Official name Republic of Uzbekistan, Uzbek Ozbekistan Jumhuriyäti
Local name Ozbekiston Republikasy Timezone GMT +5 Area 447 400 km²/172 696 sq mi population total (2002e) 25 484 000 Status Republic Date of independence 1991 Capital Tashkent Language Uzbek Ethnic groups Uzbek (71%), Russian (8%), Tajik (5%), Kazakh (4%) Religion Sunni Muslim Physical features Located in C and N Middle Asia; four-fifths of area is flat, sandy plain/desert (W); Turan Plain (NW) rises near the Aral Sea to 90 m/300 ft above sea level; delta of major river R Amu Darya forms alluvial plain over C Kara-Kalpak; Sultan-Uizdag Mts rise to 500 m/1600 ft; Kyzyl Kum broken by hills in SE; lowest point, Mynbulak, -12 m/-39 ft; Pskem Mts in E rise to 4299 m/14 104 ft at Beshtor Peak. Climate Dry and continental; average annual temperatures in S, -12°C (Jan), 3240°C (Jul); low rainfall. Currency 1 Som (UZS) = 100 tiyin Economy Deposits of coal, natural gas, oil, gold, lead, copper, and zinc; third largest cotton-growing area in the world; silk, wool; agriculture dependent on irrigated land; abundant orchards and vineyards; industry powered hydroelectrically. GDP (2002e) $66·06 bn, per capita $2600 Human Development Index (2002) 0·727 History Conquered by Alexander the Great, 4th-c BC; invaded by Mongols under Genghis Khan, 13th-c; Genghis Khan's grandson, Shibaqan, inherited the area; converted to Islam in 14th-c, under the ruler of Kipchak, Uzbek; became part of Tamerlane the Great's empire, 16th-c; conquered by Russia, mid-19th-c; became the Uzbek Republic in 1924, and Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1925; declared independence, 1991, joined CIS in 1991; governed by a President, Prime Minister, and Supreme Assembly; new constitution adopted, 1992; proposal for a bicameral legislature approved, 2002.|
O‘zbekiston Respublikasi O‘zbekiston Jumhuriyati Republic of Uzbekistan |
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| Motto: none | |||||
| Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan | |||||
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Capital (largest city) |
Tashkent 41°16′N 69°13′E |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official language(s) | Uzbek / Persian | ||||
| Government | Authoritarian republic | ||||
| - President | Islom Karimov | ||||
| - Prime Minister | Shavkat Mirziyoyev | ||||
| Independence | from the Soviet Union | ||||
| - Declared | September 1, 1991 | ||||
| - Recognized | December 8, 1991 | ||||
| - Completed | December 25, 1991 | ||||
| - Formation | 1747, as Bukharian Emirate, Kokand Khanate, Khwarezm | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total |
447,400 km² (56th) 172,742 sq mi |
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| - Water (%) | 4.9 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - July 2005 estimate | 26,593,000 (44th) | ||||
| - Density |
59/km² (136th) 153/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $50.395 billion (74th) | ||||
| - Per capita | $1,920 (145th) | ||||
| HDI (2003) | 0.694 (medium) (111th) | ||||
| Currency | Uzbekistani som (UZS) | ||||
| Time zone | UZT (UTC+5) | ||||
| - Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+5) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .uz | ||||
| Calling code | +998 | ||||
Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or O‘zbekiston Jumhuriyati), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia.
History
The territory of Uzbekistan was populated in the second millennium BC.
The first civilizations to appear in Uzbekistan were Sogdiana, Bactria and Khwarezm (Chorasmia).
For many centuries the region of Uzbekistan was ruled by Iranian Empires such as the Parthian and Sassanid Empires.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Central Asia was firmly in the hands of Russia and despite some early resistance to Bolsheviks, Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia became a part of the Soviet Union.
Politics
Constitutionally, the Government of Uzbekistan provides for democracy.
Human rights
The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan asserts that "democracy in the Republic of Uzbekistan shall be based upon common human principles, according to which the highest value shall be the human being, his life, freedom, honor, dignity and other inalienable rights."
However, credible non-government human right watchdogs, such as IHF, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, as well as United States Department of State and Council of the European Union define Uzbekistan as "an authoritarian state with limited civil rights" and express profound concern about "wide-scale violation of virtually all basic human rights" .
The official position is summarized in a memorandum "The measures taken by the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of providing and encouraging human rights" and amounts to the following.
The May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan, which resulted in several hundred people being killed is viewed by many as a landmark event in the history of human rights abuse in Uzbekistan ,,. The government of Uzbekistan is accused of unlawful termination of human life, denying its citizens freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. In addition, some Uzbek officials claim that "an information war on Uzbekistan has been declared" and the human rights violations in Andijan are invented by the enemies of Uzbekistan as a convenient pretext for intervention into the country's internal affairs .
Geography
Uzbekistan is approximately the size of Morocco or California and has an area of 447,400 square kilometers (172,700 sq mi).
Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 kilometers (885 mi) from west to east and 930 kilometers (578 mi) from north to south. Bordering Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea to the north, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east, Uzbekistan is not only one of the larger Central Asian states but also the only Central Asian state to border all of the other four.
