Map of Uzbekistan is produced by CIA
Uzbekistan, republic in Central Asia, bordered on the west and north by Kazakhstan, on the east by Kyrgyzstan, on the southeast by Tajikistan, and on the south by Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. It was formerly the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Uzbekistan includes the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic, which occupies about 37 percent of Uzbekistan's territory. Uzbekistan's land area totals about 447,400 sq km (about 172,750 sq mi). Toshkent is the capital and chief industrial and cultural center.
Uzbekistan's terrain is composed primarily of plains such as the Turan Lowland; plains occupy about four-fifths of the republic's territory. Branches of the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains rise in the east and northeast, with the highest elevation in the republic reaching 4643 m (about 15,234 ft). Earthquakes, such as the one that destroyed large portions of Toshkent in 1966, are not uncommon. The climate is desert continental; temperatures fluctuate greatly over the course of a year. Average daily temperature in January ranges from -6° to 2° C (21.2° to 35.6° F), and in July from 26° to 32° C (78.8° to 89.6° F). Precipitation is scant, and irrigation is necessary for crop cultivation, except along mountain slopes. The north-central part of the republic is occupied by the Qyzylqum, the second largest desert in the former USSR and one of the largest deserts in the worldMost of Uzbekistan's rivers drain internally or dissipate before reaching a terminal body of water. The two largest rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, flow into the Aral Sea. They have been heavily tapped for irrigation, and as a result, the surface of the Aral Sea has declined sharply in recent decades, with severe environmental damage to the surrounding ecosystem. Extensive canal systems, such as the Amu-Bukhoro, Karshi, Southern Golodnaya Steppe, and Great Fergana canals, have greatly altered hydrologic flow patterns.
The republic contains many large artificial lakes and reservoirs, such as Lake Aidar, which is fed by irrigation runoff water.
The republic also boasts a great variety of wildlife. Desert fauna include the extremely rare Saiga antelope and the desert monitor, a large lizard that can reach lengths of 1.6 m (5 ft). The rare snow leopard can be found at higher elevations, which are replete with several varieties of mountain goat.
Although Uzbekistan contains several large-scale industries, agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy. Agriculture contributes about 43 percent of total net material product and 29 percent of total employment. Cotton is the primary crop; Uzbekistan is the fourth largest producer of seed cotton and the largest cotton exporter in the world. The republic is also the largest producer of silk and karakul pelts in the former USSR. Other important crops include wheat, rice, barley, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Since most of Uzbekistan's agriculture is devoted to cotton-growing, however, the republic has become very dependent on outside sources of food. It must import about two-thirds of the grain, 30 percent of the meat, one-quarter of the milk, and half of the potatoes consumed in the republic.Industry accounts for about 33 percent of total net material product and 18 percent of total employment in Uzbekistan.
Leading industrial products are agricultural and textile machinery, textiles, aircraft, natural gas, and gold. Recent discoveries of oil in the Fergana Valley have increased domestic production considerably, but the republic is still highly dependent on outside sources of oil to meet its domestic needs.As in many other former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan's economy has suffered as a result of the dissolution of the USSR and the disruption of trade ties with other former Soviet republics. Net material product declined by more than 14 percent in 1992. Machinery parts, fuel, and other imports have been in short supply in the post-Soviet period. The government has delayed market-style reforms, and the economy remains largely state-controlled. Price controls have been imposed on many consumer items, and subsidies continue to be allocated to inefficient enterprises and farms. Privatization has been severely limited, and private land ownership has not yet been legalized. In November 1993 Uzbekistan introduced its own currency, the somcoupon, to replace the Russian ruble. In early 1994 a free-trade zone was established between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
With about 20,739,000 inhabitants in 1991, Uzbekistan has the largest population of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, and the third largest population of any former Soviet republic. Uzbeks, a Turkic-speaking people with an Islamic heritage, constitute 71 percent of the population. Russians are the largest minority with 8.3 percent. As in most other former Soviet republics in Central Asia, the size of the Russian minority has decreased in recent years, as thousands have emigrated to Russia and elsewhere.
Tajiks (4.7 percent) and Kazakhs (4.1 percent) are the next largest minorities, followed by Tatars, Karakalpaks, Koreans, Kyrgyz, Ukrainians, Turkmens, and Turks. The Russians in Uzbekistan live almost exclusively in Toshkent and other industrial centers. Tajiks are concentrated in the ancient cities of Bukhoro and Samarqand. Karakalpaks reside principally in their home region, the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic.Most of the population of Uzbekistan lives in rural settlements. Slightly more than 40 percent of the total population live in urban areas. With a population of about 2,094,000 in 1990, Toshkent, the capital, is the largest city in Central Asia and the fourth largest in the former USSR. Other major cities, which are concentrated in the eastern half of the country, include Samarqand (370,000), Namangan (312,000), Andijon (297,000), and Bukhoro (228,000). The country's population growth rate is high, about 3.5 percent per year. Health standards, such as infant mortality and death from infectious diseases, are poor. The desiccation of the Aral Sea and a decline in the quality and quantity of drinking water have contributed to the deterioration of the population's health in the western part of the country.
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