By Donna Welles.
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO), located in Tursunzoda, Tajikistan
Tajikistan’s population statistics are indicative of a people who move around a lot. Although Total Population and Largest City Population have increased steadily since the Fall of the Soviet Union, there is a noticeable amount of fluctuation in terms of net migration reports. In 2014, Dushanbe had a population of 800,745 and Tajikistan as a whole had a population of 8.4million. Net migration figures are reported to the World Bank every five years and the next one is expected in 2017.
Central Asia’s geographical dimensions can perhaps be understood by Americans in terms of units Alaska. Alaska’s total land area is 1.5million km2 whereas that of Kazakhstan is 2.7million, Turkmenistan is .4million, Uzbekistan is .4million, Kyrgyz Republic is .2million, and Tajikistan is .1million. Central Asia’s climate is largely determined by elevation which increases eastward from the Caspian and Aral Seas.
Kazakhstan has the region’s highest internet connectivity rate as well as its largest GDP, 54% in 2013 and $212billion in 2014. Kazakhstan served as the base of operations for the Soviet Space Program and does so even today as launch pads there continue to rocket Russian satellites into space. Tajikistan’s internet connectivity rate in 2013 was roughly 1 in 4; it’s GDP was $9.2billion in 2014. Tajikistan exports aluminum and imports both chemicals and electric current. Tajik exports in 2000 totaled $692million; imports in 2000 totaled $644million.
Life expectancy figures in the region range between 65.5 years in Turkmenistan and 70.5 years in Kazakhstan. Tajikistan has the region’s smallest armed forces pool, reporting 16,300 soldiers in 2013. Kazakhstan reported 70,500 and Uzbekistan reported 68,000. In the Eurasian context, Lithuania reported 22,000 soldiers in 2013 while Estonia and Latvia reported less than 6,000 soldiers.
