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 upon the dissolution of the USSR, the country has gradually lessened its dependence on the cotton monoculture by diversifying agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islom KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in August 2016. The political transition to his successor, then-Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV was peaceful, but sidelined the constitutional process where the chairman of the Senate would have served as the acting president. MIRZIYOYEV, who won the presidential election in December 2016, has sought to improve relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and proposed wide-ranging economic and judicial reforms.

Central Asia, north of Turkmenistan, south of Kazakhstan

41 00 N, 64 00 E

Asia

about four times the size of Virginia; slightly larger than California

0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

none (doubly landlocked)

mostly mid-latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

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

highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

arable land 10.1%; permanent crops 0.8%; permanent pasture 51.7%

42,150 sq km (2012)

most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

NA

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

along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world

29,473,614 (July 2016 est.)

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

Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

0.93% (2016 est.)

16.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

most of the population is concentrated in the fertile Fergana Valley in the easternmost arm of the country; the south has significant clusters of people, while the central and western deserts are sparsely populated

TASHKENT (capital) 2.251 million (2015)

23.4 (2013 est.)

36 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.78 children born/woman (2016 est.)

64.9% (2006)

5.8% of GDP (2014)

2.53 physicians/1,000 population (2013)

4.4 beds/1,000 population (2010)

urban: 98.5% of population

rural: 80.9% of population

total: 87.3% of population

urban: 1.5% of population

rural: 19.1% of population

total: 12.7% of population (2012 est.)

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

0.15% (2015 est.)

32,700 (2015 est.)

2,600 (2015 est.)

14.3% (2014)

4.4% (2006)

NA

presidential republic; highly authoritarian

12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonom respublikasi), 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)

1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

several previous; latest adopted 8 December 1992; amended several times, last in 2014 (2016)

civil law system

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Ekologik Harakati) [Boriy ALIKHANOV]

Justice (Adolat) Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan [Narimon UMAROV]

Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Liberal-Demokratik Partiyasi) or LDPU [Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV]

National Revival Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O'zbekiston Milliy Tiklanish Demokratik Partiyasi) [Sarvar OTAMURATOV]

People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Xalq Demokratik Partiyas) or NDP [Hotamjon KETMONOV] (formerly Communist Party)

no significant opposition political parties or pressure groups in Uzbekistan

ADB, CICA, CIS, CSTO, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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

khumo (mythical bird); national colors: blue, white, red, green

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country with more than 60% of the population living in densely populated rural communities. Since its independence in September 1991, the government maintained its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Despite ongoing efforts to diversify crops, Uzbekistani agriculture remains largely centered on cotton; Uzbekistan is the world's fifth largest cotton exporter and sixth largest producer. Uzbekistan's growth has been driven primarily by state-led investments, and export of natural gas, gold, and cotton provides a significant share of foreign exchange earnings. In 2015, Russia’s Gazprom announced it would reduce its natural gas imports from Uzbekistan but Tashkent continues to export natural gas to China and Chinese investments in the country have substantially increased.

While aware of the need to improve the investment climate, the government continues to intervene in the business sector and has not addressed the impediments to foreign investment in the country. In the past, Uzbekistani authorities have accused US and other foreign companies operating in Uzbekistan of violating Uzbekistani laws and have frozen and seized their assets. At the same time, the Uzbekistani Government has actively courted several major US and international corporations, offering financing and tax advantages.

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. Recently, lower global commodity prices and economic slowdown in neighboring Russia and China have been hurting Uzbekistan's trade and investment and worsening its problem of currency shortage.

$187.9 billion (2015 est.)

$174 billion (2014 est.)

$161 billion (2013 est.)

$65.68 billion (2015 est.)

8% (2015 est.)

8.1% (2014 est.)

8% (2013 est.)

$6,100 (2015 est.)

$5,700 (2014 est.)

$5,300 (2013 est.)

27.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

28.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

27.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, mining, hydrocarbon extraction, chemicals

4% (2015 est.)

17.54 million (2015 est.)

5% (2015 est.)

4.9% (2014 est.)

17% (2011 est.)

36.8 (2003)

44.7 (1998)

32.2% of GDP (2015 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

8.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

7.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

10% (2015 est.)

11% (2014 est.)

12.44% (31 December 2013 est.)

11.2% (31 December 2012 est.)

$7.162 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$7.272 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$16.56 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$15.59 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$11.78 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$12.32 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA (31 December 2012)

$715.3 million (31 December 2006)

-$7 million (2015 est.)

$454 million (2014 est.)

$11.35 billion (2015 est.)

$12.9 billion (2014 est.)

energy products, cotton, gold, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and nonferrous metals, textiles, foodstuffs, machinery, automobiles

Switzerland 25.8%, China 17.6%, Kazakhstan 14.2%, Turkey 9.9%, Russia 8.4%, Bangladesh 6.9% (2015)

$11.81 billion (2015 est.)

$14.74 billion (2014 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous and nonferrous metals

China 20.8%, Russia 20.8%, South Korea 12%, Kazakhstan 10.8%, Turkey 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2015)

$15 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$16.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$13.92 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$13.39 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

$NA

Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar -

2,569.6 (2015 est.)

2,311.4 (2014 est.)

2,311.4 (2013 est.)

1,890.1 (2012 est.)

1,715.8 (2011 est.)

53 billion kWh (2014 est.)

48 billion kWh (2014 est.)

13 billion kWh (2014 est.)

13 billion kWh (2014 est.)

13 million kW (2014 est.)

86.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

13.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

60,130 bbl/day (2015 est.)

27,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

360 bbl/day (2013 est.)

600 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)

67,900 bbl/day (2013 est.)

64,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

4,367 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

61.74 billion cu m (2014 est.)

47.04 billion cu m (2014 est.)

14.7 billion cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

1.841 trillion cu m (1 January 2016 es)

109 million Mt (2013 est.)

government controls media; 14 state-owned broadcasters - 10 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; in 2013, the government closed TV and radio broadcasters affiliated with the National Association of Electronic Mass Media of Uzbekistan, a government-sponsored NGO for private broadcast media

.uz

UK (2016)

53 (2013)

gas 10,401 km; oil 944 km (2013)

1,100 km (2012)

Armed Forces: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces (2016)

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-month or 1-year conscript service obligation for males; moving toward a professional military, but conscription in some form 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; note - widely considered to have one of the strongest militaries in Central Asia, although it is untested (2016)

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

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