| Background |
Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff
resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a
socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production
of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals
and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the
Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks
to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral
and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic
militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization. |
| Location |
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
|
| Area |
total:
447,400 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km
water: 22,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative |
slightly
larger than California |
| Climate |
mostly
midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland
in east |
| Terrain |
mostly
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated
river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon;
Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan;
shrinking Aral Sea in west |
| Elevation extremes |
lowest
point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m |
| Natural resources |
natural
gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten,
molybdenum |
| Land use |
arable land: 10.83%
permanent crops: 0.83%
other: 88.34% (2001) |
| Natural hazards |
NA |
| Environment - current issues |
shrinkage
of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides
and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly
exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from
industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the
cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination
from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT |
| Geography - note |
along
with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the
world |
| Population |
26,410,416
(July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure |
0-14
years: 34.1% (male 4,583,228; female 4,418,003); 15-64 years: 61.1% (male
7,990,233; female 8,157,136); 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 513,434; female
748,382) (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
1.65%
(2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate |
total:
71.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 75.03 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth |
total
population: 64.09 years
male: 60.67 years
female: 67.69 years (2004 est.) |
| Ethnic groups |
Uzbek
80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other
2.5% (1996 est.) |
| Religions |
Muslim
88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% |
| Languages |
Uzbek
74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% |
| Literacy |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.3%
male: 99.6%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
| Government type |
republic;
authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive
branch |
| Capital |
Tashkent
(Toshkent) |
| Independence |
1
September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
| Legal system |
evolution
of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system |
| Suffrage |
18
years of age; universal |
| Flag description |
three
equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated
by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white
stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant
|
| Economy - overview |
Uzbekistan
is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated,
irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely
populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest
cotton exporter, a large producer of gold and oil, and a regionally significant
producer of chemicals and machinery. Following independence in December
1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy
with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Uzbekistan responded
to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian financial
crises by emphasizing import substitute industrialization and by tightening
export and currency controls within its already largely closed economy.
The government, while aware of the need to improve the investment climate,
sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, the government's control
over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of income distribution
has hurt the lower ranks of society since independence. |
| GDP - per capita |
purchasing
power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
NA |
| Labor force |
14.2
million (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate |
0.5%
plus another 20% underemployed (2003) |
| Industries |
textiles,
food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas, chemicals |
| Agriculture - products |
cotton,
vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock |
| Exports - commodities |
cotton
41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals,
textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.) |
| Imports - commodities |
machinery
and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998 est.) |
