The Distance Between Tajikistan And Afghanistan: A Geopolitical Divide

Tajikistan and Afghanistan share a border that is between 749 miles (1206 km) and 843 miles (1357 km) long. The two countries have fostered a close relationship since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, bound by deep cultural ties and mutual security and economic interests. The shortest distance between the two countries is 393 miles (633 km) by air.

The Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is 1,357km long

The Afghanistan-Tajikistan border begins in the west at the tripoint with Uzbekistan on the Amu Darya. It continues along the thalweg of this river, flowing in an eastward direction, until it reaches the junction with the Vakhsh River. From here, the boundary continues along the Pyanj River for 1,080km, with the surrounding area becoming increasingly mountainous. The boundary then follows the Pamir River for 71km eastwards until it reaches Lake Zorkul. The boundary then goes overland for 218km up to the Chinese tripoint, following various mountain peaks and ridges.

The border's eastern terminus is found at the Afghanistan-China-Tajikistan tripoint on Povalo-Shveikovskogo Peak. Much of the boundary is paralleled by Tajikistan's Pamir Highway. The border was inherited from the old Soviet Union-Afghan border, which largely took its current shape during the 19th-century Anglo-Russian rivalry in Central Asia, known as the Great Game.

The Tajikistan-Afghanistan border crossing at Ishkashim connects the Tajik and Afghan Wakhan valleys. For visitors, this is the only feasible way to access the narrow Wakhan Corridor. The border does close periodically, usually during disease outbreaks or when the Taliban pushes into the Badakhshan Province.

The air travel distance is 633km

The air travel distance between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is 633km, or 393 miles. This is the shortest distance between the two countries, which share a border that is 1,357km (843 miles) long. The border runs from the tripoint with Uzbekistan in the west to the tripoint with China in the east, mostly along the Amu Darya, Pyanj and Pamir Rivers. The Tajik community is divided in two by this border.

The two countries have fostered a close relationship since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. They share deep cultural ties, mutual security interests, and economic interests. Afghanistan is trying to expand trade with its northern neighbour, while Tajikistan wants a stable Afghanistan to tackle cross-border drug trafficking and terrorism.

The border between the two countries is incredibly porous and rugged, with much of it lying in the Pamir Mountain range. This makes it very difficult for authorities to police. The US and international community have stepped in to help strengthen security along the border by funding outposts and checkpoints, and providing advanced technology and training for counternarcotics teams.

There are several official border crossings between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, including the Tajik–Afghan Friendship Bridge, which connects Dushanbe with Kunduz.

The border runs along the Amu Darya, Pyanj and Pamir Rivers

The Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is 1,357 km (843 mi) long and runs from west to east, almost entirely along the Amu Darya, Pyanj, and Pamir Rivers. The border begins in the west at the tripoint with Uzbekistan on the Amu Darya and continues along the thalweg of this river, flowing in an easterly direction until it reaches the junction with the Vakhsh River.

The Amu Darya is one of the longest rivers in Central Asia, rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Kush. The river flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, and its name is derived from the medieval city of Āmul, now called Türkmenabat, in modern-day Turkmenistan. "Darya" is the Persian word for "lake" or "sea". The Amu Darya is the largest river in Turkmenistan and Central Asia and is the most significant source of water for irrigation in the region.

At the junction with the Vakhsh River, the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border continues along the Pyanj River for 1,080 km (670 mi). The Pyanj River is formed by the confluence of the Wakhan and Pamir Rivers, which converge to form the larger Amu Darya. The Pyanj River flows out of the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of territory located within the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, connecting Afghanistan to Xinjiang, China. The surrounding area becomes increasingly mountainous as the river traces a large horseshoe shape.

At the confluence of the Pyanj and Pamir Rivers near the Afghan village of Gaz Khun, the border follows the Pamir River for 71 km (44 mi) eastwards until it reaches Lake Zorkul (Sir-i-kol). The Pamir River flows west out of Lake Zorkul, which is located in the Wakhan Corridor, in the Pamir Mountains. The border then goes overland, mainly following various mountain peaks and ridges, until it reaches the tripoint with China.

Much of the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is paralleled by Tajikistan's Pamir Highway.

The border separates the Tajik community in two

The Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is 1,357 km (843 mi) long and runs from Uzbekistan in the west to China in the east. The border separates the Tajik community in two, with the Tajik ethnic group being the largest in Tajikistan and the second-largest in Afghanistan. The border largely follows the course of the Amu Darya, Pyanj, and Pamir Rivers, and much of the boundary is paralleled by Tajikistan's Pamir Highway.

The Tajik people are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia. They are the direct descendants of the Iranian peoples whose presence in Central Asia and northern Afghanistan dates back to the middle of the 1st millennium BC. The ancient Tajiks were chiefly agriculturalists before the Arab Conquest of Iran, and today, agriculture remains an important part of their culture. The Tajik language is an eastern dialect of Persian, called Dari, and is written using the Perso-Arabic script in Afghanistan and the Cyrillic script in Tajikistan.

The border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan was inherited from the old Soviet Union-Afghan border, which took its current shape during the 19th-century Anglo-Russian rivalry known as the Great Game. The border has a significant impact on the movement of people and goods between the two countries. During the Tajikistani Civil War in the 1990s, at least 80,000 Tajikistanis sought refuge in Afghanistan. More recently, in 2021, many Afghan troops and civilians fled across the border as the Taliban took control of several areas. However, the Tajik government has since closed the border to new refugee entries.

The porous border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is also a major concern for both governments and the international community due to drug smuggling and insurgent-related violence. Afghanistan is responsible for a large portion of the world's illicit opium production, and a significant amount is smuggled through Tajikistan en route to Russia and Europe. Despite the challenges posed by the border, diplomatic, business, and cultural ties between Afghanistan and Tajikistan have been expanding in recent years.

The Tajik population is Tajikistan's largest ethnic group

Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, sharing a border with Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. The Afghanistan–Tajikistan border is 1,357 km (843 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Uzbekistan in the west to the tripoint with China in the east. The distance between the two countries is 633 km (393 mi) by air.

Now, onto the Tajik ethnic group, the largest in Tajikistan.

Who are the Tajiks?

The Tajiks are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia. They are the largest ethnic group in Tajikistan, comprising nearly 80-84.3% of the population. They are also the second-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The population of Tajikistan is approximately 7.3 million, while the number of Tajiks in Afghanistan is around 8.8 million.

The term "Tajik" originally had some pejorative usage as a label for eastern Persians or Iranians. However, it has become more acceptable in recent decades, particularly due to Soviet administration in Central Asia. Alternative names for the Tajiks include "Fārsīwān" (Persian-speaker) and "Dīhgān" (farmer or settled villager).

History and Origins

Contemporary Tajiks are the descendants of ancient Eastern Iranian inhabitants of Central Asia, particularly the Sogdians and the Bactrians. They may also have an admixture of Western Iranian Persians and non-Iranian peoples. According to historian Richard Nelson Frye, the Persian migration to Central Asia may be considered the beginning of the modern Tajik nation, with ethnic Persians and Eastern Iranian Bactrians and Sogdians as the main ancestors of modern Tajiks.

The Tajik people share close kinship and language with a larger population of the same nationality living in northeastern Afghanistan. Despite sectarian differences (most Tajiks are Sunni Muslims, while Iranians are predominantly Shi'a), Tajiks also have strong cultural ties with Iran.

Language

The Tajiks speak a variety of Persian, a Western Iranian language. In Tajikistan, the Tajik language is written in the Cyrillic script, while in Afghanistan, Tajiks continue to use the Perso-Arabic script. Since the 19th century, the Tajik language has been strongly influenced by Russian, incorporating many Russian loanwords.

Religion

The vast majority of Tajiks are Sunni Muslims, with small Twelver and Ismaili Shia minorities. Areas with large numbers of Shias include Herat and Badakhshan provinces in Afghanistan, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province in Tajikistan, and Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in China.

Culture and Lifestyle

The Tajiks are traditionally a sedentary people, and their culture has been significantly influenced by Central Asian sedentary culture. They are known for their distinctive national clothing, which is still worn by many women from the indigenous population.

The traditional Tajik settlement is called a "qishlaq," consisting of 200 to 700 single-family houses built along an irrigation canal or riverbank. In the mountains, these settlements are smaller, typically consisting of 15 to 20 households.

Distribution

In addition to Tajikistan and Afghanistan, there are substantial Tajik populations in Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. There are also Tajik diaspora communities in countries like the United States and Pakistan, largely consisting of refugees and migrant workers.

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