Uzbekistan (2002) | Luxembourg (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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) |
3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 4,617,110; female 4,457,065)
15-64 years: 59.8% (male 7,567,510; female 7,726,753) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 482,137; female 712,866) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
18.91% (male 43,051; female 40,711) 15-64 years: 67.03% (male 149,781; female 147,165) 65 years and over: 14.06% (male 24,921; female 37,343) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock | barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; livestock products |
Airports | 267 (2001) | 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 257
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 222 (2002) |
total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 447,400 sq km
land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km |
total:
2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
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 insurgency by Islamic militants based in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, a nonconvertible currency, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization. | Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. |
Birth rate | 26.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 12.25 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues:
$5.6 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Tashkent (Toshkent) | Luxembourg |
Climate | mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 | 17 October 1868, occasional revisions |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan
conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi local short form: Ozbekiston former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form:
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg |
Currency | Uzbekistani sum (UZS) | Luxembourg franc (LUF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Luxembourg at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Luxembourg francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002 |
Death rate | 7.98 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 8.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $5.1 billion (2001 est.) | $NA |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador John Edward HERBST
embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115 mailing address: use embassy street address; US Embassy Tashkent, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7110 telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador James C. HORMEL embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Shavkat HAMRAKULOV
chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 887-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Arlette CONZEMIUS chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York and San Francisco |
Disputes - international | dispute over access to Sokh and other Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyzstan mars progress on international boundary delimitation; Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan wrestle with sharing limited water resources; Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan contend with the regional environmental degradation caused by the shrinking Aral Sea; the border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is mined in certain sections, continuing to cause civilian casualties | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $160 million (1999) |
Economic aid - recipient | approximately $150 million from the US (2001) | - |
Economy - overview | 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. The state continues to be a dominating influence in the economy and has so far failed to bring about much-needed structural changes. The IMF suspended Uzbekistan's $185 million standby arrangement in late 1996 because of governmental steps that made impossible fulfillment of Fund conditions. Uzbekistan has 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. Economic policies that have repelled foreign investment are a major factor in the economy's stagnation. A growing debt burden, persistent inflation, and a poor business climate led to disappointing growth in 2001. However, in December 2001 the government voiced a renewed interest in economic reform, seeking advice from the IMF and other financial institutions. | The stable, high-income economy features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a substantial proportion of the economy. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and trans-border workers for 30% of its labor force. Luxembourg has a custom union with Belgium and the Netherlands, and, as a member of the EU, enjoys the advantages of the open European market. It joined with 10 other EU members to launch the euro on 1 January 1999. |
Electricity - consumption | 41.89 billion kWh (2000) | 6.149 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 4.1 billion kWh (2000) | 655 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 5 billion kWh (2000) | 6.201 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 44.075 billion kWh (2000) | 648 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 87%
hydro: 13% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
36.88% hydro: 53.09% nuclear: 0% other: 10.03% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m
highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m |
lowest point:
Moselle River 133 m highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
Environment - current issues | 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 | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland |
Environment - international 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 |
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.) | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kososvo) and European (guest and resident workers) |
Exchange rates | Uzbekistani sums per US dollar - 687.0 (January 2002), 325.0 (January 2001), 141.4 (January 2000), 111.9 (February 1999), 110.95 (December 1998), 75.8 (September 1997) | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Luxembourg francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.299 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996); note - the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg |
Executive branch | 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 Otkir SULTONOV (since 21 December 1995) 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 ammendment in 2002); election last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held NA 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% |
chief of state:
Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch, born 11 November 1981); head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 1 January 1995) and Vice Prime Minister Lydie POLFER (since 7 August 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and vice prime minister appointed by the monarch, following popular election to the Chamber of Deputies; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and DP |
Exports | $2.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | cotton 41.5%, gold 9.6%, energy products 9.6%, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, automobiles (1998 est.) | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass |
Exports - partners | Russia 16.7%, Switzerland 8.3%, UK 7.2%, Ukraine 4.7%, South Korea 3.3%, Kazakhstan 3.1% (2000) | EU 75% (Germany 25%, France 21%, Belgium 13%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, Netherlands 5%), US 4% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $62 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15.9 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 33%
industry: 24% services: 43% (2000 est.) |
agriculture:
1% industry: 30% services: 69% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $36,400 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2001 est.) | 5.7% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 00 N, 64 00 E | 49 45 N, 6 10 E |
Geography - note | along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world | landlocked |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: 81,600 km
paved: 71,237 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 10,363 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990) |
total:
