Islamic countries

Islamic countries

REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
UZBEKISTON RESPUBLIKASI

General Information

Total Land Area:	414,240 km²
Land boundaries:	6,221 km
Coastline:	0 km (Landlocked)
Capital:	Tashkent
Other Large Cities:	Samarkand, Namangan, Andizhan
Official Language:	Uzbek
National Currency Unit:	Uzbekistani Sum (UZS)
National Day:	September 1

Location and Geography

Uzbekistan lies at the heart of Asia, between the Amu Derya and Syr Derya Rivers. It is bordered by Afghanistan in the South, Turkmenistan in the West, Kazakhstan in the North, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in the East. Uzbekistan’s central region consists mostly of a desert broken by the oases of the Zarafshan and Sukhandarye rivers. Irrigation along the Zarafshan and other rivers provides a strong basis for agriculture. The terrain is made up of flat to rolling sandy desert with dunes. Central Uzbekistan is home to the mining centre of Navoi and contains the majority of the country’s gold reserves. Uzbekistan has a severe continental climate, dry and hot in summer and cool and wet in winter. The eastern part of the country is mostly mid-latitude desert and semiarid grassland.

Demography

Population:	25.60 million (2002)
Crude Birth Rate:	20 per thousand people (2002)
Crude Death Rate:	6 per thousand people (2002)
Infant Mortality Rate:	55 per thousand (2002)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 64 years, Female: 70 years (2002)
Urban Population:	37.0 percent (2002)
Adult Literacy:	99.20 percent (2001)

Economy

The Uzbek economy is based on agriculture and agro-processing industry. The country is the world’s fourth largest producer of cotton, and one of the largest producers and exporters of fruits and vegetables in Central Asia. Most of the industrial production is agriculture-related, including the production of cotton-harvesting equipment, textiles, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Uzbekistan has also mineral reserves, especially a considerable amount of gold. Other natural resources such as uranium, silver, copper, lead, zinc, wolfram and tungsten are also available. The country is rich in energy resources and is developing a major net-export capability in the sector. Being the world’s tenth largest producer, it possesses substantial hydrocarbon resources, particularly natural gas.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	9707 million US$ (2002)
Per Capita GDP:	379 US$ (2002)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	24.6% Agriculture, 21.6% Industry, 53.8% Services, (2002)
Total Exports:	1757 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	2203 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Cotton, gold, natural gas, mineral fertilisers, ferrous metal, textiles, food products, and automobiles
Major Imports Items:	Grains, machinery and equipment, durable consumer products
Major Trading Partners:	Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine