Our Series on Autonomous Territories takes us to Tajikistan, where the Eastern part of the country consists of an autonomous territory named Gorno Badakhshan (Upper Badakhshan). Although Gorno Badakhshan occupies almost half of Tajikistan's territory, it is sparsely populated and therefore only hosts less than 3% of the total population.
Gorno Badakhshan is high up in the Pamir Mountains and its population is mostly made of Pamiris, a group that is distinct from other Tajiks, although its language is closely related to Tajik Farsi. This distinct identity led the USSR to make Gorno Badarshan an autonomous region of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in 1929. The 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union created tension between Gorno Badakhshan and Tajikistan, with a unilateral declaration of independence in 1992, but by 1997, the central government retook control of the region.
More on Tajikistan
Gorno Badakhshan in 2022
