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Central Asia :: Uzbekistan
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Russia conquered the territory 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 overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on the cotton monoculture by diversifying agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves and increasing its manufacturing base. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.
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Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan
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41 00 N, 64 00 E
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Area:
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total: 447,400 sq km
country comparison to the world: 57
land:
425,400 sq km
water:
22,000 sq km
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slightly larger than California
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total: 6,221 km
border countries:
Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km
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0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline
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none (doubly landlocked)
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mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
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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
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lowest point: Sariqamish Kuli -12 m
highest point:
Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m
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natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum
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arable land: 9.61%
permanent crops:
0.8%
other:
89.58% (2011)
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41,980 sq km (2005)
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48.87 cu km (2011)
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total: 56 cu km/yr (7%/3%/90%)
per capita:
2,113 cu m/yr (2005)
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NA
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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
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world
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noun: Uzbekistani
adjective:
Uzbekistani
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Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)
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Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
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Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
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28,661,637 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
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0-14 years: 25.3% (male 3,718,802/female 3,539,436)
15-24 years:
21.1% (male 3,062,438/female 2,990,299)
25-54 years:
42.5% (male 6,043,922/female 6,128,173)
55-64 years:
6.4% (male 861,590/female 965,635)
65 years and over:
4.7% (male 576,908/female 774,434) (2013 est.)
population pyramid:
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total: 26.6 years
male:
26.1 years
female:
27.2 years (2013 est.)
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0.94% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
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17.2 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
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5.29 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
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-2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
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urban population: 36.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization:
1.27% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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TASHKENT (capital) 2.201 million (2009)
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years:
1.02 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 (2013 est.)
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23.8 (2006 est.)
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28 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 126
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total: 20.51 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 91
male:
24.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
16.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
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total population: 73.03 years
country comparison to the world: 125
male:
70 years
female:
76.25 years (2013 est.)
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1.83 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
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64.9% (2006)
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5.3% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 127
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2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2007)
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4.6 beds/1,000 population (2009)
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improved:
urban: 98% of population
rural: 81% of population
total: 87% of population
unimproved:
urban: 2% of population
rural: 19% of population
total: 13% of population (2010 est.)
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improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population (2010 est.)
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0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
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28,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
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fewer than 500 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
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15.1% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 119
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4.4% (2006)
country comparison to the world: 95
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NA
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99.3%
male:
99.6%
female:
99% (2003 est.)
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total: 12 years
male:
12 years
female:
11 years (2011)
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conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
conventional short form:
Uzbekistan
local long form:
Ozbekiston Respublikasi
local short form:
Ozbekiston
former:
Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
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republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
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name: Tashkent (Toshkent)
geographic coordinates:
41 19 N, 69 15 E
time difference:
UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan Republic]* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, 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)
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1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
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Independence Day, 1 September (1991)
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adopted 8 December 1992; amended in 2002 and 2011
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civil law system
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has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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18 years of age; universal
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chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet; elected president of independent Uzbekistan in 1991)
head of government:
Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (since 11 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam AZIMOV (since 2 January 2008)
cabinet:
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of both chambers of the Supreme Assembly (Oliy Majlis)
(For more information visit the World Leaders website  )
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term; previously was a five-year term, extended by a 2002 constitutional amendment to seven years and changed back to five years in 2011); election last held on 23 December 2007 (next to be held in early 2015); prime minister, ministers, and deputy ministers appointed by the president
election results:
Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 88.1%, Asliddin RUSTAMOV 3.2%, Dilorom TOSHMUHAMEDOVA 2.9%, Akmal SAIDOV 2.6%, other 3.2%
