Tajikistan

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Official name: Republic of Tajikistan Area: Government: Official languages: Monetary unit: Cities:

DEMOGRAPHY Population: Population density: ECONOMY GDP (PPP): per person: </small>

LIFE & LIBERTY HDI

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Location 1.2 Climate 1.3 Natural Resources 2 Demographics 2.1 Peoples 2.2 Provinces 3 Life 4 Economy 5 Government 6 Religion 6.1 Islam 6.2 Buddhism 6.3 Christianity 6.3.1 History 6.3.2 Churches 6.3.3 Church and State Relations 6.3.4 Challenges for Christians 6.3.5 Mission 6.3.6 Broadcasting 6.3.7 Councils and Networks 7 Future Trends 8 For More Reading

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

• Tajikistan is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. A former Soviet state. Afghanistan borders to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. Tajikistan is the smallest nation in Central Asia by area. It is covered by mountains of the Pamir range, and more than 50% of the country is approximately 10,000 feet/ 3,000 meter above sea level.

[edit] Climate

[edit] Natural Resources

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Peoples

• Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group, who share culture and history with the Iranian peoples and Uzbek people and speak the Tajik language, also in the country, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tatar.

[edit] Provinces

• The Provinces of Tajikistan

• The Cities of Tajikistan

Dushanbe, the capital

[edit] Life

• Fifty thousand killed in civil war which ended in 1997 and a million lost their homes or had to move. Poverty and extreme hardship common.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Government

[edit] Religion

• After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 civil war broke out between the ex-Communists and Islamic rebels. A peace agreement was signed in 1997 but ethnic tensions continue to trouble Tajikistan. 90% of the population are Muslims, but few actually live out an Islamic faith in their lives, Non-Religious 9.1%. Christianity 1.4%.

[edit] Islam

[edit] Buddhism

[edit] Christianity

[edit] History

[edit] Churches

• Open for sensitive Christian ministry. Small, growing Church. 1992 there were only two or three Tajik believers, but now there are several hundred believers in Tajikistan and around the world.

• The Christian Church is largely composed of ethnic Europeans, but has been drastically reduced by emigration. During the civil war, those fleeing were almost entirely non-Tajik, and represented much of the country’s skilled labour. Pray that the remaining believers might see their unique opportunity to be witnesses to Tajiks and other unreached peoples. Pray for the establishment of a strong multi-ethnic Christian witness in each city which can then reach out to rural areas.

[edit] Church and State Relations

[edit] Challenges for Christians

• The government has drafted a new law to limit religious freedom. If passed, a church in Dushanbe (the capital) would need 2,000 members in order to be registered, churches in villages would need 400 members. This is virtually impossible as there are no churches this large, even in Dushanbe. The law would also prohibit religious education of children under 7 years old and ban all forms of religious instruction in private homes. This is the government's strategy to close down the churches. Please pray that this law will not be passed and that the Christians retain the small measure of freedom they currently have.

[edit] Mission

[edit] Broadcasting

[edit] Councils and Networks

[edit] Future Trends

[edit] For More Reading

• Wikipedia
• GRN
• Joshua Project