Map of Uzbekistan | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Central Asia north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N 64 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 447,400 km²
Land: 425,400 km²
Water: 22,000 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 6,221 km
Border countries: (5) 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
Extremes 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)

Irrigated land: 42,810 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: along with Liechtenstein one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world


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Population: 26,410,416 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 1.65% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA (2004 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Uzbekistani
Adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80% Russian 5.5% Tajik 5% Kazakh 3% Karakalpak 2.5% Tatar 1.5% other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Languages: Uzbek 74.3% Russian 14.2% Tajik 4.4% other 7.1%

Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis) Eastern Orthodox 9% other 3%

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 22.1 years
Male: 21.4 years
Female: 22.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.65% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 26.12 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 7.95 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 71.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 75.03 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 67.39 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 64.09 years
Male: 60.67 years
Female: 67.69 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 11,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.3%
Male: 99.6%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
Conventional short form: Uzbekistan
Local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi
Local short form: Ozbekiston
Former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule with little power outside the executive branch

Capital: Tashkent (Toshkent)

Administrative divisions
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 1 September (1991)

Constitution: new constitution adopted 8 December 1992

Legal system: evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet)
Head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV (since 11 December 2003)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime minister and deputy ministers appointed by the president
Election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be held December 2009)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9, unaffiliated 10
Note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TOSHMUHAMMADOVA chairman]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Xurshid DOSTMUHAMMADOV chief]; Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHODMONOV chairman]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV chief]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party

International organization participation: AsDB CIS EAPC EBRD ECO FAO GUUAM IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC ISO ITU MIGA NAM OIC OPCW OSCE PFP SCO UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV
In the us chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 293-6,803
In the us fax: [1] (202) 293-6,804
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL
From the us embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700,115
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [998] (71) 120-5,450
From the us fax: [998] (71) 120-6,335

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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. In 2003 the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) providing for full currency convertibility. However strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also lead to some shortages which have further stifled economic activity.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1700 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 38%
Industry: 26.3%
Services: 35.7% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton vegetables fruits grain; livestock

Industries: textiles food processing machine building metallurgy natural gas chemicals

Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2003 est.)

Labor force: 14.2 million (2003 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 44%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 36% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 0.5% plus another 20% underemployed (2003)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA (2004 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.2%
Highest 10: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 44.7 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $2.176 billion
Expenditures: $2.207 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 42.3% of GDP (2003)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 13.1% (2003 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $462 million (2003)

Exports: $2.83 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: cotton 41.5% gold 9.6% energy products 9.6% mineral fertilizers ferrous metals textiles food products automobiles (1998 est.)
Partners: Russia 22.4% China 9.3% Ukraine 7.5% Tajikistan 6.2% Bangladesh 4.7% Turkey 4.6% Japan 4.3% Kazakhstan 4.2% US 4.1% (2003)

Imports: $2.31 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment 49.8% foodstuffs 16.4% chemicals metals (1998 est.)
Partners: Russia 22.3% US 11.4% South Korea 11% Germany 9.5% China 6.5% Kazakhstan 6.1% Turkey 6.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $4.384 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Uzbekistani sums per US dollar - 115.9 (2003) 125.3 (2002) NA (2001) 236.608 (2000) 124.625 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: 44.49 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 47.07 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 3.998 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 9.7 billion kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 63.1 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 45.2 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 17.9 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 937.3 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1,717,100 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 320,800 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization
Domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
International: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .uz
Hosts: 1040 (2003)
Users: 492,000 (2003)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $200 million (FY97)
Percent of gdp: 2% (FY97)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 247 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 33
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 214
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 200 (2003 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 9,149 km; oil 869 km; refined products 33 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 3,950 km
Broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2003)

Roadways

Waterways: 1100 km (2004)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: prolonged drought and cotton monoculture creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; delimitation is underway with Kyrgyzstan but serious disputes around enclaves and elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border; talks continue with Tajikistan to determine and delimit border

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 3,000 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2004)

Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and to a lesser extent Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan