TAJIK REPUBLIC, a State member of the U.S.S.R., so constituted in 1929, having been created in 1924 an A.S.S.R. of the Russian S.F.S.R. It is bounded north by the Kirghiz S.S.R., south by Afghanistan, west by the Uzbek S.S.R., and east by Chinese Turkestan. It consists of mountain and plateau of the Pamir-Alai system, west of the Sarikol range.
The boundary between Russia and Afghanistan, as laid down by the Pamir Boundary Commission in 1895, goes along the Lake Victoria affluent of the Oxus and east wards along the Nicholas range, dividing the Great and Little Pamirs, so that all the head of the Little Pamir and the Wakhan valley lie in Afghanistan. The Alichur, Rang Kul, Kargosh (Kara Kul) and Sarez Pamirs are in the Tadzhik Republic; a Pamir (Persian
or foot of the mountain peak), is a valley stretch ing upward
a long slope to the mountain peak, and these high level valleys (Lake Victoria has an altitude of 13,400 ft.) are mainly of glacial formation. The chief ridges crossing the republic are the Turkestan, Zarafshan, Hissar, Trans-Alai, Peter the Great and Darvas. Mt. Kaufmann (23,386 ft.) is the highest peak in the U.S.S.R.
The eastern part of the republic is characterized by broad flat bottomed valleys, with a series of lakes and low watersheds, and by a severe and dry climate, with an average January temperature as low as that of Novaya Zemlya. The range between day and night temperature is the greatest in the world, and in nine years only 2.3 in. of rain were recorded; this region is bleak and de serted. Of the lakes, Karakul (q.v.) is the largest, others are Shor-kul, Rang-kul, Yashil-kul, Zor-kul and Sarez. The latter was formed in 1911, from the Murgab (Bartang) river after an earth quake in consequence of which the stream was dammed up by a huge avalanche ; Lake Yashik-kul was formed in a similar way.
The Amu-Daria or Oxus is the chief waterway, and under the name of Pandjh, serves as a boundary between Tadzhikstan and Afghanistan; it rises in the Hindu Kush as the Vakhan-darya. Most of the glacier-fed streams in the republic are tributaries of the Amu Daria and flow in a south-westerly direction. Along the
right bank of this river and in the lower course of its tributaries, the Kafirnigan and Vaksha, is a desert, with a hot dry summer, which receives less than 1 o in. of rainfall per annum.
The valleys on the west are deeper than those on the east and are divided by high, snowy ridges. The north-western lower slopes are well clad with forest, since they receive more moisture and are less parched in summer. The south-western slopes are less favourable to vegetation, and a south-eastern slope, which means great heat in summer, accom panied by dry winds from Mongolia, is least favourable. Thus in accordance with altitude, slope and type of soil many varieties of vegetation are represented, saxaul scrub, jungle grass, especially in the valleys of the Surkhan, Vaksha and Kyzyl-Su, where the tiger and deer are to be found, deciduous and coniferous forest, and alpine and sub-alpine pasture. Along the north-west runs the upper course of the Zarafshan, with its tributary, the Fan, but the Zarafshan valley here is infertile and difficult to irrigate because of the irregularity of the surface. The most fertile regions are the valleys in which Diushambe and Kurgan-Tyube are situated.
The types of dwelling are as varied as the climate and vegetation, e.g., felt tents for the nomads, loess brick walls with a thatch of reeds for the primitive culti vator; the houses are always low, whatever their type, because of the frequent earthquakes. The chief occupation is stock raising of semi-nomadic type, i.e., restricted to certain summer and winter pastures; true nomadism is fast dying out. The disturbances fol lowing the 1917 revolution much diminished the herds, the num bers of asses and mules, so essential for transport in this difficult region, are at their former level, cattle, sheep and goats are slowly increasing, but the numbers of camels and horses are still far below 1914 level.