Official Name
Republic of Uzbekistan
Capital Tashkent
Currencies Som
Language(s) Uzbek
Population 25.3 million
GNP per head (US$) 360
Area (square kilometres) 447400
Population per sq. km 57
Population per sq. mile 146


COUNTRY INFORMATION

Introduction

Sharing the Aral sea coastline with its northern neighbor, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan has common borders with five countries, including Afghanistan to the south. It is the most populous central Asian republic and has considerable natural resources. Uzbekistan contains the ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara (Bukhoro), Khiva, and Tashkent. The dictatorship of President Karimov has prevented the spread of Islamic fundamentalism.



Climate

Uzbekistan has a harsh continental climate. Summers can be extremely hot and dry. Large areas of the country are desert.



People
Languages Uzbek, Russian
URBAN/RURAL POPULATION DIVIDE
Urban 37
% Rural 63
%

Among the former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan has a relatively complex makeup. In addition to the Uzbeks, Russians, Tajiks, and Kazakhs, there are small minorities of Tatars and Karakalpaks. The proportion of Russians has been declining since the 1970s, when net emigration of Russians began. Tensions among ethnic groups have the potential to create regional and racial conflict. The authoritarian nature of the Karimov leadership has so far prevented these antagonisms from becoming violent. Incidents such as the 1989 and 1990 clashes between Meskhetian Turks and Uzbeks are rare. The removal of the dominance of the Communist Party has meant that Uzbek society has reverted to traditional social patterns based on family, religion, clan, and region, rather than on membership of the party. Independence has done little to alter the minor role of women in politics. Arranged marriages are still the custom in the countryside.



Economy
GNP (US$) 8843
M GNP World rank 89
 
Inflation 40 % Unemployment 10 %

Strengths

Gold. Well-developed cotton market. Considerable unexploited deposits of oil and natural gas. Current production of natural gas makes significant contribution to electricity generation. Manufacturing tradition includes agricultural machinery and central Asia's only aviation factory.

Weaknesses

Dependent on grain imports, as domestic production meets only 25% of needs. Very limited economic reform. High inflation. Environmentally damaging irrigation scheme for cotton production.

Profile

Uzbekistan's economy is predominantly agricultural with the exception of Tashkent, which became an industrial area during World War II. Pro-market reforms have been slow, despite fresh assistance from the World Bank to raise the efficiency of privatized companies. The gold sector has attracted investment by US companies. Energy resources are still to be fully exploited. The som was devalued by 50% in 2001.



Politics
Lower house Last election 1999 Next election 2004
Upper house Last election Not applicable Next election Not applicable

Uzbekistan is effectively run by a presidential dictatorship. A referendum in 2002 approved the creation of a second legislative chamber and lengthened the presidential term.

Profile

President Karimov's PDP has not been willing to devolve or share power. The 1992 constitution appeared to endorse multiparty politics, but Karimov took advantage of greater powers granted to his office by banning a number of opposition parties, including the nationalist Birlik (Unity) movement and the Islamic Renaissance Party. The only legal opposition party, Erk (Will), was proscribed in 1993, and in 1995, a group of its activists, found guilty of political subversion, received stiff prison sentences. Opposition is now entirely underground. The intimidation and arbitrary imprisonment of dissidents are common, and repression has increased since bomb attacks in Tashkent in 1999. Karimov has kept the support of the Russian minority by avoiding nationalist rhetoric.

Main Political Issues

Islamic fundamentalism

The civil war in Tajikistan and the rise of the taliban regime in Afghanistan raised fears about Islamic fundamentalism. The constitution stipulates the separation of Islam and the state. A joint operation with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan against the pan-regional Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) took place in 2000, as cross-border attacks increased. IMU leader Juma Namangani was reported killed alongside taliban fighters in northern Afghanistan in late 2001. A clampdown against the Hizb-ut Tahrir group continues.

Regionalism

The high birthrate puts pressure on limited agricultural resources. In the densely populated eastern Fergana Valley there has been a number of violent incidents.



