human rights and
democratization.

Uzbekistan Geography

Location: Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area: total: 447,400 sq km

land: 425,400 sq km

water: 22,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total: 6,221 km

border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km,
Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km

Coastline: 0 km; note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of
the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked)

Climate: mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters;
semiarid grassland in east

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m

highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

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

Land use: arable land: 9%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 46%

forests and woodland: 3%

other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: 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
salination; soil contamination from agricultural chemicals,
including DDT

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two
doubly landlocked countries in the world

Uzbekistan People

Population: 25,155,064 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.32% (male 4,646,341; female 4,489,265)

15-64 years: