992 est.)

Defense
-------

Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard,
Marines), Air Force, Grenadier Guards, Coracero Guard, Police

Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 783,890
males fit for military service: 636,454 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $256 million,
1.5% of GDP (1994)

======================================================================

@Uzbekistan
----------

Map
---

Location: 41 00 N, 64 00 E -- Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Flag
----

Description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white,
and green separated by red fimbriations with a crescent moon and 12
stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant

Geography
---------

Location: Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:
total area: 447,400 sq km
land area: 425,400 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:
total: 6,221 km
border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan
1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km

Coastline: 0 km
note: Uzbekistan borders the Aral Sea (420 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

International disputes: none

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 and
Sirdaryo; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west
lowest point: Saryqamish 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%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 47%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 42%

Irrigated land: 41,550 sq km (1990)

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 soi