Posted
on February 23, 2016
 |
| Tajikistan used to be a part of the now-defunct Soviet Union. |
This
day in Tajikistan harkens back to Red Army Day in the Soviet Union,
which celebrated the anniversary of the February, 1918, mass draft of
Russians during the Russian Civil War.
Now the holiday celebrated
every February 23 in Russia, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan is called
Defender of the Fatherland Day.
And in Tajikistan it's Tajik National
Army Day (even though it is also celebrated by other military units
such as the Air Force).
Tajikistan
is a really mountainous nation. Like, really mountainous. As a matter
of fact, mountains cover more than 90% of its area.
(About
one-quarter – 25% – of the Earth's land surface is covered in
mountains, but people tend to live in the flatter areas where they
can grow crops. So 90% is pretty extreme—let alone more than
90%!)
I
got to wondering, what is the economy of such a mountainous country
based on? It seems that almost half of the economy is based on Tajiks
working in Russia, who transfer the money back to their families in
Tajikistan. Other important factors in the Tajik economy is the
export of aluminum, dried apricots, and cotton.
I
hope that, eventually, tourism becomes a huge part of the nation's
economy. After all, check out these mountainous landscapes!
To
learn more about Tajikistan, check out this slide show and
this earlier post.
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
