The mountainous areas of Tajikistan are a principal source of water for the Aral Sea basin. These territories are characterized by an arctic climate, with a low average temperature, continuous cloudiness and a high level of fog. There are 1,300 natural lakes in Tajikistan with a total water surface area of 705 square kilometres and a total capacity of about 50 cubic kilometres. About 78 percent of the lakes are situated in the mountain zone more than 3,500 metres above sea level.Irrigated farming dominates water consumption by volume (over 90 percent). Agriculture in Tajikistan at present and for the foreseeable future will remain one of the priority areas of the economy. The basis of agricultural production is irrigated farming: about 90 percent of all agricultural production is produced on irrigated land. The share of agriculture in GDP during 1996-2000 was about 21.6 percent. About 65 percent of the economically active population is engaged in agriculture (in 1999, 1.1 million people). Water is also important for energy production in Tajikistan. The country's hydroelectric production is third in the world after Russia and the United states.

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