Uzbekistan is a Central Asian country. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north and west, Kyrgyzstan to the east, Tajikistan to the southeast, Afghanistan to the south and Turkmenistan to the southwest and west. It covers an area of 447 400 km2. Its main cities are Tashkent, with 2 299 400 residents (2004), Namangan (442 400 residents), Samarkand (419 700 residents), Andijon (362 600 residents) And Bukhara (284 300 residents).
The Republic of Uzbekistan is a land of contrasts: it includes the fertile irrigated region of Fergana, the Tien Shan mountain range, where the cities of Tashkent, the capital, and Samarkand, the desert of Kyzyl Kum, the plains of Turan, the oasis and the irrigated areas of the lower Amudária and the rocky desert of the Ustyurt plateau.
Climate
The climate is continental, with marked aridity in certain areas of the country.
Economy
Modern irrigation systems installed since the mid-twenties have made Uzbekistan the main cotton producer in the former Soviet Union. This, with the help of the application of fertilizers and pesticides, and hydraulic works for irrigation, which came to cause serious environmental and health problems to the populations. Sheep are raised, snails for the production of wool and meat. It has natural gas and rare metals, namely gold. The main industrial products are coal, copper, chemicals, agricultural machinery and textiles. It exports a large volume of natural gas and cotton. Uzbekistan’s main trading partners are Russia, South Korea, Germany and Italy. Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 4.8.
Population
The population is 27 307 134 residents (2006), which corresponds to a population density of 60.02 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 26.36% and 7.84%. Average life expectancy is 64.58 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.729 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.727 (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the population will be 36 947 000 residents. Uzbekistan’s natives make up 76% of the population, followed by Russians (6%), Tajiks (5%) and Kazakhs (4%). Sunni Muslims make up 88% of the population. The official language is Uzbek, a language of Turkish origin.
History
Its name derives from Khan Usbek (1312-1342), one of the chiefs of the Mongol army that devastated Central Asia and Eastern Europe in the 14th century, founding the Mongol state in that region.
The country became one of the Soviet republics in 1924 with a communist government, like the entire Soviet Union. In 1991, it regained independence following the breakdown of the USSR. For Uzbekistan democracy and rights, please check homeagerly.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Uzbekistan, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Uzbekistan. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Uzbekistan
Browse a collection of political, country, topographic, thematic, and historical maps of this central Asian country, north of Afghanistan.
