopleandinfrastructureofthe

country.AnexampleofthisoccurredinJulyof2006,whenanearthquakeintheKoumsangirregion

caused$22millionindamageandaffected15,427people.Thetopographyofthecountrylendsitselfto

besusceptibilitytomudslidescausedbyearthquakes,rainfall,andglacialmelt.Tajikistanisespecially

pronetofloodingduringthespringrainsandsummerglacialmelting.Thereiscontinuingneedfor

disastermitigationandresponseprogrambuildinginthecountry,includingtheimplementationof

seismicallystablebuildingtechniquessuchastheMulberrybranchtechnologyusedinsomeofHabitat

forHumanityhouses.

People

Tajikistanhasapopulationofjustoversevenmillionpeople. Urbanizationistakingplaceataslowrateandmuchofthepopulation,almostseventy-fivepercent,

livesinaruralsetting.8Duetothesteepmountainousterrain,themajorityofthepopulationcanbe

foundinhabitingthelargervalleys.Throughoutthemountains,villagersutilizethesmallervalleys

andcanyonsforsubsistenceagriculture.Sinceagriculturallandcanbeatapremium,manytimes

villagerswillconstructtheirhousesonthesidesofmountains,andgrowtheircropsonthevalley

bottombelowthem(whichtypicallywouldhavebetteraccesstowaterresources).

ThecapitalandlargestcityofTajikistanisDushanbe,withapopulationofroughly650,000people.ItislocatedinthewesternportionofthecountryatthesouthernfoothillsoftheAlayMountains. TothefarnorthofDushanbe,intheFerganaValley,liesthesecondlargesturbansettlementin

Tajikistan,Khujand.ItistheoldesttowninTajikistan,havingbeenfoundedbyAlexandertheGreat

over2,300yearsago.Khujandsbeneficialgeographiclocationhasalsohelpedmakeitoneofthe

wealthiesttownsinTajikistan.

EthnicTajiksconstitutealmostthreequartersofthepopulationwhileUzbeksconstitutethenextlargestethnicgroup,ataroundfifteenpercentofthetotalpopulation.

RussianandKyrgyzethnicgroupsalsomakeupnoticeablepopulationsinTajikistan.9 TheofficiallanguageofTajikistanisTajik,whichiscloselyrelatedtoanotherIndo-European

language,Persian.VeryuniquefromotherPersiandialects,Tajikutilizesamodifiedversionofthe

Cryrillicalphabet.

Russianistypicallyspokenthroughouttheregion,especiallyasanintermediaryandbusinesslanguage.Russianisbecominglesswidelyspokenwiththeyouth,whoarestudyingeitherEnglishor

Arabicinschool.10


July2010.8CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.

9CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.


July2010.


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IslamisthepredominantreligionwithinTajikistan,havingbeenbroughttothepeopleofTajikistanbytheArabsintheseventhcentury.Aroundeighty-fivepercentofthepopulationisSunniMuslim.

11

CourtesyofU.S.CensusBureau

AnalyzingTajikistanspopulationpyramid,onecanseethatitisreflectiveofadevelopingcountrywith

characteristicpopulationgrowth.Sixty-sevenpercentofpopulationisundertheageof29.12

In

Tajikistan,thelifeexpectancyatbirthis66years.Thepopulationgrowthrateisaround1.85percent.

Thebirthrateis26.5birthsper1,000populationandthedeathrateis6.7deathsper1,000population.

Thefertilityrateisjustbelowthreechildrenbornperwoman.Rapidpopulationgrowthhasbeen

somewhatcurbedbyhighemigrationandarelativelyhighinfantmortalityrate,almost40deathsper

1,000livebirths.Tajikistanenjoysaveryhighliteracyrate(definedasthepopulationagedfifteenand

overwhocanreadandwrite)at99.5percent.13

11

CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.

12

WorldBank.TajikistanCountryBrief.2010.Web.20July2010.13



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History

Economy

Intheyearsoftenuouspeacesincetheendofthecivilwar,Tajikistanseconomyhashaddifficulties

recoveringandthecountryhasstruggledtoliftitselfoutofextremepoverty.ThemajorityofTajikistans

populationstrugglesonsubsistenceagricultureandremittancesfromfamilymembers.Agriculturalland

isatapremiumasonlyaroundsevenpercentoftheterrainisarable.14

Duetoalackofemployment

withinthecountry,nearlyhalfofthelaborforceworksabroad,primarilyinRussiaandKazakhstan,

supportingfamiliesbackhomethroughremittances.Theexactnumberoflabormigrantsisunknown,

butestimatedatonemillion.Manypeoplealsodependonhumanitarianaidforsurvival.

CottonandaluminumarethemajorexportcommoditiesofTajikistan.VariousoutdatedSovietsystems

remaininplaceandafailuretoinnovatethesesectorshasreducedtheirpotentialviability.Lackof

governmentaccountabilityandtransparencyhasimpededtheabilityofboththealuminumandcotton

sectorstoimproveeffectiveness.Therecentglobaleconomicfinancialcrisishasslowlystartedaffecting

Tajikistan.ThepriceofexportcommoditieshasslumpedandTajikworkersabroadarehavingahard

timefindingworkinRussia.15

14

CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.15

WorldBank.TajikistanCountryBrief.2010.Web.20July2010.

500BC

TodaysTajikswerefirstreferencedin500BCasthedescendantsofIranianpeoplesinthe

countryofBacteria.BacteriabecamepartofthePersianMacedonianempiresunder

AlexandertheGreat.

10thCenturyAD

Tajikswereasedentarypeoplewhobecame

knownasskilledcattleraisers,fruitgrowersand

traders.

Betweenthe7tCenturyADandthe15

t

Century,theTajikscameunderthe

influenceofthefirstIranianSamanid

dynasty.

16thCentury

TheTajiklandformallybecomepartoftheMongol-TurkicEmpireknownasthekhanateof

Bukhara.

19thCentury

Inthelate19thcenturythekhanateofBukharacameunderRussiancontrol.

20thCentury

In1924TajikistanspoliticalboundarieswereformedoutofwhatwasformallypartofUzbekistan.

In1929TajikistanbecameapartoftheSovietUnion.Agricultureproductivityexpandedwithlargescale

irrigationprojectsandcollectivization.1Unfortunately,muchofthisexpansioncausedenvironmental

degradationandhealthproblemsforthelocalpopulation(acommonthemeformuchoftheformer

SovietUnion).

1991

Tajikistangainedindependencebutplungedalmostimmediatelyintopolitical

turmoilandcivilwarthatlasteduntil 1997.


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Tajikistanhasenormoushydropowerpotential.Itisestimatedthatthecountryiscurrentlyonlyutilizing

sixpercentofitspotentialhydropowerresources.16

Atthesametime,hydroelectricityisusedtopower

overnintypercentofthecountrysenergyneeds.17

Hydroelectricpowerisoftensoldtoneighboring

countries,whichhavemuchlesshydropowerresources.

Politics

TajikistanisarepublicwithfunctioningExecutive,Legislative,andJudicialbranches.Thecurrent

president,EmomaliRahmonhasbeeninofficesince1994.OthermembersofExecutivebranchinclude

thePrimeMinisterandaCouncilofMinisters.TheLegislativebranchconsistsofaSupremeAssembly(of

whichthemajorityisselectedbylocaldeputies)andtheAssemblyofRepresentatives(selectedby

popularvote).TheJudicialbranchconsistsofaSupremeCourt.18

Thereappearstobesubstantial

corruptionbothinregardstothegovernmentandbusinesses.AccordingtoTransparencyInternational

in2009,Tajikistanranks158th

of180countriesmeasuredintheCorruptionPerceptionsIndex.The

widelyrecognizedsurveyusesacombinationofexpertassessmentsandopinionssurveystoauditthe

levelofcorruption.Corruption,geographiclocation,andtheWarinAfghanistanhaveledtoTajikistan

becomingamajortransportpointforheroin.Itiscurrentlyrankedthirdintheworldforopiateseizuresandthishasalsoledtoissuesregardingdrugusewithinthecountry..

19Onewillseeanincreaseinsocial,

economical,andhealthproblemsassociatedwithheroinuse.ThisincludesaclimbingHIV/AIDSrate.

16

GlobalSecurity.org.Tajikistan:Energy.Web.26July2010.17

Tajikistan:CountryOverview".WorldGeography:UnderstandingaChangingWorld.ABC-CLIO,2010.Web.26

July2010.18

CIA.WorldFactbook.2010.Web.20July2010.19



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Definitionsandkeyterms:

Seismically:Somethingthatiscausedbyorsubjecttoearthquakesorearthshaking. TectonicPlateboundaries:TheEarthsoutershellorlithosphereisconstructedoutofrigidplates.The

PlatesjointogetherlikethepiecesofajigsawtoformthesurfaceoftheEarth.Theseplates,called

tectonicplates,haveboundarieswhereoneplateendsandtheotherplatebegins.Thetectonicplate

boundariesareoftenareaswhereyouwillfindearthquakes,mountainsandvolcanoes.Thisisaresultof

differenttypesofplatescollidingorslidingaboveorbelowoneanother.

Globalwarming: Theincreaseintheaverageorglobaltemperatureoftheatmosphereoftheearth.Itistheresultofcarbondioxidetrappingtheheatofthesunneartheearthssurfaceratherthanallowingitto

bereflectedbackawayfromtheearth.Itisdebatedwhetheritisaresultofhumanactivityoranaturally

occurringprocess.