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bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an upper house or Senate (100 seats; 84 members elected by regional governing councils and 16 appointed by the president; members to serve five-year terms) and a lower house or Legislative Chamber (Qonunchilik Palatasi) (150 seats; 135 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, while 15 spots reserved for the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan)
elections:
last held on 27 December 2009 and 10 January 2010 (next to be held in December 2014)
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 53, NDP 32, National Rebirth Party 31, Adolat 19
note:
all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President Islom KARIMOV
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highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 34 judges organized in civil, criminal, and military sections); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges); Higher Economic Court (consists of 19 judges)
judge selection and term of office:
judges of the 3 highest courts nominated by the president and confirmed by the Oliy Majlis; judges appointed for 5-year terms subject to reappointment
subordinate courts:
regional, district, city, and town courts
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Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Ekologik Harakati) [Boriy ALIXONOV]
Justice (Adolat) Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan [Ismoil SAIFNAZAROV]
Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Liberal-Demokratik Partiyasi) or LDPU [Muhamadyusuf TESHABOYEV]
National Rebirth Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Milliy Tiklanish) [Akhtam TURSUNOV]
People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Xalq Demokratik Partiyas) or NDP [Lativ GULYAMOV] (formerly Communist Party)
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there are no significant opposition political parties or pressure groups operating in Uzbekistan
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ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), 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)
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chief of mission: Ambassador Ilhomjon NEMATOV
chancery:
1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
[1] (202) 887-5300
FAX:
[1] (202) 293-6804
consulate(s) general:
New York
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chief of mission: Ambassador George KROL
embassy:
3 Moyqo'rq'on, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent 100093
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[998] (71) 120-5450
FAX:
[998] (71) 120-6335
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three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon (closed side to the hoist) and 12 white 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
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khumo (mythical bird)
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name: "O'zbekiston Respublikasining Davlat Madhiyasi" (National Anthem of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
lyrics/music:
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
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Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country; 11% of the land is intensely cultivated, in irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of the population lives in densely populated rural communities. Export of hydrocarbons, primarily natural gas, provided 18.5% of foreign exchange earnings in 2011 and 35.1% in the first nine months of 2012. Other major export earners include gold and cotton. Despite ongoing efforts to diversify crops, Uzbekistani agriculture remains largely centered around cotton production, although production has dropped by 35% since 1991. Uzbekistan is now the world's fifth largest cotton exporter and sixth largest producer; Uzbekistan is aggressively addressing international criticism for the use of child labor in its cotton harvest. Following independence in September 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. While aware of the need to improve the investment climate, the government still sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, its 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 Article VIII obligations under the IMF, providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also led to some shortages that have further stifled economic activity. The Central Bank often delays or restricts convertibility, especially for consumer goods. According to official statistics, Uzbekistan has posted GDP growth of over 8% per year for several years, driven primarily by state-led investments and a favorable export environment. Growth may slip in 2013 as a result of lower export prices due to the continuing European recession. In the past Uzbekistani authorities have accused US and other foreign companies operating in Uzbekistan of violating Uzbekistani tax laws and have frozen their assets, with several new expropriations in 2012. At the same time, the Uzbekistani Government has actively courted several major US and international corporations, offering attractive financing and tax advantages, and has landed a significant US investment in the automotive industry, including the opening of a powertrain manufacturing facility in Tashkent in November, 2011. Uzbekistan has seen few effects from the global economic downturn, primarily due to its relative isolation from the global financial markets.
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$106.4 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$98.54 billion (2011 est.)
$90.98 billion (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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$51.17 billion (2012 est.)
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8.2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
8.3% (2011 est.)
8.5% (2010 est.)
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$3,600 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$3,400 (2011 est.)
$3,200 (2010 est.)
note:
data are in 2012 US dollars
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agriculture: 18.5%
industry:
36.4%
services:
45.1% (2012 est.)
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16.74 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
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agriculture: 25.9%
industry:
13.2%
services:
60.9% (2012 est.)
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4.8% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
5% (2011 est.)
note:
officially measured by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed
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17% (2011 est.)
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lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%:
29.6% (2003)
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36.8 (2003)
country comparison to the world: 79
44.7 (1998)
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revenues: $17.08 billion
expenditures:
$16.86 billion (2012 est.)
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33.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
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0.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
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8.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
9.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
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12.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
12.8% (2011 est.)
note:
official data; based on independent analysis of consumer prices, inflation reached 22% in 2012
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$5.841 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
$5.087 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$8.31 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
$7.197 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
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$7.064 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
$6.523 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$NA (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 109
$715.3 million (31 December 2006)
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cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock
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textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, chemicals
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7.7% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
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$3.284 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
$4.52 billion (2011 est.)
