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Registan Square, Samarqand

Uzbekistan lies in the heart of Central Asia - on the ancient Silk Road between China and Europe. At the routes centre, Samarkand city was a major hub for trade, culture and regional political power for centuries. Tashkent (2.1 million) is the current capital.

Borders are shared with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Land area is about 447,000 sq km, about the size of Sweden or California.

The Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan accounts for 37% of the landmass, dominating the Western half. The Kyzyl Kum desert stretches across the centre, but fertile lands and mountain ranges lie in the east. Climate is extreme continental, with scorching hot summers and freezing winters. Rain is rare and earthquakes are common.

Major cities are Tashkent, (2.1m) Samarkand (365,000), Namangan (363,300), Andijan (319,900) and Bukhara (238,200).

 

 
Population and demographics

Uzbekistan (27m) has the 3rd largest population of all 15 former Soviet States - and the most people in Central Asia.

The birth rate is high - 35 per thousand and nearly half of the population are 16 or under. Independent estimates put Uzbekistan’s population at nearly 35 million by 2025.

More than 75% of people are Uzbek, 6.5% are Russian, 4% are Tajiks and another 4% are Kazakh. Small groups of Karakalpaks, Tatars, Koreans, Kyrgyz’s, Persians and Turks are scattered around the country. The predominant religion is Islam.

Political Structure

Head of State: President Islam Karimov (1990)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev (2003)

Cabinet of Ministers is appointed by the President with Parliamentary approval

The Bicameral Parliament consists of the Oliy Majlis (Lower Chamber) and the Senate (Upper Chamber). The Oliy Majlis has 250 seats. Its members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. The Senate has 64 seats. 20% of its members are appointed by the President; others are elected by secret regional ballots for five-year terms,

Economic overview

GNI per capita was just US$ 510 in 2005 (IMF). 18% of the population is believed to be living on less than US$ 1 per day. In 1999, official figures set GDP at 16,702 mn USD (IMF) with an annual growth rate of 4.4%. Inflation has fallen from 1,568% per annum in 1994 to 21.5% today. Uzbekistan has not been hard hit by the 2008 global downturn due to its economic structure.

Agricultural exports are the backbone of the Uzbek economy. It is one of the world’s largest cotton producers, with three million tons produced per year. Mineral and petroleum reserves are now being developed to further diversity the economy. Minerals are abundant, especially gold, silver, coal, copper, lead, zinc and other precious stones.

Modern historical timeline

• 1917: The Tsarist administration is overthrown in Russia. A provisional government is created with direct Soviet rule. Muslims are excluded from power.
• 1924: The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic becomes one of the 15 Republics of the USSR.
• 1920’s onwards: Uzbek Communist Party chief Khojayev enforces Soviet orders to centralize the economy, but also seeks to increase Uzbek participation in government and the communist party.
• 1930s: Khojayev and his allies are executed in a Stalinist purge. Russification sees more Russians migrating to Uzbekistan, particularly to the cities. Russian is the official language. Those who maintain Uzbek lifestyles and identities are excluded from leading roles in society.
• 1959-1982: Sharaf Rashidov, first secretary of the Communist Party in Uzbekistan, brings numerous relatives and associates into government and attempts to weaken Moscow’s control.
• 1986: Rashidov is implicated (posthumously) with Yuriy Churbanov, Brezhnev's son-in-law in falsifying cotton production figures. The Uzbek leadership faces corruption trials by Moscow-based prosecutors. Uzbeks feel victimized, strengthening a nationalist backlash.
• 1989: Ethnic animosity erupts in the Ferghana Valley between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks, and in the Kyrgyz city of Osh, with clashes between Uzbek and Kyrgyz youth. Moscow appoints Islom Karimov as first secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan.
• 1991: The Supreme Soviet of Uzbekistan declares an independent republic. A parliament is elected and Karimov becomes the new nation’s first president

 

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