Glacialrunoff:Waterwhichcomesfromglaciers.Theamountofglacialrunoff,orwaterfromglaciersisincreasingasaresultofglobalwarmingbecausetheicewhichglaciersareformedfrommeltsfasterasthe

atmosphereoftheearthbecomeswarmer.

Biodiversity:Thediversity(numberandvariety)ofspeciesofplantandanimallifeinagivenhabitat,ortheEarthasawhole.

Steppes:Alargeareaofcold,drygrassylandwhichusuallydoesnothavetrees.Similarto(African)savannahor(US)prairie.

Deciduousshrub-lands: Landwithplantsdistinguishedfromtreesbyhavingmultiplestemsandbeingquitesmallinheight.Theyaredeciduousbecausetheydroptheirleavesannuallywhentheweather

becomesdryorcold.Therefore,theyhaveveryfewornoleavesforpartoftheyear.Thedroppingof

leavesisoftenprecededbytheleaveschangingcolor,forexamplebecomingorangeorred.

Infrastructure:Thebasicphysicalandorganizationalstructuresneededforacountry,societyorbusinesstowork.Acountrysinfrastructureincludesroadsandairports.

Topography:Thestudyand/ordescriptionoftheEarthssurfaceshapeanditsnaturalandmanmadefeatures,suchaslakesormountains.Wordsthatmightbeusedinconnectionwithtopographyaresteep

orlevele.g.fordescribingland.

Mitigation:Humaninterventionwiththeaimoflesseningorreducingtheeffects,orpotentialconsequencesofaparticularevent.Theeventcouldbeanaturaldisaster,likeafloodandthemitigation

couldbeputtingdownsandbagstosoakupwater.

Mulberrybranchtechnology:TheuseofMulberrybranchesinhomesbuiltbyHabitatforHumanitytomakethemseismicallystable,stableduringearthtremorsorquakes.

Urbanization:Themovementofpeoplefromruralareastocities,ortheindustrialdevelopmentofanarea. Subsistenceagriculture:Thefarmergrowscropstosustainhisfamily,therewillbelittleproduceleftto

sellortradewith.

Populationgrowthrate:Theincreaseofapopulationinaspecifiedamountoftime. Birthrate:Thenumberoflivebirthsper1000ofthepopulationinaspecifiedareaandtime. Deathrate:Thenumberofdeathsper1000ofthepopulationinaspecifiedareaandtime. Fertilityrate:Thenumberofchildrenawomanisestimatedtohave(betweentheagesof15-44)ina

regionorcountry.

Infantmortalityrate:Thenumberofinfantdeaths(1yearoryounger)per1000livebirthsinaspecifiedareaandtime.

Remittances:Anallowanceoratransferoffundsfromoneplacetoanother.Thiscouldincludefamiliesworkinginanothercountryandsendingsomeofthemoneytheyhaveearnedbacktotheirfamilies.

Arable:Thefarmingofcrops. Hydropower:Energythatcomesfromtheforceofmovingwaterandisthenusedtogenerateelectricity.

Commontypesofhydropowerusedamsonbigriverstocollect,storeandthenreleasewaterthrougha

turbine,generatingpower.Smallcanalscanalsobeused.


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Additionalresourcesforfurtherstudy:

InformationaboutTajikistanpolitics,cultureandhistory

HabitatforHumanity-Tajikistan:www.habitat.tj

www.tajik-gateway.orgwww.tajikart.com

www.eurasianet.org/resource/tajikistan/index.shtml

www.untj.org/?c=13&id=13

www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5775.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/country_profiles/1296639.stm

www.undp.tj/

Bio-sandfilters

http://www.biosandfilter.org/biosandfilter/index.php/item/229

http://www.habitat.org/eurasia/learn_about_habitat/our_impact/water_project_tajikistan_wins_awar

d.aspx

Accesstocleanwater

childrensafedrinkingwater.com/csdw/pur_packet.shtml

www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw

www.ryanswell.ca

Childrenandaccesstocleanwater:

Alifelikemine:Howchildrenlivearoundtheworld ,writtenbyDKandUNICEF.Thisbookexplainsto

childrenabouttheimportanceofhumanrightsincludingaccesstoasafehomeandcleandrinking

water.Itintroducesthesetopicsusingchartsandmapscoupledwithquotesandstoriesfromchildrenall

overtheworld.

OneWell:Thestoryofwateronearth ,RochelleStrauss.Thisbookisrecommendedforstudentsaged

9-12,itexplainsthatthewaterisaresourcethatissharedbyeverybodyonearth.Ithelpschildrento

understandthatwaterisnotaninfiniteresource,itexplainswherewatercomesfromandeaplinshow

weasaglobalcommunitymustprotectit.

8b hfh tajikistan additionalresources

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