International Affairs
 

Unlike neighboring Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, Uzbekistan has the resources to allow it to follow a relatively independent foreign policy. The Karimov leadership has used this to promote Uzbekistan as the leading central Asian state, a role for which it vies with Kazakhstan. It is a member of the Georgia–Ukraine–Uzbekistan–Azerbaijan–Moldova (GUUAM) group of ex-Soviet states, signifying a wish to maintain a certain distance in relations with Russia. However, it suspended its membership in 2002. It has border disputes with its immediate neighbors, in particular over the laying of land mines on its borders with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to prevent terrorist incursions.

Ties with the USA were strengthened when Uzbekistan played host to US forces during the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Relations with Turkey are also developing. While Western companies have difficulty in sealing contracts in Uzbekistan, Turkish companies have been commissioned to build vital installations such as telecommunications.



Defence
Expenditure (US$) 1481 M Portion of GDP 8 %
Army 350 main battle tanks (T-62, T-64, T-72)
Navy None
Airforce 135 combat aircraft (Su-17, Su-24, Su-25, Su-27, MiG-29)
Nuclear capab. None

Uzbekistan has a large standing army of over 60,000 personnel, mainly conscripts. This includes a 1000-strong National Guard. A military restructuring is under way, with a view to full professionalization of the armed forces.

A policy of mining the land borders with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to thwart incursions by Islamic militants has drawn international criticism.



Resources
Minerals Natural gas, coal, oil, gold, uranium, copper, tungsten, aluminum
Oil reserves (barrels) 600m barrels Oil production (barrels/day) 172,000 b/d

Uzbekistan has the world's largest gold mine, at Murantau in the Kyzyl Kum desert, and also large deposits of natural gas, petroleum, coal, and uranium. An important oil field was discovered in 1992 in the Namangan region and production will rise with further investment. Most gas produced is currently used domestically, but it could also become a strong export.

Cotton is the main focus of agriculture: Uzbekistan is the world's fourth-largest producer. A decision after independence to diversify was reversed when the value of cotton as a commodity on the world market became clear. Fruit, silk cocoons, and vegetables for Russian markets are also of rising importance.



Environment
Protected land 2 % Part protected land No data %
Environmental trends

The irrigation schemes required to sustain the cotton industry have wreaked considerable environmental damage. Soil salination is now a major problem. The Aral Sea has also been seriously depleted. From 61,836 sq. km (23,875 sq. miles) in 1974, it had shrunk to less than half that area by 1997. In 1998 the World Bank approved more than $11 million to save the Aral Sea region. The indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides to raise production has polluted many rivers.



Communications
Main airport Tashkent International Passengers per year 1930552
Motorways 0
km Roads 71237
km Railways 3645
km

Uzbekistan has a well-developed transportation system. An extensive network of buses serves country areas, while good Soviet-style systems of trolley buses and trolleys operate in the major cities. Road and rail networks have deteriorated since 1991, however, and are concentrated in the south and east. The national airline is Uzbek Khavo Yullari (Uzbekistan Airways).



International Aid
Donated (US$) Not applicable
M Received (US$) 186
M

A lack of commitment to economic stabilization and human rights violations have generally deterred bilateral aid donors. The World Bank is the largest donor, allocating millions of dollars to support economic reform and a range of agricultural, financial, and social projects.



Health
Life expectancy 69 Life expect. World rank 98
Population per doctor 323 Infant mortality (per 1000 births) 22
Expend. % GDP 3 %
Principal causes of death Circulatory and respiratory diseases, accidents, cancers

The health service has been in decline since the dissolution of the USSR. Some rural areas are not served at all. In 1998 a $69.7 million project to improve health services was announced, with the World Bank providing a loan of some $30 million. Serious respiratory diseases among cotton growers are increasing.



Education
Literacy 89 % Expend. % GNP 8

%

PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION IN FULL TIME EDUCATION
Primary 78 % Secondary 94 % Tertiary 32 %

The state system still follows the Soviet model, though some instruction is in Uzbek. In the late 1980s, there were a few ethnic Tajik schools and a university in Samarkand. These were closed down in 1992 as relations deteriorated between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The rise in Islamic consciousness has led to a growing number of madrasas, schools attached to mosques. In 1999 the establishment of Tashkent Islamic University was agreed.



