Republic of Uzbekistan

National name: Ozbekiston Respublikasi

President: Islam A. Karimov (1990)

Prime Minister: Shavkat Mirziyayev (2003)

Land area: 164,247 sq mi (425,400 sq km); total area: 172,741 sq mi (447,400 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 27,307,134 (growth rate: 1.7%); birth rate: 26.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 70.0/1000; life expectancy: 64.6; density per sq mi: 158

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Tashkent, 3,457,500 (metro. area), 2,155,400 (city proper)

Other large cities: Samarkand, 374,900; Andijon, 354,500

Monetary unit: Uzbekistani sum

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

Ethnicity/race: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazak 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Religions: Islam (mostly Sunnis) 88%, Eastern Orthodox 9%

Literacy rate: 99% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $53.01 billion; per capita $2,000. Real growth rate: 7.2 %. Inflation: 8.8%. Unemployment: 0.7% officially, plus another 20% underemployed. Arable land: 11%. Agriculture: cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock. Labor force: 14.26 million; agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995). Industries: textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold petroleum, natural gas, chemicals. Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum. Exports: $5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998). Imports: $3.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998). Major trading partners: Russia, China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, South Korea, U.S., Germany, Ukraine (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 1.98 million (1999); mobile cellular: 130,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998). Radios: 10.2 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus two repeater stations that relay Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tadzhik programs) (1997). Televisions: 6.4 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 42 (2000). Internet users: 100,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 3,950 km (2002 Highways: total: 81,600 km; paved: 71,237 km; unpaved: 10,363 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 1,100 (1990). Ports and harbors: Termiz (Amu Darya river). Airports: 273 (2002).

International disputes: prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; serious disputes with Kyrgyzstan around Uzbek enclaves mar progress on delimitation efforts; talks have begun with Tajikistan to determine and delimit border.


 

Go to Country details page