Ecuador (2003) | Uzbekistan (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe | 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qaraqalpog'iston Respublikasi* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 34.9% (male 2,430,303; female 2,351,166)
15-64 years: 60.6% (male 4,116,289; female 4,198,667) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 284,082; female 329,727) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 34.1% (male 4,583,228; female 4,418,003)
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 7,990,233; female 8,157,136) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 513,434; female 748,382) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp | cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock |
Airports | 205 (2002) | 247 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 61
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 18 (2002) |
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 14 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 4 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 144
914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 113 (2002) |
total: 214
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 200 (2003 est.) |
Area | total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands |
total: 447,400 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Nevada | slightly larger than California |
Background | The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. | 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. |
Birth rate | 24.94 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 26.12 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $5.6 billion
expenditures: planned $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $2.176 billion
expenditures: $2.207 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
Capital | Quito | Tashkent (Toshkent) |
Climate | tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands | mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east |
Coastline | 2,237 km | 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline |
Constitution | 10 August 1998 | new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador |
conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi local short form: Ozbekiston former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | Uzbekistani sum (UZS) |
Death rate | 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 7.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $14.4 billion (2002) | $4.384 billion (2003 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie Anne KENNEY
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: APO AA 34039 telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890 FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil |
chief of mission: Ambassador Jon PURNELL
embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Raul GANGOTENA Rivadeneira
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco |
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV
chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 293-6803 FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | prolonged drought and cotton monoculture creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitation with Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; delimitation is underway with Kyrgyzstan but serious disputes around enclaves and elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border; talks continue with Tajikistan to determine and delimit border |
Economic aid - recipient | $120 million (2001) | $87.4 million from the US (2003) |
Economy - overview | Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Ecuador joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1996, but has failed to comply with many of its accession commitments. The aftermath of El Nino and depressed oil market of 1997-98 drove Ecuador's economy into a free-fall in 1999. The beginning of 1999 saw the banking sector collapse, which helped precipitate an unprecedented default on external loans later that year. Continued economic instability drove a 70% depreciation of the currency throughout 1999, which forced a desperate government to "dollarize" the currency regime in 2000. The move stabilized the currency, but did not stave off the ouster of the government. Gustavo NOBOA, who assumed the presidency in January 2000, has managed to pass substantial economic reforms and mend relations with international financial institutions. Ecuador completed its first standby agreement since 1986 when the IMF Board approved a 10 December 2001 disbursement of $96 million, the final installment of a $300 million standby credit agreement. In February 2003, newly installed president Lucio GUTIERREZ faced a budget gap and massive foreign debt. He has pledged to use oil revenues to pay off debt and is seeking additional IMF support. | Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter, a large producer of gold and oil, and a regionally significant producer of chemicals and machinery. Following independence in December 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Uzbekistan responded to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian financial crises by emphasizing import substitute industrialization and by tightening export and currency controls within its already largely closed economy. The government, while aware of the need to improve the investment climate, sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, the government's control over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since independence. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also lead to some shortages which have further stifled economic activity. |
Electricity - consumption | 69.96 billion kWh (2001) | 47.07 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 3.998 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 9.7 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 75.23 billion kWh (2001) | 44.49 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 81%
hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands | shrinkage 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 buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% | Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.) |
Exchange rates | sucres per US dollar - 25,000 (2002), 25,000 (2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.57 (1998) | Uzbekistani sums per US dollar - 115.9 (2003), 125.3 (2002), NA (2001), 236.608 (2000), 124.625 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (no reelection); election last held 20 October 2002; runoff election held 24 November 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: results of the 24 November 2002 runoff election - Lucio GUTIERREZ elected president; percent of vote - Lucio GUTIERREZ 54.3%; Alvaro NOBOA 45.7% |
chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet)
head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYAYEV (since 11 December 2003) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime minister and deputy ministers appointed by the president election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2% |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish | cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.) |
Exports - partners | US 39%, Colombia 5.6%, South Korea 5.1%, Germany 5%, Italy 4.4% (2002) | Russia 22.4%, China 9.3%, Ukraine 7.5%, Tajikistan 6.2%, Bangladesh 4.7%, Turkey 4.6%, Japan 4.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2%, US 4.1% (2003) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms | three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $42.65 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $43.99 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 11%
industry: 33% services: 56% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 38%
industry: 26.3% services: 35.7% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.4% (2002 est.) | 3.1% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 2 00 S, 77 30 W | 41 00 N, 64 00 E |
Geography - note | Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world | along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world |
Heliports | 1 (2002) | - |
Highways | total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,164 km unpaved: 35,033 km (2000) |
total: 81,600 km
paved: 71,237 km unpaved: 10,363 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (1995) |
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 32.8% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; dollarization may raise the volume of money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents | transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw materials, fuels; consumer goods | machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998 est.) |
Imports - partners | US 28.6%, Colombia 14.4%, Japan 6%, Chile 4.5%, Brazil 4.1% (2002) | Russia 22.3%, US 11.4%, South Korea 11%, Germany 9.5%, China 6.5%, Kazakhstan 6.1%, Turkey 6.1% (2003) |
Independence | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) | 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.1% (2001 est.) | 6.2% (2003 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber | textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas, chemicals |
Infant mortality rate | total: 31.97 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 37.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 71.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 75.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 12.5% (2002 est.) | 13.1% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | CAN, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 31 (2001) | - |
Irrigated land | 8,650 sq km (1998 est.) | 42,810 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court) | Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly) |
Labor force | 3.7 million (urban) | 14.2 million (2003 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.) | agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
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 |
Land use | arable land: 5.69%
permanent crops: 5.15% other: 89.16% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 10.83%
permanent crops: 0.83% other: 88.34% (2001) |
Languages | Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) | Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% |
Legal system | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSC 25, PRE 15, ID 16, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD 5, DP 4, PS 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties |
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an Upper House or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional governing councils to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by the president) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats; elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9, unaffiliated 10 note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 71.89 years
male: 69.06 years female: 74.86 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 64.09 years
male: 60.67 years female: 67.69 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.5% male: 94% female: 91% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.3% male: 99.6% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
Location | Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru | Central Asia, north of Afghanistan |
Map references | South America | Asia |
Maritime claims | continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM |
none (doubly landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 239,276 GRT/392,048 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 23, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Chile 1, Greece 1 (2002 est.) |
- |
Military branches | Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Police | Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $720 million (FY98) | $200 million (FY97) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3.4% (FY98) | 2% (FY97) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 3,555,068 (2003 est.) | males age 15-49: 7,126,325 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 2,395,178 (2003 est.) | males age 15-49: 5,783,740 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 20 years of age (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 137,433 (2003 est.) | males: 321,886 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) | Independence Day, 1 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian |
noun: Uzbekistani
adjective: Uzbekistani |
Natural hazards | frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower | natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum |
Net migration rate | -0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | -1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 71 km; oil 1,575 km; refined products 1,185 km (2003) | gas 9,149 km; oil 869 km; refined products 33 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos]; National Action Institutional Renewal Party or PRIAN [leader NA]; Pachakutik Movement [Miguel LLUCO]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [leader NA]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA] | Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TOSHMUHAMMADOVA, chairman]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Xurshid DOSTMUHAMMADOV, chief]; Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHODMONOV, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV, first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, chief]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Leonidas IZA, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]; Popular Front or FP [Luis VILLACIS] | Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasilia INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party or Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigara KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Tolib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum [leader NA] |
Population | 13,710,234 (July 2003 est.) | 26,410,416 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 70% (2001 est.) | NA (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.91% (2003 est.) | 1.65% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo | Termiz (Amu Darya) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) | AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998) |
Railways | total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2002) |
total: 3,950 km
broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2003) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 95% | Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) and Samarqand, under contracts with prominent companies in industrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networks had been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global System for Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System) international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications; Inmarsat also provides an international connection, albeit an expensive one; satellite earth stations - NA (1998) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,115,272 (1999) | 1,717,100 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 384,000 (1999) | 320,800 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001) | 4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals (2003) |
Terrain | coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) | 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 |
Total fertility rate | 2.99 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 2.97 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.7%; note - widespread underemployment (2001 est.) | 0.5% plus another 20% underemployed (2003) |
Waterways | 1,500 km | 1,100 km (2004) |