small-scale transit country for drugs mainly bound for Europe, often
through sea-borne containers; law enforcement corruption; money
laundering because of strict banking secrecy laws; weak border
control along Brazilian frontier; increasing consumption of cocaine
base and synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Uzbekistan

Introduction
Uzbekistan

Background:

Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff
resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually
suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the
Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain
led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies,
which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain
rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to
gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its
mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism
by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of
human rights and democratization.

Geography
Uzbekistan

Location:

Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references:

Asia

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 (doubly landlocked); 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, Syr
Darya (Sirdaryo), 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: 10.51%
permanen