The Republic of Tajikistan is a mountainous landlocked country in south-eastern Middle Asia. It is bounded to the west and northwest by Uzbekistan; to the north by Kyrgyzstan; to the east by China; and to the south by Afghanistan.

Once the location of the famous Samanid Empire, Tajikistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union in the 20th century, when it was known as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. It has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions.