The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) was formed on January 2, 1925 as part of the Tajik SSR. It is located in the eastern part of the country, occupying 40% of the territory of Tajikistan - 63.7 thousand square kilometers. In the north it borders with Kyrgyzstan, in the east with China, in the south and west with Afghanistan.
The population as of January 1, 2000 was 206.3 thousand people. Badakhshans (Yagnobis, Yazgulems, Darvazians, Vakhans, Shugnans, Rushans and others), Kyrgyz and Russians live in GBAO. The region includes 6 districts: Vanj, Darvaz, Ishkashim, Murgab, Rushan and Roshtkala districts.
It has 1 city and 6 district centers. The administrative center of the region is the city of Khorog, whose population is about 28 thousand people.
GBAO is located on the territory of the Pamirs, the highest mountainous region of Tajikistan and the CIS. The west of the region closes on the Vanch ridges - height up to 5584 m, Yazgulem - 6974 m (Revolution peak), Rushan - height 6080, Shugnan - 5705 m. Many valleys - Bartang, Rushan and Shokhdora are located at an altitude of 2-3 thousand meters above sea level. The east of GBAO is a high-mountainous wide steppe, which extends from north to south to the banks of the Pyanj River. The Eastern Pamir after Tibet is the highest mountainous part of the world, its valleys and slopes are at an altitude of 3500-4200 m above sea level. All the major rivers of Central Asia start their journey from the Pamir glaciers: the Pyanj, the Vakhsh and the Amu Darya. February 6, 1911 As a result of a strong earthquake, the mountain collapsed into the valley of the Bartang River, covering the village of Usoy. By the autumn of the same year, Lake Sarez was formed, one of the largest fresh water reservoirs in the region. About 17 cubic kilometers of the purest water has accumulated in its narrow bowl up to 500 meters deep.
In 1931, one of the highest botanical gardens in the world was founded near Khorog, whose employees study the vegetation of the region and horticulture.
The region is rich in deposits of tin, zinc, lead, tungsten, molybdenum, rare metals, rock crystal, coal, asbestos, talc, salt, precious stones (lal, lapis lazuli), jasper, onyx, marble. Almost all the elements of the periodic table can be found in this mountainous region. The country's largest gold deposit, Darvaz, can be put in a special row. It is in the Pamirs that there is Kukhilal - a unique deposit of the legendary Badakhshan lal, a red stone - a gem of the first magnitude, standing on a par with diamond, emerald, sapphire and ruby.
The bowels of Gorno-Badakhshan are also rich in mineral springs, among which the healing Garm Chashma is widely known, the most popular resort in the region, where people from all over the CIS go for treatment.
The main branches of industry in the region are light and food. In 2001, 11 million 671 thousand somoni were produced in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, which is 31.8% higher than in 2000. In 1998, a new page was opened in the history of Badakhshan: the Mughrab-Kulma-Karakoram and Kulyab-Darvaz highways began to function, which is popularly called "Shohrokhi Vahdat" (the highway of unity). In fact, with the introduction of these roads, the region came out of geographic isolation. This will allow Tajikistan to access the major seaports of China, Pakistan and India.
Agriculture occupies the largest place in the region's economy, although the sown area is small - only 17.8 thousand hectares.
In the west of GBAO, local residents are engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding, in the east - only cattle breeding. In 2001, 10 thousand 364 tons of grain were grown in GBAO, which is 8% more than in 2000, 15 thousand 880 tons of potatoes, 13% more than in 2000. The region is the only region in Tajikistan where yaks are bred - unpretentious animals that provide meat, milk and wool. The state farm for growing yaks "Bulunkul" is located in the Murghab region.
On the territory of the region there is one higher educational institution, 1 professional theater. The International Central Asian University will soon start functioning, an agreement on the creation of which was signed by the Presidents of Tajikistan - Emomali Rakhmonov, Kyrgyzstan - Askar Akaev and Kazakhstan - Nursultan Nazarbayev.
On the territory of the region, the remains of fortresses of the Kushan era (1st century AD), sites of the Neolithic-Mesolithic times, burial mounds of the Saka time, the Kakhkaha fortress, which is 2 thousand years old, a cult complex and fire sanctuaries from the times of Zoroastrianism, were found. An important detail: the inhabitants of the Pamirs adhere to Ismailism - a branch of Shiite Islam, which has departed so far from orthodox Islam that, in fact, it is a separate religion. The spiritual head of the Ismailis, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, lives in Switzerland. A multi-billionaire, he is a great help to the Pamirs. Within the framework of his Fund, a special Program for Supporting the Development of Societies in Mountain Regions has been developed and is operating.