5,166 km paved: 5,166 km (including 118 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1993) (1993) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | 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 | $2.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $10 billion (c.i.f., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment 49.8%, foodstuffs 16.4%, chemicals, metals (1998 est.) | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Russia 15.8%, South Korea 9.8%, US 8.7%, Germany 8.6%, Kazakhstan 7.3%, Ukraine 6.1% (2002) | EU 81% (Belgium 35%, Germany 26%, France 12%, Netherlands 4%), US 9% (1999) |
Independence | 1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) | 1839 (from the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.5% (2000 est.) | 7.8% (2000 est.) |
Industries | textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas, chemicals | banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum |
Infant mortality rate | 71.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 4.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 23% (2001 est.) | 7.8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) | ACCT, Australia Group, Benelux, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 42 (2000) | 8 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 42,810 sq km (1998 est.) | 10 sq km (including Belgium) (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly) | judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch |
Labor force | 11.9 million (1998 est.) | 248,000 (of whom 70,200 are foreign cross-border workers primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany) (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995) (1995) | services 83.2%, industry 14.3%, agriculture 2.5% (1998 est.) |
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 |
total:
356 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 135 km |
Land use | arable land: 10.8%
permanent crops: 0.91% other: 88.29% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
24% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 35% other: 20% |
Languages | Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1% | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) |
Legal system | evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - 2002 ammendment to the constitution creates a second chamber to be established via elections in 2004
elections: last held 5 December and 19 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 48, Self-Sacrificers Party 34, Fatherland Progress Party 20, Adolat Social Democratic Party 11, MTP 10, citizens' groups 16, local government 110, vacant 1 note: not all seats in the last Supreme Assembly election were contested; all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV |
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 29.79%, DP 21.58%, LSAP 23.75%, ADR 10.36%, Green Party 9.09%, the Left 3.77%; seats by party - CSV 19, DP 15, LSAP 13, ADR 6, Green Party 5, the Left 2 note: the Council of State or Conseil d'Etat, which has 21 members who are appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke based on proposals from the government, the Chamber of Deputies, or the Council of State, is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 63.9 years
male: 60.38 years female: 67.6 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
77.3 years male: 74.02 years female: 80.8 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (yearend 1996) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
Location | Central Asia, north of Afghanistan | Western Europe, between France and Germany |
Map references | Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (doubly landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | - | total:
50 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 988,450 GRT/1,313,498 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, chemical tanker 11, container 2, liquefied gas 18, passenger 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 7 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 4 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Security Forces (internal security and border troops) | Army; note - the government abolished the Gendarmerie |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $200 million (FY97) | $131 million (FY98/99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (FY97) | 1% (FY98/99) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 6,747,221 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
112,714 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 5,478,766 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
92,817 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | 19 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 274,602 (2002 est.) | males:
2,565 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 1 September (1991) | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June |
Nationality | noun: Uzbek(s)
adjective: Uzbek |
noun:
Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
Net migration rate | -1.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 810 km (1992) | petroleum products 48 km |
Political parties and leaders | Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Anwar JURABAYEV, first secretary]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Aziz KAYUMOV, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Abdulkhafiz JALOLOV, first secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, first secretary]; note - Fatherland Progress Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party | Action Committee for Democracy and Justice or ADR [Robert MEHLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV (known also as Christian Social Party or PCS) [Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES]; Democratic Party or DP [Lydie POLFER]; Green Party [Abbes JACOBY and Felix BRAS]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Jean ASSELBORN]; Marxist and Reformed Communist Party DEI LENK (the Left) [no formal leadership]; other minor parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Birlik (Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Abdumannob POLAT, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Ezgulik [Vasilia Inoyatova] | ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); LCGP (center-right trade union); OGBL (center-left trade union) |
Population | 25,563,441 (July 2002 est.) | 442,972 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.62% (2002 est.) | 1.26% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Termiz (Amu Darya) | Mertert |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 20, FM 7, shortwave 10 (1998) | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) |
Radios | 10.8 million (1997) | 285,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 3,656 km
broad gauge: 3,656 km 1.520-m gauge (618 km electrified) (2000) |
total:
274 km standard gauge: 274 km 1.435-m gauge (242 km electrified; 178 km double track) (1998) |
Religions | Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3% | the greatest preponderance of the population is Roman Catholic with a very few Protestants, Jews, and Muslims
note: 1979 legislation forbids the collection of religious statistics |
Sex ratio | 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: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization
domestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded and technologically improved, particularly in Tashkent 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: 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) |
general assessment:
highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; buried cable international: 3 channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable (Europe to North America) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.98 million (1999) | 314,700 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 130,000 (2003) | 215,741 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (plus two repeaters that relay Russian programs), 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent; approximately 20 stations in regional capitals (2003) | 5 (1999) |
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 | mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast |
Total fertility rate | 3.03 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.7 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 10% plus another 20% underemployed (1999 est.) | 2.7% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | 1,100 km (1990) | 37 km (on the Moselle) |