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

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Background: Uzbekistan is the geographic and population center of Central Asia. The country has a diverse economy and a relatively young population. Russia conquered and united the disparate territories of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of 'white gold' (cotton) and grain led to the overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, leaving the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half-dry. Independent since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, the country has diversified agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base, although cotton remains a major part of its economy. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islam KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in September 2016. His successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV, has improved relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and introduced wide-ranging economic, judicial, and social reforms.


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Location: Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 447,400 km²
Land: 425,400 km²
Water: 22,000 km²
Rank: 58
Comparative: about four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 6,893 km
Border countries: (5) Afghanistan 144 km; , Kazakhstan 2,330 km; , Kyrgyzstan 1314 km; , Tajikistan 1312 km; , Turkmenistan 1793 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked)

Climate: mostly mid-latitude 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
Lowest point: Sariqamish 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
Agricultural land: 62.6% (2011 est.)
Forest: 7.7% (2011 est.)
Other: 29.7% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 42,150 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: earthquakes; floods; landslides or mudslides; avalanches; droughts

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


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Population
Distribution: most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated: 30,565,411 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 45
Growth rate: 0.88% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 117
Below poverty line: 14% (2016 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Uzbekistani
Adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups: Uzbek 83.8%, Tajik 4.8%, Kazakh 2.5%, Russian 2.3%, Karakalpak 2.2%, Tatar 1.5%, other 4.4% (2017 est.)

Languages: Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Note: in the autonomous Karakalpakstan Republic, both the Karakalpak language and Uzbek have official status

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.19% (male 3,631,693/female 3,456,750)
15-24 years: 16.63% (male 2,601,803/female 2,481,826)
25-54 years: 45.68% (male 6,955,260/female 7,006,172)
55-64 years: 8.63% (male 1,245,035/female 1,392,263)
65 years and over: 5.87% (male 768,769/female 1,025,840) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.6
Youth dependency ratio: 43.4
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.2
Potential support ratio: 13.9 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 30.1 years
Male: 29.4 years
Female: 30.7 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 123

Population growth rate: 0.88% (2020 est.)
Rank: 117

Birth rate: 16.1 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 108

Death rate: 5.4 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 187

Net migration rate: -1.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 167

Population distribution: most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 50.4% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.28% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 2.517 million TASHKENT (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: shrinkage of the Aral Sea has resulted in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification and respiratory health problems; 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23.8 years (2017 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 19.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.1 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 92

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.8 years
Male: 71.7 years
Female: 78 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 125

Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 163

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 3.9% of population
Total: 2.2% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.4% (2017)

Physicians density: 2.37 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 4 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 115
People living with hivaids: 50,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 61
Deaths note: <1000 (2019 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 16.6% (2016)
Rank: 123

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.9% (2017)
Rank: 102

Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2017)
Rank: 47

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (2016)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 12 years (2019)

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
Etymology: a combination of the Turkic words uz (self) and bek (master) with the Persian suffix -stan (country) to give the meaning Land of the Free

Government type: presidential republic; highly authoritarian

Capital
Name: Tashkent (Toshkent)
Geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 69 15 E
Time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: 'tash' means 'stone' and 'kent' means 'city' in Turkic languages, so the name simply denotes 'stone city'

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonom respublikasi), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati [Bukhara Province], Farg'ona Viloyati [Fergana Province], Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan Republic]* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati [Samarkand Province], Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri [Tashkent City]**, Toshkent Viloyati [Tashkent Province], Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch)
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 the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 8 December 1992
Amendments: proposed by the Supreme Assembly or by referendum; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of both houses of the Assembly or passage in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2017 (2018)

Legal system: civil law system; note - in early 2020, the president signed an amendment to the criminal code, criminal procedure code, and code of administrative responsibility

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Uzbekistan
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (interim president from 8 September 2016; formally elected president on 4 December 2016 to succeed longtime President Islom KARIMOV, who died on 2 September 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Abdulla ARIPOV (since 14 December 2016); First Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Transport Achilbay RAMATOV (since 15 December 2016)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with most requiring approval of the Senate chamber of the Supreme Assembly (Oliy Majlis)
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term; previously a 5-year term, extended by a 2002 constitutional amendment to 7 years, and reverted to 5 years in 2011); election last held on 4 December 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister nominated by majority party in legislature since 2011, but appointed along with the ministers and deputy ministers by the president
Election results: Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV elected president in first round; percent of vote - Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (LDPU) 88.6%, Hotamjon KETMONOV (NDP) 3.7%, Narimon UMAROV (Adolat) 3.5%, Sarvar OTAMURODOV (Milliy Tiklanish/National Revival) 2.4%, other 1.8%

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:
Note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of 67 judges organized into administrative, civil, criminal, and economic sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: judges of the highest courts nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis; judges appointed for initial 5-year term and can be reappointed for subsequent 10-year and lifetime terms
Subordinate courts: regional, district, city, and town courts

Political parties and leaders: Ecological Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Ekologik Partivasi) [Boriy ALIKHANOV]Justice (Adolat) Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan [Narimon UMAROV]Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Liberal-Demokratik Partiyasi) or LDPU [Aktam HAITOV]National Revival Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Milliy Tiklanish Demokratik Partiyasi) [Sarvar OTAMURATOV]People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Xalq Demokratik Partiyas) or PDP [Hotamjon KETMONOV] (formerly Communist Party)

International organization participation: ADB, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Javlon VAHOBOV (since 29 November 2017)
In the us chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 887-5,300
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 293-6,804
In the us consulate: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel ROSENBLUM (since 24 May 2019)
From the us telephone: [998] (71) 120-5,450
From the us embassy: 3 Moyqorqon, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent 100,093
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
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 vertical, white crescent moon (closed side to the hoist) and 12 white, five-pointed stars shifted to the hoist on the top band; blue is the color of the Turkic peoples and of the sky, white signifies peace and the striving for purity in thoughts and deeds, while green represents nature and is the color of Islam; the red stripes are the vital force of all living organisms that links good and pure ideas with the eternal sky and with deeds on earth; the crescent represents Islam and the 12 stars the months and constellations of the Uzbek calendar

National symbols: khumo (mythical bird); national colors: blue, white, red, green

National anthem
Name: Ozbekiston Respublikasining Davlat Madhiyasi (National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
Lyricsmusic: Abdulla ARIPOV/Mutal BURHANOV
Note: adopted 1992; after the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan kept the music of the anthem from its time as a Soviet Republic but adopted new lyrics

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 41

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 139

Gross national saving:
Rank: 24

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 59.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 16.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.3% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 19% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -20% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 17.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 33.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 48.5% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Industries: textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 67

Labor force: 13.273 million (2018 est.)
Rank: 41
By occupation agriculture: 25.9%
By occupation industry: 13.2%
By occupation services: 60.9% (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Note: official data; another 20% are underemployed
Rank: 80

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 14% (2016 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.8%
Highest 10: 29.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 15.22 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 15.08 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 42

Taxes and other revenues: 31.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 74

Public debt:
Rank: 178

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Note: official data; based on independent analysis of consumer prices, inflation reached 22% in 2012
Rank: 213

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:
Rank: 43

Exports:
Rank: 90
Partners: Switzerland 38.7%, China 15.5%, Russia 10.7%, Turkey 8.6%, Kazakhstan 7.7%, Afghanistan 4.7% (2017)
Commodities: energy products, cotton, gold, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and nonferrous metals, textiles, foodstuffs, machinery, automobiles

Imports:
Rank: 100
Commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous and nonferrous metals
Partners: China 23.7%, Russia 22.5%, Kazakhstan 10.7%, South Korea 9.8%, Turkey 5.8%, Germany 5.6% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 65

Debt external:
Rank: 101

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 55.55 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 52
Consumption: 49.07 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 50
Exports: 13 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 15
Imports: 10.84 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 23
Installed generating capacity: 12.96 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 54
Generation sources fossil fuels: 86% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 68
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 206
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 14% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 109
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 212

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 41,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 57
Crude oil exports: 27,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 46
Crude oil imports: 420 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 81
Crude oil proven reserves: 594 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 44

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 61,740 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 78
Products consumption: 60,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 95
Products exports: 3,977 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 95
Products imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 214

Natural gas
Production: 52.1 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 15
Consumption: 43.07 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 22
Exports: 9.401 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 22
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 207
Proven reserves: 1.841 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 18

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 95.58 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 46

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 3,262,896
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10.77 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 40
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 30,662,740
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 101.21 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 45

Telephone system

Broadcast media: the government controls media; 17 state-owned broadcasters - 13 TV and 4 radio - provide service to virtually the entire country; about 20 privately owned TV stations, overseen by local officials, broadcast to local markets; privately owned TV stations are required to lease transmitters from the government-owned Republic TV and Radio Industry Corporation; in 2019, the Uzbek Agency for Press and Information was reorganized into the Agency of Information and Mass Communications and became part of the Uzbek Presidential Administration with recent appointment of the Uzbek President's elder daughter as it deputy director (2019)

Internet
Country code: .uz
Users total: 15,705,402
Users percent of population: 52.31% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 42

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,123,508
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 14 (2018 est.)
Rank: 33


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 12

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of Uzbekistan: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces; National Guard; Ministry of Internal Affairs: Internal Security Troops (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year conscript service obligation for males (conscripts have the option of paying for a shorter service of one month while remaining in the reserves until the age of 27); Uzbek citizens who have completed their service terms in the armed forces have privileges in employment and admission to higher educational institutions (2016)

Space program

Terrorist groups: Islamic Jihad Union; Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 34
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,056,558 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 89.43 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: UK (2016)

Airports: 53 (2013)
Rank: 88
With paved runways total: 33 (2013)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 13 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6 (2013)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2013)
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 20 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 18 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines: 13,700 km gas, 944 km oil (2016)

Railways
Total: 4,642 km (2018)
Broad gauge: 4,642 km
Note: 1.520-m gauge (1684 km electrified) (2018)
Rank: 42

Roadways
Total: 86,496 km (2000)
Paved: 75,511 km (2000)
Unpaved: 10,985 km (2000)
Rank: 58

Waterways: 1100 km (2012)
Rank: 62

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
River port: Termiz (Amu Darya)


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Disputes international: prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 97,346 (2019)

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