Tajikistan 🇹🇯
Tajikistan is a country in Asia with a population of 9,952,787. Its capital is Dushanbe. The official currency is TJS, and the main languages are Tajik.
Quick facts
- Capital: Dushanbe
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 9,952,787
- Area: 143,100 km²
- Density: 69.6 people per km²
- Currency: TJS
- Languages: Tajik
- ISO code: TJ
Where Tajikistan sits
Tajikistan 🇹🇯 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Dushanbe. It covers 143,100 square kilometres — 94th in the world — and is home to about 9,952,787 people, 95th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Tajikistan compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Tajikistan sits closest to Hungary and Papua New Guinea. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Nepal and Bangladesh.
At 69.6 people per square kilometre it is somewhat above the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Tajik is listed as official in Tajikistan alone. The TJS is used by Tajikistan and no one else.
To see Tajikistan next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Tajikistan
Dushanbe means 'Monday' in Tajik, because the city grew from a village with a popular Monday market. For the flag, a crown and seven stars on a white band.
The flag of Tajikistan: red, white and green, with a gold crown
🇹🇯 The flag is three horizontal stripes of red, white (wider) and green, with a gold crown under an arc of seven gold stars in the centre. Red stands for the unity of the nation, white for purity and cotton, and green for nature and the valleys.
Region and neighbours
Tajikistan is a landlocked, mountainous country in Central Asia, home to most of the Pamir Mountains. It shares land borders with 4 countries: Kyrgyzstan, China, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 — capital Bishkek
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 — capital Tashkent
Three facts about Tajikistan
- More than 90% of Tajikistan is mountains, and the Pamirs are often called the 'Roof of the World'.
- Ismoil Somoni Peak, at about 7,495 m, is the highest point in the country.
- The Fedchenko Glacier is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
Sources: Wikipedia: Tajikistan, Wikipedia: Flag of Tajikistan, Wikipedia: Dushanbe, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Tajikistan
- Asian capitals quiz — match Tajikistan to Dushanbe
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Tajikistan flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Tajikistan has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Tajikistan
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Tajikistan those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Dushanbe
- Tajikistan capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Tajikistan
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Tajikistan
- Capital of Tajikistan: Dushanbe — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Tajikistan flag?
The flag of Tajikistan is three horizontal stripes of red, white (wider) and green, with a gold crown under an arc of seven gold stars in the centre. Red stands for the unity of the nation, white for purity and cotton, and green for nature and the valleys.
Which countries border Tajikistan?
Tajikistan shares land borders with Kyrgyzstan, China, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
How can I remember the capital of Tajikistan?
Dushanbe means 'Monday' in Tajik, because the city grew from a village with a popular Monday market. For the flag, a crown and seven stars on a white band.