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$16.65 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
$15.03 billion (2011 est.)
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energy products, cotton, gold, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and nonferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
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China 18.5%, Kazakhstan 14.6%, Turkey 13.8%, Russia 12.8%, Ukraine 12.5%, Bangladesh 8.9% (2012)
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$15.53 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
$10.5 billion (2011 est.)
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machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous and nonferrous metals
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Russia 20.6%, China 16.5%, South Korea 16.3%, Kazakhstan 12.8%, Germany 4.6%, Turkey 4.2% (2012)
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$16 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
$15 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$8.072 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
$8.382 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
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$NA
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$NA
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Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar -
1,891.1 (2012 est.)
1,715.8 (2011 est.)
1,587.2 (2010 est.)
1,466.7 (2009)
1,317 (2008)
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calendar year
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52.53 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
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42.9 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
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11.66 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
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11.58 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
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12.4 million kW (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
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85.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
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14.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
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0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
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104,400 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
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0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
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5,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
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594 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
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90,690 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
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137,100 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
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5,488 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
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0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
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62.9 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
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46.8 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
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13.4 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
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0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
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1.841 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
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114.3 million Mt (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
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1.928 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 59
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25.442 million (2011)
country comparison to the world: 40
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general assessment: digital exchanges in large cities and in rural areas
domestic:
the state-owned telecommunications company, Uzbektelecom, owner of the fixed line telecommunications system, has used loans from the Japanese government and the China Development Bank to upgrade fixed-line services including conversion to digital exchanges; mobile-cellular services are growing rapidly, with the subscriber base reaching 25 million in 2011
international:
country code - 998; linked by fiber-optic cable 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 plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Afghanistan (2009)
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government controls media; 11 state-owned broadcasters - 7 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; about 15 privately owned radio broadcasters are affiliated with the National Association of Electronic Mass Media of Uzbekistan, a government sponsored NGO for private broadcast media
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.uz
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56,075 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 94
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4.689 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 50
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53 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 87
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total: 33
over 3,047 m:
6
2,438 to 3,047 m:
13
1,524 to 2,437 m:
6
914 to 1,523 m:
4
under 914 m:
4 (2012)
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total: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m:
2
under 914 m:
18 (2012)
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gas 10,401 km; oil 944 km (2013)
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total: 3,645 km
country comparison to the world: 47
broad gauge:
3,645 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2008)
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total: 86,496 km
country comparison to the world: 52
paved:
75,511 km
unpaved:
10,985 km (2000)
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1,100 km (2012)
country comparison to the world: 63
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Termiz (Amu Darya)
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Army, Air and Air Defense Forces (2013)
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18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year conscript service obligation; moving toward a professional military, but conscription will continue; the military cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to enlist, and competition for entrance into the military is similar to the competition for admission to universities (2012)
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males age 16-49: 7,887,292
females age 16-49:
7,886,459 (2010 est.)
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males age 16-49: 6,566,118
females age 16-49:
6,745,818 (2010 est.)
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male: 306,404
female:
295,456 (2010 est.)
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3.5% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 34
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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
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IDPs: undetermined (government forcibly relocated an estimated 3,400 people from villages near the Tajikistan border in 2000-2001; no new data is available) (2012)
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current situation: Uzbekistan is a source country for women and girls trafficked to Kazakhstan, Russia, the Middle East, and Asia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are trafficked to Kazakhstan and Russia for purposes of forced labor in the construction, cotton, and tobacco industries; men and women are also trafficked internally for the purposes of domestic servitude, forced labor in the agricultural and construction industries, and for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - Uzbekistan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its negligible progress in ending forced labor, including forced child labor, in the annual cotton harvest, and did not make efforts to investigate or prosecute government officials suspected to be complicit in forced labor; the government did not conduct any awareness campaigns regarding forced labor in the annual cotton harvest or other internal trafficking, but did continue its previous awareness campaigns about the dangers of transnational trafficking (2008)
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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
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