Uzbekistan

• mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes;
• broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Sirdaryo, and Zarafshon;
• Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan;
• shrinking Aral Sea in west

• 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 salinization;
• soil contamination from agricultural chemicals, including DDT

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

38% (male 4,591,140; female 4,451,246)

15-64 years:

57% (male 6,755,371; female 6,874,483)

65 years and over:

5% (male 435,036; female 677,045) (July 1998 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

noun:

Uzbekistani(s)

adjective:

Uzbekistani

conventional long form:

Republic of Uzbekistan

conventional short form:

Uzbekistan

local long form:

Uzbekiston Respublikasi

local short form:

none

former:

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

• 12 wiloyatlar (singular-wiloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublikasi), and 1 city** (shahri);
• Andijon Wiloyati, Bukhoro Wiloyati, Jizzakh Wiloyati, Farghona Wiloyati, Qoraqalpoghiston* (Nukus), Qashqadaryo Wiloyati (Qarshi), Khorazm Wiloyati (Urganch), Namangan Wiloyati, Nawoiy Wiloyati, Samarqand Wiloyati, Sirdaryo Wiloyati (Guliston), Surkhondaryo Wiloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Wiloyati

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

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 Otkir SULTONOV (since 21 December 1995);
• First Deputy Prime Minister Ismoil JURABEKOV (since NA 1991);
• Deputy Prime Ministers Viktor CHZHEN (since NA 1994), Bakhtiyor HAMIDOV (since NA 1992), Kayim HAKKULOV (since NA 1991), Dilbar GHOLOMOVA (since NA 1995), Alisher AZIZKHOJAYEV (since NA 1996), Mirabror USMONOV (since NA 1995), Rustam YUNUSOV (since NA 1994)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• election last held 29 December 1991 (next to be held NA January 2000; note-extension of President KARIMOV's term for an additional four years overwhelmingly approved - 99.6% of total vote in favor-by national referendum held 26 March 1995);
• prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results:

Islom KARIMOV elected president; percent of vote-Islom KARIMOV 86%, Muhammed SOLIH 12%, other 2%

• People's Democratic Party or HDP (formerly Communist Party) [Abdulkhafiz JALOLOV, first secretary];
• Fatherland Progress Party (Vatan Tarakiyoti) or VTP [Anwar YULDASHEV, chairman];
• Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Turgunpulat DAMINOV, first secretary];
• Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Ibrahim GAFUROV, chairman]

• Birlik (Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim PULATOV, chairman];
• Islamic Rebirth Party or IRP [Abdullah UTAYEV, chairman], note-is banned;
• Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhamd SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992

note: all of the above groups are illegal; UTAYEV disappeared in 1992 and probably was detained by the government, but his whereabouts is unknown

chief of mission:

Ambassador Sadyk SAFAYEV

chancery:

1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 887-5300, 293-6801 through 6803

chief of mission:

Ambassador Joseph A. PRESEL (since November 1997)

embassy:

82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115

mailing address:

use embassy street address; Embassy Tashkent, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7110

telephone:

[7] (3712) 77-14-07, 77-10-81, 77-69-86, 77-11-32, 77-12-62

total:

8.6 million (1996 est.)

by occupation:

agriculture and forestry 44%, industry and construction 20%, other 36% (1995)

revenues:

$NA

expenditures:

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

total value:

$3.8 billion (1996)

commodities:

cotton, gold, natural gas, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, autos

partners:

Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Western Europe

total value:

$4.7 billion (1996)

commodities:

grain, machinery and parts, consumer durables, other foods

partners:

principally other FSU, Czech Republic, Western Europe

• introduced provisional som-coupons 10 November 1993 which circulated parallel to the Russian rubles;
• became the sole legal currency 31 January 1994;
• was replaced in July 1994 by the som currency

total:

3,380 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines

broad gauge:

3,380 km 1.520-m gauge (300 km electrified) (1993)

total:

81,600 km

paved:

71,237 km (note-these roads are said to be hard surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced)

unpaved:

10,363 km dirt (1996 est.)

total:

3

over 3,047 m:

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)

• limited illicit cultivator of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption;
• limited 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 VANUATU