Turkmenistan vs Tajikistan
Two countries people mix up, side by side. Facts first, then how to keep them apart on the map.
| Turkmenistan | Tajikistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Ashgabat | Dushanbe |
| Continent | Asia | Asia |
| Population | 5.9 million | 9.3 million |
| Area | 488,100 km² | 143,100 km² |
| Neighbours | Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan | Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan |
| Languages | Turkmen, Russian | Tajik, Russian |
| Currency | Turkmenistani manat (TMT) | Tajikistani somoni (TJS) |
Turkmenistan is about 3.4 times the size of Tajikistan, and Tajikistan has about 1.6 times the population of Turkmenistan.
Why people mix them up
Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are both former Soviet republics in Central Asia with names ending in "-stan" and starting with "T", and both have Afghanistan as a southern neighbour. With five similar names in the region, quiz players often swap them. In fact they do not even share a border, and they are very different places: one is mostly flat desert, the other is almost entirely mountains.
How to tell them apart
- Turkmenistan is mostly the flat Karakum Desert; Tajikistan is one of the most mountainous countries in the world, dominated by the Pamirs.
- Turkmenistan has a coastline on the Caspian Sea; Tajikistan has no coast at all.
- Turkmen is a Turkic language; Tajik is a form of Persian, closely related to the languages of Iran and Afghanistan.
- Turkmenistan's flag is green with a vertical red band of carpet patterns, a white crescent and five stars; Tajikistan's has red, white and green horizontal stripes with a gold crown and seven stars.
- The capitals are Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and Dushanbe (Tajikistan).
- Turkmenistan is the larger country, about 488,000 km², more than three times the size of Tajikistan.
Memory hook
TurkMEnistan is the low, flat desert by the sea; TaJIKistan is the high country, up in the Pamirs on the roof of the world. Turkmen speak a Turkic language, Tajiks speak Persian.
On the map
Find the Caspian Sea. The large country on its southeastern shore, north of Iran, is Turkmenistan. Now follow Afghanistan's northern border east, past Uzbekistan, until you reach a small, mountainous country squeezed between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China: that is Tajikistan. If the country you are tapping touches China, it is Tajikistan.
Practise
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