Environment - current issues: drying up 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 salinization; soil contamination from agricultural chemicals, including DDT
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world
@Uzbekistan:People
Population: 23,467,724 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39% (male 4,609,766; female 4,474,481) 15-64 years: 57% (male 6,593,525; female 6,703,482) 65 years and over : 4% (male 421,609; female 664,861) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.35% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 24.02 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.63 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)