:Uzbekistan Government
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands - blue (top), white, and green with a crescent
moon and 12 stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant
:Uzbekistan Economy
Overview:
Although Uzbekistan accounted for only 3.4% of total Soviet output, it
produced two-thirds of the USSR's cotton. Moscow's push for ever-increasing
amounts of cotton included massive irrigation projects which caused
extensive environmental damage to the Aral Sea and rivers of the republic.
Furthermore, the lavish use of chemical fertilizers has caused extensive
pollution and widespread health problems. Recently the republic has sought
to encourage food production at the expense of cotton. The small industrial
sector specializes in such items as agricultural machinery, mineral
fertilizers, vegetable oil, and electrical cranes. Uzbekistan also has some
important natural resources including gold (about 30% of Soviet production),
uranium, and natural gas. The Uzbek government has encouraged land reform
but has shied away from other aspects of economic reform.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate -0.9%
(1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
83% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$1.5 billion (1990)
commodities:
cotton, gold, textiles, chemical and mineral fertilizers, vegetable oil
partners:
Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe
Imports:
$3.5 billion (1990)
commodities:
machinery and parts, consumer durables, grain, other foods
partners:
principally other former Soviet republics
External debt:
$2 billion (end of 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 1.8% (1991)
Electricity:
11,400,000 kW capacity; 54,100 million kWh produced, 2,662 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
chemical and mineral fertilizers, vegetable oil, textiles
Agriculture:
cotton, with much smaller production of grain, fruits, vegetables, and
livestock
Illicit drugs:
illicit producers of cannabis and opium; mostly for domestic consumption;
status of government eradication programs unknown; used as transshipment
points for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
$NA
Currency:
as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Uzbekistan Communications
Railroads:
3,460 km all 1.520-meter gauge (includes NA km electrified); does not
include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
78,400 km total (1990); 67,000 km hard-surfaced, 11,400 km earth
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
NA
Ports:
none - landlocked
Civil air:
NA
Airports:
NA
Telecommunications:
poorly developed; telephone density NA; linked by landline or microwave with
CIS member states and by leased connection via the Moscow international
gateway switch to other countries; satellite earth stations - Orbita and
INTELSAT (TV receive only)
:Uzbekistan Defense Forces
Branches:
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard; CIS
Forces (Ground, Air and Air Defense)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18)
annually
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
:Vanuatu Geography
Total area:
14,760 km2
Land area:
14,760 km2; includes more than 80 islands
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,528 km
Maritime claims:
(measured from claimed archipelagic baselines)
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds
Terrain:
mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Natural resources:
manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and
woodland 1%; other 91%
Environment:
subject to tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism
causes minor earthquakes
Note:
located 5,750 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about
three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Australia