Uzbekistan is a dry, double-landlocked country of which 10% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. It is one of two double-landlocked countries in the world - the other being Liechtenstein, although in the case of Uzbekistan this is less clear, since it has borders with two countries (Kazakhstan in the north and Turkmenistan in the south) bordering the landlocked but non-freshwater Caspian Sea from which ships can reach the Sea of Azov and thus the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the oceans.
The highest point in Uzbekistan is Adelunga Toghi at 4,301 meters (14,111 ft).
See also: List of cities in Uzbekistan
Administrative divisions
Uzbekistan is divided into 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat, [viloyati] in compound, e.g.
| Division | Capital City |
Area (km²) |
Population | Key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andijon Viloyati | Andijon | 4,200 | 1,899,000 | 2 |
| Buxoro Viloyati | Buxoro (Bukhara) | 39,400 | 1,384,700 | 3 |
| Farg'ona Viloyati | Farg'ona (Fergana) | 6,800 | 2,597,000 | 4 |
| Jizzax Viloyati | Jizzax | 20,500 | 910,500 | 5 |
| Xorazm Viloyati | Urganch | 6,300 | 1,200,000 | 13 |
| Namangan Viloyati | Namangan | 7,900 | 1,862,000 | 6 |
| Navoiy Viloyati | Navoiy | 110,800 | 767,500 | 7 |
| Qashqadaryo Viloyati | Qarshi | 28,400 | 2,029,000 | 8 |
| Qaraqalpaqstan Respublikasi | Nukus | 1,400,000 | 167,000 | 14 |
| Samarqand Viloyati | Samarqand | 16,400 | 2,322,000 | 9 |
| Sirdaryo Viloyati | Guliston | 5,100 | 648,100 | 10 |
| Surxondaryo Viloyati | Termez | 20,800 | 1,676,000 | 11 |
| Toshkent Viloyati | Toshkent (Tashkent) | 15,300 | 4,450,000 | 12 |
| Toshkent Shahri | Toshkent (Tashkent) | ??? | ??? | 1 |
The statistics for Toshkent Viloyati also include the statistics for Toshkent Shahri.
Enclaves and exclaves
There are four Uzbek Exclaves, all of them surrounded by Kyrgyz territory in the Fergana valley region where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet.
Uzbekistan has a Tajikistan enclave, the village of Sarvan, which includes a narrow, long strip of land about 15 km (9 mi) long by 1 km (0.6 mi) wide, alongside the road from Angren to Kokand.
Economy
Uzbekistan is a country with a GNI per capita of US$460 and PPP equivalent of US$1860 .
The government of Uzbekistan restricts imports in many ways, including high import duties.
Demographics
Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country.
Uzbekistan is predominantly Uzbek in ethnic composition. However, some sources put the percentage of Tajik population of Uzbekistan at approximately 42% (11-14 million people) .
According to government figures about 817,000 disabled people were registered in Uzbekistan in 2003.
Uzbekistan enjoys 99.3% literacy rate (among adults older than 15) which, in part, is attributable to the free and universal high-quality education system of the Soviet Union.
Communications
According to the official source report, by the end of 2004, there were 544.1 thousand users of cellular phones in Uzbekistan (an increase of 168% since the beginning of the year).
Military
Uzbekistan possesses the largest military force in the Central Asian region, having around 65,000 people in uniform. The government has accepted the arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union, acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (as a non-nuclear state), and supported an active program by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in western Uzbekistan (Nukus and Vozrozhdeniye Island). The Government of Uzbekistan spends about 3.7% of GDP on the military but has received a growing infusion of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and other security assistance funds since 1998. Uzbekistan approved the U.S. Central Command's request for access to a vital military air base, Karshi-Khanabad Airbase, in southern Uzbekistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. After the Andijan riot and subsequent U.S. reaction, Uzbekistan demanded that the U.S. withdraw from the airbases.
Foreign relations
Uzbekistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991.
Previously close to Washington (which gave Uzbekistan half a billion dollars in aid in 2004, about a quarter of it military), the government of Uzbekistan has restricted American military use of the airbase at Karshi-Khanabad which is used for air operations in neighboring Afghanistan. See AP article
Uzbekistan was an active supporter of U.S. efforts against worldwide terrorism and joined the coalitions that have dealt with both Afghanistan and Iraq. When the U.S. joined in a call for an independent international investigation of the bloody events at Andijon, the relationship took an additional nosedive and President Islam Karimov changed the political alignment of the country closer to Russia and China, countries which chose not to criticize Uzbekistan's leaders for the alleged human rights violations.
In late July, 2005, the government of Uzbekistan ordered the United States to vacate an air base in Karshi-Kanabad (near the Uzbek border with Afghanistan) within 180 days.
In September the UNESCO presented Islam Karimov an award for Uzbekistan's preservation of its rich culture and traditions.
The month of October 2006 tends to decrease the isolation of Uzbekistan from the West. Nevertheless, it is highly assumed among the Uzbek population that the Uzbek government will stand firm in maintaining its close ties with the Russian Federation and in its critique that the 2004-2005 protests in Uzbekistan were promoted by the USA and UK.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Uzbekistan
Music of Uzbekistan Kurash Islam in Uzbekistan Scout Association of Uzbekistan Uzbekistan at the 2006 Winter Olympics
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