Uzbekistan Location:
41°16'N, 69°13'E
Uzbekistan (alternately Uzbekstan or Ozbekistan), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or O‘zbekiston Jumhuriyati; Cyrillic: ?????????? ????????????; Russian: ?????????? ??????????), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south. The only official language, Uzbek, is a Turkic language, but Russian continues to be widely used, a holdover from Soviet rule. About 1 million Tajiks, an ethnic group closely related to the Persians, inhabit Uzbekistan,[1] making up approximately 4.8% of the population.[2] The word Ozbek consists of oz ("real/original/true") and bek ("leaders/nobles").
Uzbekistan Geography:
Uzbekistan is approximately the size of Morocco and has an area of 447,400 square kilometers (172,700 sq mi). It is the 56th-largest country.
Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 kilometers (885 mi) from west to east and 930 kilometers (578 mi) from north to south. Bordering Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea to the north, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east, Uzbekistan is not only one of the larger Central Asian states but also the only Central Asian state to border all of the other four. Uzbekistan also shares a short border with Afghanistan to the south.
Uzbekistan is a dry, double-landlocked country; 10% of its territory is intensely cultivated irrigated river valleys. It is one of two double-landlocked countries in the world - the other being Liechtenstein; and although in the case of Uzbekistan this is less clear, since it has borders with two countries (Kazakhstan in the north and Turkmenistan in the south) bordering the landlocked but non-freshwater Caspian Sea from which ships can reach the Sea of Azov and thus the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the oceans.
The highest point in Uzbekistan is Adelunga Toghi at 4,301 meters (14,111 ft).
Major cities include: Bukhara, Samarqand and Tashkent.
Uzbekistan People:
Population
- July 2005 estimate 26,593,000 (44th)
- Density 59 /km2 (136th)
153 /sq mi
Uzbekistan Government:
Government Republic
- President Islom Karimov
- Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Uzbekistan Communication:
According to the official source report, by the end of 2004, there were 544,100 users of cellular phones in Uzbekistan (an increase of 168% since the beginning of the year).[citation needed] An independent source, Ferghana.Ru, claims, however, that the users of cellular phones in Uzbekistan was only 450,000.[citation needed]
The number of Internet providers and operators by the end of 2004 was 477 (+181.4%). There were 675,000 Internet users in the country (+137%). 96.4% cities and 72.5% district centers have digital telecommunications systems.
Uzbekistan Economy:
Along with many Commonwealth of Independent States economies, Uzbekistan's economy has very recently shifted into high gear, registering 9.1% growth in the first quarter of 2007, along with a low 2.9% inflation. [1]
Uzbekistan is a country with a GNI per capita of US$460 and PPP equivalent of US$1860 [2]. Economic production is concentrated in commodities: Uzbekistan is now the world's fourth-largest producer and the world's second-largest exporter of cotton and the seventh world major producer of gold. It is also a regionally significant producer of natural gas, coal, copper, oil, silver, and uranium [3]. Agriculture contributes about 37% of GDP while employing 44% of the labor force [4]. Unemployment and underemployment are estimated to be at least 20% [5].
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.Facing a multitude of economic challenges upon acquiring independence, the government adopted an evolutionary reform strategy, with emphasis on state control, reduction of import, and self-sufficiency in energy. Since 1994, state controlled media repeatedly proclaimed success of this "Uzbek Economic Model" [6] as a unique example of smooth transition to the market economy while avoiding shock, pauperization, and stagnation.
The gradualist reform strategy has involved postponing significant macroeconomic and structural reforms. The state in the hands of the bureaucracy has remained a dominant influence in the economy. Corruption permeated the society: Uzbekistan's 2005 Index of perception of corruption is 137 out of 159. A February 2006 report on the country by the International Crisis Group illustrates one aspect of this corruption:
Much of Uzbekistan’s GDP growth comes from favourable prices for certain key exports, especially cotton, gold, and increasingly gas but the revenues from these commodities are distributed among a very small circle of the ruling elite, with little or no benefit for the populace at large.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, "the government is hostile to allowing the development of an independent private sector, over which it would have no control" [9]. Thus, the national bourgeoisie in general, and the middle class in particular, are marginalized economically, and, consequently, politically.
The economic policies have repelled foreign investment, which is the lowest per capita in the CIS [10]. For years, the largest barrier to foreign companies entering the Uzbek market has been difficulty in currency conversion. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund [11], providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened its effects.
Inflation, though lower than in the mid-1990s, remained high up until 2003 (estimated 50% in 2002, 21.9% in 2003, [12]). Tight economic policies in 2004 resulted in drastic reduction of inflation, to 3.8% (while alternative estimates [13] based on price of true market basket, put it at 15%). However, the relief appears to be transient, as IMF estimate of CPI-based inflation in Uzbekistan in 2005 is 14.1% [14].
The government of Uzbekistan restricts imports in many ways, including high import duties. Excise taxes are applied in a highly discriminatory manner to protect locally produced goods. Official tariffs are combined with unofficial, discriminatory charges resulting in total charges amounting to as much as 100 to 150 percent of the actual value of the product, making imported products virtually unaffordable [15]. Import substitution is an officially declared policy and the government proudly reports [16] reduction in the consumer goods import by a factor of two. A number of the CIS countries are officially exempt from Uzbekistan import duties.
Doing business in Uzbekistan is not easy. It requires a lot of investment and connection with ruling class. However, the annual profit which you can have is around 30-40%. The most profitable investment currently is real estate. In 2006, the real estate rose almost by 80%.
Uzbekistan More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan |
