Hong Kong (2003) | Uzbekistan (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | none (special administrative region of China) | 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: 17.3% (male 680,973; female 599,309)
15-64 years: 71.7% (male 2,619,929; female 2,679,430) 65 years and over: 11% (male 375,058; female 439,471) (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 | fresh vegetables; poultry, fish, pork | cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock |
Airports | 3 (2002) | 247 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1523 m: 1 (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: 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: 1,092 sq km
land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km |
total: 447,400 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km |
Area - comparative | six times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than California |
Background | Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. | 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 | 10.71 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 26.12 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $22.8 billion
expenditures: $30.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY02/03) |
revenues: $2.176 billion
expenditures: $2.207 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
Capital | - | Tashkent (Toshkent) |
Climate | tropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall | mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east |
Coastline | 733 km | 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline |
Constitution | Basic Law approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" | new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK |
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 | Hong Kong dollar (HKD) | Uzbekistani sum (UZS) |
Death rate | 6.19 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 7.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $49.5 billion (2002 est.) | $4.384 billion (2003 est.) |
Dependency status | special administrative region of China | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Consul General James KEITH
consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2524-0860 |
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 | none (special administrative region of China) | 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 | - | $87.4 million from the US (2003) |
Economy - overview | Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Imports and exports, including reexports, each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997 it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has increased competitive pressure on Hong Kong's service industries, and Hong Kong's re-export business from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP compares with the level in the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% in 1989-1997, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past 6 years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1998 and the global downturn of 2001-2002. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak has also battered Hong Kong's economy but the resumption of strong growth began in 2003. | 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 | 37.12 billion kWh (2001) | 47.07 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 1.581 billion kWh (2001) | 3.998 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 10.36 billion kWh (2001) | 9.7 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 30.48 billion kWh (2001) | 44.49 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m |
lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m |
Environment - current issues | air and water pollution from rapid urbanization | 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: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member) | 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 | Chinese 95%, other 5% | Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.) |
Exchange rates | Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.8 (2002), 7.8 (2001), 7.79 (2000), 7.76 (1999), 7.75 (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 of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive TUNG Chee-hwa (since 1 July 1997) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex-officio members and 10 appointed members; ex-officio members are: Chief Secretary Donald TSANG Yam-kuen (since 1 May 2001), Financial Secretary Antony LEUNG (since 1 May 2001), and Secretary of Justice Elsie LEUNG (since 1 July 1997) elections: TUNG Chee-Hwa was elected to a second term in March 2002 by an 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces; the next election is scheduled to be held in 2007 |
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 | electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones | cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.) |
Exports - partners | China 34%, US 19.5%, UK 5.5%, Japan 4.8% (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 | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center | 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 - $198.5 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $43.99 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 13.4% services: 86.5% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 38%
industry: 26.3% services: 35.7% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $27,200 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.3% (2002 est.) | 3.1% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 22 15 N, 114 10 E | 41 00 N, 64 00 E |
Geography - note | more than 200 islands | along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world |
Heliports | 2 (2002) | - |
Highways | total: 1,831 km
paved: 1,831 km unpaved: 0 km (1999 est.) |
total: 81,600 km
paved: 71,237 km unpaved: 10,363 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 32.8% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | Makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces serious challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides a conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people | 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 | foodstuffs, transport equipment, raw materials, semimanufactures, petroleum, plastics, machinery, electrical equipment; a large share is reexported | machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998 est.) |
Imports - partners | China 37.5%, Japan 12.2%, Taiwan 7.3%, US 6.2%, Singapore 5.3%, South Korea 5% (2002) | Russia 22.3%, US 11.4%, South Korea 11%, Germany 9.5%, China 6.5%, Kazakhstan 6.1%, Turkey 6.1% (2003) |
Independence | none (special administrative region of China) | 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | -9.7% (2002 est.) | 6.2% (2003 est.) |
Industries | textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks | textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas, chemicals |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.84 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) | 3% (2002 est.) | 13.1% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | APEC, AsDB, BIS, ESCAP (associate), ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), 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) | 17 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) | 42,810 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly) |
Labor force | 3.52 million (2001 est.) | 14.2 million (2003 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 31%, financing, insurance, and real estate 13%, community and social services 12%, manufacturing 6%, transport and communications 6%, construction 5%, other 25% (2002 est.) | agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995) |
Land boundaries | total: 30 km
border countries: China 30 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: 5.05%
permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 10.83%
permanent crops: 0.83% other: 88.34% (2001) |
Languages | Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official | Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% |
Legal system | based on English common law | evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 24 elected by popular vote, and 6 elected by an 800-member election committee; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 September 2000 (next to be held in September 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 12, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 10, Liberal Party 7, Frontier Party 5, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance 4, New Century Forum 2, Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood 1, independents 19 |
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: 79.93 years
male: 77.23 years female: 82.83 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 64.09 years
male: 60.67 years female: 67.69 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94% male: 97.1% female: 90.5% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.3% male: 99.6% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
Location | Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China | Central Asia, north of Afghanistan |
Map references | Southeast Asia | Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 NM | none (doubly landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 549 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,176,728 GRT/27,119,764 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 315, cargo 66, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 2, container 86, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 40, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 2, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 5, Belize 1, British Virgin Islands 1, China 115, Denmark 2, Germany 19, Greece 2, India 8, Japan 8, Liberia 1, Malaysia 7, Norway 1, Panama 2, Philippines 5, Singapore 7, South Korea 2, Taiwan 1, UK 27, Virgin Islands (UK) 1 note: (2002 est.) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of China | - |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) including elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region | Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $200 million (FY97) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% (FY02) | 2% (FY97) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 2,033,716 (2003 est.) | males age 15-49: 7,126,325 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,524,903 (2003 est.) | males age 15-49: 5,783,740 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 47,477 (2003 est.) | males: 321,886 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day | Independence Day, 1 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese |
noun: Uzbekistani
adjective: Uzbekistani |
Natural hazards | occasional typhoons | NA |
Natural resources | outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar | natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum |
Net migration rate | 7.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | -1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 9,149 km; oil 869 km; refined products 33 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee, chairman]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong [Jasper TSANG Yok-sing, chairman]; Democratic Party [Martin LEE Chu-ming, chairman]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing, chairwoman]; Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood [leader NA]; Hong Kong Progressive Alliance [Ambrose LAU Hon-chuen]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun, chairman]; New Century Forum [NQ Ching-fai, chairman]
note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, Citizens Party, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Progressive Alliance, Liberal Party, New Century Forum |
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 | Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions (pro-China) [LEE Chark-tim, president]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; Liberal Democratic Federation [HU Fa-kuang, chairman] | 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 | 7,394,170 (July 2003 est.) | 26,410,416 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA (2004 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.22% (2003 est.) | 1.65% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Hong Kong | Termiz (Amu Darya) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998) |
Railways | total: 34 km
standard gauge: 34 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified and double-tracked) note: connects to China railway system at Hong Kong-China border (2001) |
total: 3,950 km
broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2003) |
Religions | eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10% | Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 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 | direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 100,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services
domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe |
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 | 3.839 million (1999) | 1,717,100 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3.7 million (December 1999) | 320,800 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (plus two repeaters) (1997) | 4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals (2003) |
Terrain | hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north | 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 | 1.32 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 2.97 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.5% (2002 est.) | 0.5% plus another 20% underemployed (2003) |
Waterways | none | 1,100 km (2004) |