NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Republic of Uzbekistan
Uzbekiston Respublikasi
former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
INTRODUCTION
|
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, a nonconvertible currency, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
41 00 N, 64 00 E |
|
Map references:
|
Asia |
|
Area:
|
total: 447,400 sq km
water: 22,000 sq km land: 425,400 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly larger than California |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 6,221 km
border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km |
|
Coastline:
|
0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline |
|
Maritime claims:
|
none (doubly landlocked) |
|
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: 10.8%
permanent crops: 0.91% other: 88.29% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
42,810 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
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 |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
Geography - note:
|
along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
25,981,647 (July 2003 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 34.7% (male 4,594,721; female 4,431,653)
15-64 years: 60.5% (male 7,781,739; female 7,945,641) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 497,692; female 730,201) (2003 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.2 years female: 22.5 years (2002) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.63% (2003 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
26.09 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
7.97 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 71.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 75.27 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 64 years
male: 60.53 years female: 67.64 years (2003 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
less than 740 (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
less than 100 (2001 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Uzbek(s)
adjective: Uzbek |
|
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.) |