Tajikistan definitions

A country of south-central Asia. The region was settled by the Tajik before the 10th century and conquered by Mongols in the 13th century. By the mid-19th century it was divided among several weak khanates. The region was acquired by Russia by 1895 and was a constituent state of the USSR, the Tadzhik Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1929 to 1991, when it declared its independence. Dushanbe is the capital and the largest city.

Country in WC Asia: became independent upon the breakup of the U.S.S.R. (1991): 55,251 sq mi (143,100 sq km); cap. Dushanbe.