Geography
Central Asia and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is in the heart of Central Asia and in between the two largest rivers in Central Asia, Amu Darya and Syr Darya, which flow into the Aral Sea. Uzbekistan's former names derived from its location, as it was called "Transoxiana" (territory between two rivers) before the Arab invasion and "Maverannahr" (land beyond the river) by the Arabs(1) . Its strategic location made the area of high interest to the great civilizations of the past including the Mongol, Persian, Turkic and Arab populations. It served as the mediator between Europe and Asia, lying on the Great Silk Road. Especially during the Seventeenth Century, Central Asia was the buffer zone between Russian dominance from the North and British dominance from the South.
Territory
Central Asia and Uzbekistan in particular is mostly flat, arid grassland, steppe and desert (the south western part of the Kzyl Kum desert, which translates as "Red Sands"). The sister rivers, Amu Darya and Syr Darya both begin in the mountain regions of Tien-Shan and Hissar-Alai and fill the Aral Sea. The region and valleys between those two rivers are abundant in irrigation canals, and is the heart of Uzbekistan's ancient civilization. The ancient civilization rose from a territory encompassing six valleys, surrounded by desert. In contemporary Uzbekistan, this region is divided into Zaravshan, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Tashkent, Fergana and Khorezm valleys, which serve as the primary agricultural areas in the country. The land in Central Asia is very rich in minerals, and almost every strategic mineral can be found in Central Asia(2).
Climate
Uzbekistan's location makes its climate a continental one. There is little precipitation and temperatures range from 40 to 50 degrees Celcius in the summer and -7 to -37 degrees celcius in the winter (in the northern regions). However, Uzbekistan suffers from industrial pollution and faces one of the gravest ecological catastrophes linked with the drying of the Aral Sea.
Industry
Uzbekistan’s fertile and rich soil enables it to have great mineral wealth. It has been estimated that there are over seven hundred types of minerals found on Uzbekistan’s territory. Western economists estimate the wealth to be worth about $3 billion USD. Furthermore, Uzbekistan is among the world’s biggest gold producers, manufacturing about 70 metric tones of gold annually. Deposits of salt, aluminium, precious stones, uranium, gold, copper, silver and other rare metals can be found in large quantities. Uzbekistan’s geopolitical position enables it control over 70% of gas, 31% of oil, 40% of natural gas and 45% of coal in Central Asia.
1.Burghart Daniel, In the Tracks of Tamerlane: Central Asia’s path to
the 21st Century, pp 3
2.Burghart Daniel, In the Tracks of Tamerlane: Central Asia’s path to
the 21st Century, pp 5