note:
administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions and alternate spellings have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Uzbekistan is a dry, double-landlocked country of which 10% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. It is one of two double-landlocked countries in the world - the other being Liechtenstein.
Uzbekistan was one of the poorest areas of the former Soviet Union with more than 60% of its population living in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's third largest cotton exporter, a major producer of gold and natural gas, and a regionally significant producer of chemicals and machinery.
Following independence in December 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Faced with high rates of inflation, however, the government began to reform in mid-1994, by introducing tighter monetary policies, expanding privatization, slightly reducing the role of the state in the economy, and improving the environment for foreign investors. The state continues to be a dominating influence in the economy, and reforms have so far failed to bring about much-needed structural changes. The IMF suspended Uzbekistan's $185 million standby arrangement in late 1996 because of governmental steps that made impossible fulfillment of Fund conditions. Uzbekistan has responded to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian financial crises by tightening export and currency controls within its already largely closed economy. Economic policies that have repelled foreign investment are a major factor in the economy's stagnation. A growing debt burden, persistent inflation, and a poor business climate cloud growth prospects in 2000.
Uzbekistan News.net News from agencies around the world related to Uzbekistan and other countries of the Central Asial. http://www.uzbekistannews.net/
Uzbekistan News Digest E-mail list for the exchange of information and distribution of news items covering ongoing developments in today's Uzbekistan. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uzbek-news/
UzReport News related to business, finance, investments and economics. http://www.uzreport.com/eng/index.cfm
Mazlum Organization dedicated to protecting the human rights of people in Uzbekistan. http://home.wyith.ch/mazlumuz.org/mazlumuz.htm
Muslim Uzbekistan Contains the latest social, political, and human rights developments in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, and their analysis and facts. http://www.muslimuzbekistan.com/eng/english.html
News from Uzbekistan Uzbekistan's news, government staff, economic and criminal statistics, media, hotel and aircompany list. http://uzland.narod.ru/
Uzbekistan News - Topix.net News on Uzbekistan continually updated from thousands of sources around the net. http://www.topix.net/world/uzbekistan
RFE/RL Uzbek Service : News Daily news, analysis and Real Audio broadcasts covering the developments in Uzbekistan, Transcaucasia and Central Asia, prepared by the staff of Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty. http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/uzbekistan.html
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
