Natural hazards: NA
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
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
Geography - note: along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world
People Uzbekistan
Population: 25,563,441 (July 2002 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate: 1.62% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 26.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.98 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)