Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is located along the ancient Silk Road in the heart of Central Asia. /VCG Photo

Despite being the smallest country in the region, it has the highest elevation, with nine-tenths of its land being mountains and about half standing 3,000 meters or more above the sea. /VCG Photo

The Alay Range stretches to northern Tajikistan, while the Pamir mountain system lies to the country's east. Tajikistan's highest mountain, the Imeni Ismail Samani Peak in the western Pamirs, stands 7,495 meters above sea level. /VCG Photo

Mountains on this land spawn a maze of rivers, which have carved deep valleys into its landscape, including the Yagnob Valley, Fergana Valley and Zeravshan Valley. /VCG Photo

Many glaciers and lakes can be found in the country's eastern mountains, such as Iskanderkul Lake, Karakul Lake, Lake Sarez, and Bulunkul Lake. Fedchenko Glacier in the Pamir Mountains is the world's longest glacier outside the earth's polar regions. /VCG Photo