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Background:
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Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff
resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually
suppressed and a socialist republic set up 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 poisoned
and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent
since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its
dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and
petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by
Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of
human rights and democratization.
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Location:
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Central Asia,
north of Afghanistan |
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Geographic coordinates:
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41 00 N, 64 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
447,400 sq km
water: 22,000 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger
than California |
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Land boundaries:
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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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Coastline:
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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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Climate:
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mostly
midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid
grassland in east |
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Terrain:
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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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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural gas,
petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc,
tungsten, molybdenum |
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Land use:
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arable land:
10.8%
permanent crops: 0.91%
other: 88.29% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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42,810 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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shrinkage of the
Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical
pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown
from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to
desertification; 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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Environment - international agreements:
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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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Geography - note:
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along with
Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries
in the world |
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Population:
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26,410,416 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
34.1% (male 4,583,228; female 4,418,003)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 7,990,233; female 8,157,136)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 513,434; female 748,382)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
22.1 years
male: 21.4 years
female: 22.7 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.65% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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26.12
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.95 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.72 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
71.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 75.03 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 64.09 years
male: 60.67 years
female: 67.69 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than 740
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Uzbekistani
adjective: Uzbekistani |
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Ethnic groups:
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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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Religions:
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Muslim 88%
(mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% |
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Languages:
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Uzbek 74.3%,
Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% |
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Literacy:
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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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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
conventional short form: Uzbekistan
local short form: Ozbekiston
former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi |
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Government type:
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republic;
authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the
executive branch |
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Capital:
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Tashkent (Toshkent) |
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Administrative divisions:
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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), Qaraqalpog'iston Respublikasi*
(Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston),
Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent
Viloyati, 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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Independence:
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1 September 1991
(from Soviet Union) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
1 September (1991) |
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Constitution:
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new constitution
adopted 8 December 1992 |
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Legal system:
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evolution of
Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when
he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet)
head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV
(since 11 December 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the
president with approval of the Supreme Assembly
election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president;
percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV
4.2%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
seven-year term (previously was a five-year term, extended by
constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 9
January 2000 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime
minister and deputy ministers appointed by the president |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis (250 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - 2002 amendment
to the constitution creates a second chamber to be established
via elections in December 2004
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NDP 48, Self-Sacrificers Party 34, Fatherland
Progress Party 20, Adolat Social Democratic Party 11, MTP 10,
citizens' groups 16, local government 110, vacant 1
note: not all seats in the last Supreme Assembly
election were contested; all parties in the Supreme Assembly
support President KARIMOV
elections: last held 5 December and 19 December 1999
(next to be held NA December 2004) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
(judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the
Supreme Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Adolat (Justice)
Social Democratic Party [Anwar JURABAYEV, first secretary];
Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Aziz
KAYUMOV, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan [Kobijon
TOSHMATOV]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly
Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV, first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers
Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV,
first secretary]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with
Self-Sacrificers Party |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Agrarian and
Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity) Movement
[Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party
[Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Ezgulik
[Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA];
Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman];
Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Abduhoshim
GHAFUROV, chairman]; Mazlum [Oygul MAMATOVA] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV
FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: [1] (202) 293-6803
chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20036 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL
embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450
FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335 |
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Economy - overview:
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Uzbekistan is a
dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely
cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its
population lives in densely populated rural communities.
Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter,
a large producer of gold and oil, and a regionally significant
producer of chemicals and machinery. Following independence in
December 1991, the government sought to prop up its
Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls
on production and prices. Uzbekistan responded to the negative
external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian
financial crises by emphasizing import substitute
industrialization and by tightening export and currency
controls within its already largely closed economy. The
government, while aware of the need to improve the investment
climate, sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease,
the government's control over business decisions. A sharp
increase in the inequality of income distribution has hurt the
lower ranks of society since independence. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $44.11 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.4% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
36%
industry: 21%
services: 43% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% (2001 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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21.9% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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11.9 million
(1998 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 44%,
industry 20%, services 36% (1995) |
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Unemployment rate:
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10% plus another
20% underemployed (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$2.42 billion
expenditures: $2.45 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) |
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Industries:
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textiles, food
processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas,
chemicals |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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6.2% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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44.49 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
88.2%
hydro: 11.8%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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47.07 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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142,700 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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142,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
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63.1 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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45.2 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton,
vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock |
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Exports:
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$2.83 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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cotton 41.5%,
gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous
metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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Russia 19.9%,
Italy 8.6%, Tajikistan 7.7%, South Korea 5.6%, Kazakhstan
5.1%, US 4.7%, Turkey 4.4%, Japan 4.3% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$2.31 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998
est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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Russia 24%,
Germany 10.8%, South Korea 10%, US 7.3%, China 5.5%,
Kazakhstan 5.3%, Turkey 4.9% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.7 billion
(2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$87.4 million
from the US (2003) |
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Currency:
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Uzbekistani sum (UZS) |
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Currency code:
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UZS |
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Exchange rates:
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Uzbekistani sums
per US dollar - 115.9 (2003), 125.3 (2002), NA (2001), 236.61
(2000), 124.63 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,681,100 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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186,900 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of
modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being
expanded and technologically improved, particularly in
Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with
prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by
1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation -
four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication),
one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and
one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)
international: country code - 998; linked by landline
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 will be
independent of Russian facilities for international
communications; Inmarsat also provides an international
connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations
- NA (1998) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 20, FM 7,
shortwave 10 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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4 (plus two
repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster
in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals
(2003) |
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Internet country code:
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.uz |
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Internet hosts:
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281 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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275,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,950 km
broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km
electrified) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
81,600 km
paved: 71,237 km
unpaved: 10,363 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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1,100 km (1990) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 9,012 km; oil
869 km; refined products 33 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Termiz (Amu Darya) |
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Airports:
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247 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 33
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 214
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 200 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army, Air and Air
Defense Forces, National Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 7,126,325 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 5,783,740 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
321,886 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$200 million
(FY97) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2% (FY97) |
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Disputes - international:
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prolonged drought
and cotton monoculture creates water-sharing difficulties for
Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete
with demarcation underway; delimitation is underway with
Kyrgyzstan but serious disputes around enclaves and elsewhere
continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border; talks
continue with Tajikistan to determine and delimit border |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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