Uzbekistan
Having an area of 448.9 thousand square kilometers and population of 26.8 million people, Uzbekistan borders in the northeast with Kazakhstan, in the east and the southeast - with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in the west - with Turkmenistan, and in the utmost south - with Afghanistan. The territory of Uzbekistan located in interfluves of Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers represents a combination of flat and mountain reliefs. The largest cities are - Tashkent, Samarkand, Namangan, Andizhan, Bukhara, Nukus. Uzbekistan has a rich historical heritage. It was able to save relics from the times of Tamerlan’s empire.
Cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Shahrizabz and Tashkent are objects of historical attractions in the world. Uzbekistan has a huge mineral and raw materials potential, which is estimated at 3.3 billion USD. Scientists prospect a district for natural resources and found oil amounted to about 350 million tones, natural gas — about 2 billion cubic meters, coal — more than 2 billion tones. Uzbekistan takes the 4th place in the world by gold mining (4 thousand tons), and 7th place in the world by production of uranium and color and rare metals. The country has great reserves of nonmetallic raw materials, especially phosphorites (more than 300 million tones).
Source: http://www.world-asia.info/
Uzbekistan/General Information
- Territory: 77.2 sq. miles (199.9 sq. km), 94% mountainous; bordering China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan.
- Population: Up to 5.3 million people, from which about 68.9% are Kyrgyz, 14% Uzbek, and 9.1% Russian. Kyrgyz is the state language, while Russian language “bears” the official status;
- Capital: Bishkek; population about 1 million (previously known as Pishpek and later Frunze);
- Natural resources: Coal, antimony, natural gas, gold, tungsten, tin, mercury, uranium, zinc, lead, rare earth metals, copper, iron, bauxite, hydropower & water resources;
- Agriculture: Tobacco, cotton, wheat, vegetables and fruits, berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool;
- Industry: Mining, energy, machinery, light industry, construction materials, shoes, furniture;
- Trends: Mining industry is on the rise. SME sector focuses mostly on tourism, services, trade, agriculture and food processing. Kazakh and Russian banks successfully entered the Kyrgyz banking sector.
- Main trade partners: CIS countries-60%, non CIS countries-41,5%
Source: Wikipedia, The 2008 Fact Book
Uzbekistan | Macroeconomic Indicator
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP, USD bln | 12.0 | 14.3 | 17.1 | 22.4 | 26.6 |
| GDP per capita, USD | 464.2 | 546.8 | 642.7 | 830.3 | 978.9 |
| Real GDP growth, % | 7.7 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 8.8 | 7.5 |
| Consumer prices index, % | 103.7 | 107.8 | 106.8 | 112 | 107.8 |
| Exports , USD bn | 4.8 | 5.4 | 6.4 | 9.0 | 11.0 |
| Imports , USD bn | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 8.7 |
| Trade turnover, USD bn | 8.7 | 9.5 | 11.1 | 15.7 | 19.7 |
| Gross Official Reserves, USD bn | 2.1 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 8.7 |
| Capital Investments | 105 | 107 | 109 | 131.3 | 134,3 |
Source: National Bank of Uzbekistan , State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics, Regional Economic Outlook Middle East and Central Asia, Oct 2008, United Nations Development Programme
