Worldview

Uzbekistan

All data from the 2001 CIA World Factbook. Total Area: 447,400 sq km (slightly larger than California) Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum
	In this 2001 map, Uzbekistan is in a lighter color. Click on the map for a larger version of the image.

Current environmental issues: Drying up 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 agricultural chemicals, including DDT

Population: 25,155,064 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.32%, 15-64 years: 59.06%, 65 years and over: 4.62%

Infant mortality rate: 71.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 63.81 years

Nationality: Noun: Uzbekistani(s), adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Languages: Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Literacy: 99% (definition: age 15 and over can read and write)

Government type: Republic; effectively authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch

Capital: Tashkent (Toshkent)

Independence: September 1, 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Legal system: Evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Per capita GDP: $2,400 (2000 est.; derived from purchasing power parity calculations)

Population below poverty line: NA

Labor force, by occupation: Agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995)

Industries: Textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas, chemicals

Agriculture products: Cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Exports - commodities: Cotton, gold, natural gas, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles

Pipelines: Crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 810 km (1992)

Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard

International disputes: Occasional target of Islamic insurgents based in Tajikistan and Afghanistan

Illicit drugs: Limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and very small amounts of opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption, almost entirely eradicated by an effective government eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Afghanistan to Russia and Western Europe and for acetic anhydride destined for Afghanistan