Criminality
Crime rate trend Up 9% in 1999
Prison population 63900
Murder 3 per 100,000 population
Rape 2 per 100,000 population
Theft 91 per 100,000 population

Crime has risen as living standards have declined. In 2001 the number of crimes carrying the death penalty was reduced to four. In rural areas, drug-producing plants, particularly poppies, are grown to boost falling incomes. Unofficial Islamic courts in the Fergana Valley are a sign of opposition to the government.



Wealth
Cars No data per 1,000 population
Telephones 67 per 1,000 population
Televisions 276 per 1,000 population

Former communists are still the wealthiest group, since they retain control of the economy. Many rural poor live below the poverty line.



Media
Newspapers There are 3 daily newspapers, including the Uzbek Khalk suzi and the Russian Pravda Vostoka
TV services 2 state-controlled services
Radio services 1 state-controlled service broadcasting in many languages


Tourism
Visitors per year 272000

Uzbekistan has considerable tourist potential. Bukhara, once a trading center on the silk route, is famous worldwide for its architecture and carpet-making. It has great religious significance for Muslims, who are encouraged to make at least one pilgrimage to its holy shrines. Bukhara's Kalyan Mosque is famous for its minaret built of unbaked bricks. The city of Samarkand was expanded in the 14th century by Timur, and contains the monumental gateway of the Shir Dar Madrasa, one of the most beautiful buildings in the Islamic world.



History

Part of the great Mongol Empire, present-day Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire between 1865 and 1876. Russification of the area was superficial, and it was not until Soviet rule that significant Slav immigration occurred. A further influx of Slavs occurred during Stalin's program of forced collectivization.

  • 1917 Soviet power established in Tashkent.
  • 1918 Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR), incorporating present-day Uzbekistan, proclaimed.
  • 1923–1941 Several alphabet changes, from Arabic to eventual Cyrillic.
  • 1924 Basmachi rebels who resisted Soviet rule crushed. Uzbek SSR founded (which, until 1929, included the Tajik ASSR).
  • 1925 Anti-Islamic campaign bans schools and closes mosques.
  • 1936 Karakalpak ASSR (formerly part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) incorporated into the Uzbek SSR.
  • 1937 Uzbek communist leadership is purged by Stalin.
  • 1941–1945 Industrial boom.
  • 1959 Sharaf Rashidov becomes first secretary of Communist Party of Uzbekistan (CPUz). Retains position until 1983.
  • 1966 Tashkent razed by earthquake. Rebuilding brings in large number of Russian and other non-Uzbek migrants.
  • 1982–1983 Yuri Andropov becomes leader in Moscow. His anticorruption purge results in emergence of a new generation of central Asian officials.
  • 1989 First noncommunist political movement, Unity Party (Birlik), formed but not officially registered. June, clashes erupt between Meskhetian Turks and indigenous Uzbek population of Fergana Valley resulting in more than 100 deaths. October, Birlik campaign leads to Uzbek being declared the official language.
  • 1990 Islam Karimov becomes executive president of the new Uzbek Supreme Soviet. Further interethnic fighting in Fergana Valley; 320 killed.
  • 1991 August, independence is proclaimed and Republic of Uzbekistan is adopted as official name. October, Uzbekistan signs treaty establishing economic community with seven other former Soviet republics. November, CPUz restructured as the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDP); Karimov remains its leader. December, Karimov confirmed in post of president. Uzbekistan joins the CIS.
  • 1992 Price liberalization provokes student riots in Tashkent. New post-Soviet constitution adopted along Western democratic lines. All religious parties banned. September, Uzbekistan sends troops to Tajikistan to suppress violence and strengthen border controls.
  • 1993 Growing harassment of opposition political parties, Erk and Birlik.
  • 1994 Introduction of som which becomes sole legal tender in October.
  • 1995 January, Karimov's PDP wins legislative elections. March, referendum extends Karimov's presidential term until 2000. December, Utkur Sultanov replaces Abdulashim Mutalov as prime minister.
  • 1999 Bomb attacks by Islamic terrorists lead to crackdown and arrests of hundreds of opposition activists. Legislative elections.
  • 2000 Karimov reelected.
  • 2002 Referendum extends president's term to seven years.