Editing Geography of Uzbekistan

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
[[Image:Uzbekistan 1995 CIA map.jpg|thumb|Detailed map of Uzbekistan, 1995]][[Uzbekistan]] is a country in [[Central Asia]], located north of [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Afghanistan]]. With an area of approximately 448,900 square kilometers, Uzbekistan stretches {{convert|1425|km|abbr=on}} from west to east and {{convert|930|km|abbr=on}} from north to south.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Lubin |first1=Nancy |chapter=Kazakstan: Physical Environment |pages=401–406 |editor1-last=Curtis |editor1-first=Glenn Eldon |title=Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan: Country Studies |date=1997 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |isbn=978-0-8444-0938-2 |oclc=36364151 |lccn=97005110 }}</ref> It borders Turkmenistan to the southwest, [[Kazakhstan]] to the north and [[Tajikistan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]] to the south and east.<ref name=":0" /> Uzbekistan also has [[Regions of Uzbekistan#Enclaves and exclaves|four small exclaves]] in Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian state to border all of the other four.<ref name=":0" /> Uzbekistan also shares a short border with [[Afghanistan]] to the south.<ref name=":0" /> As the [[Caspian Sea]] is an inland sea with no direct link to the oceans, Uzbekistan is one of only two "doubly [[landlocked]]" countries—countries completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. The other is [[Liechtenstein]].

==Topography and drainage==
[[Image:Uzbekistan Topography.png|thumb|right|Topography of Uzbekistan]]
The physical environment of Uzbekistan is diverse, ranging from the flat, desert topography that comprises almost 80% of the country's territory to mountain peaks in the east reaching about {{convert|4,500|m|ft}} above sea level.<ref name=":0" /> The southeastern portion of Uzbekistan is characterized by the foothills of the [[Tian Shan]] mountains, which rise higher in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and form a natural border between Central Asia and China.<ref name=":0" /> The vast [[Kyzyl Kum|Qizilqum]] (Turkic for "red sand"—Russian spelling [[Kyzyl Kum]]) Desert, shared with southern [[Kazakhstan]], dominates the northern lowland portion of Uzbekistan.<ref name=":0" /> The most fertile part of Uzbekistan, the [[Fergana Valley]], is an area of about {{convert|21,440|km2|mi2}} directly east of the Qizilqum and surrounded by mountain ranges to the north, south, and east.<ref name=":0" /> The western end of the valley is defined by the course of the [[Syr Darya]], which runs across the northeastern sector of Uzbekistan from southern Kazakhstan into the Qizilqum.<ref name=":0" /> Although the Fergana Valley receives just {{convert|100|to|300|mm|in}} of rainfall per year, only small patches of desert remain in the center and along ridges on the periphery of the valley.<ref name=":0" />

Water resources, which are unevenly distributed, are in short supply in most of Uzbekistan.<ref name=":0" /> The vast plains that occupy two-thirds of Uzbekistan's territory have little water, and there are few lakes.<ref name=":0" /> The two largest rivers feeding Uzbekistan are the [[Amu Darya]] and the [[Syr Darya]], which originate in the mountains of [[Tajikistan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]], respectively.<ref name=":0" /> These rivers form the two main river basins of [[Central Asia]]; they are used primarily for irrigation, and several artificial canals have been built to expand the supply of arable land in the [[Fergana Valley]] and elsewhere.<ref name=":0" /> During the Soviet Era, a plan was devised in which Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan provided water from these two rivers to [[Kazakhstan]], [[Turkmenistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]] in summer, and these three countries provided Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with oil and gas during the winter in return.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} However, this system dissolved after the collapse of the [[USSR]], and a new resource-sharing plan has yet to be put in place.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} According to the [[International Crisis Group]], this situation could lead to irreparable regional destabilization if it is not resolved.<ref>International Crisis Group. "[http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/central-asia/233-water-pressures-in-central-asia.pdf Water Pressures in Central Asia]", [http://www.crisisgroup.org CrisisGroup.org]. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.</ref> A shallow lake, [[Sarygamysh Lake]], sits on the border with Turkmenistan.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Another important feature of Uzbekistan's physical environment is the significant seismic activity that dominates much of the country.<ref name=":0" /> Indeed, much of Uzbekistan's capital city, [[Tashkent]], was destroyed in a major [[1966 Tashkent earthquake|earthquake in 1966]], and other earthquakes have caused significant damage before and since the Tashkent disaster.<ref name=":0" /> The mountain areas are especially prone to earthquakes.<ref name=":0" />

==Climate==
[[File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_v2_UZB_1991–2020.svg|thumb|right|200px|Uzbekistan map of Köppen climate classification]]
Uzbekistan's climate has sometimes been broadly described as [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] and [[humid continental climate|humid continental]], meaning that it has both relatively hot summers and relatively cool winters.<ref name=":0" /> However, only a small area in eastern Uzbekistan is classified as Mediterranean and humid continental under the [[Köppen climate classification]]. A vast majority of its total area — including all of the sparsely-populated western and central regions — is classified as either [[cold desert]] (Köppen ''BWk'') or [[cold steppe]] (''BSk'').

Summer temperatures often surpass {{convert|40|°C}};<ref name=":0" /> winter temperatures average between {{convert|-1|°C}} and {{convert|-3|°C}},<ref name="climate">{{cite web |title=World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal |url=https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/uzbekistan/climate-data-historical#:~:text=Summers%20are%20long%2C%20hot%20and,C%20between%20December%20and%20February. |website=climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org |publisher=World Bank Group |access-date=22 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> but may fall as low as {{convert|-40|°C}}.<ref name=":0" /> Most of the country also is quite [[arid]], with average annual rainfall amounting to between {{convert|100|and|200|mm|in|1|sp=us}} and occurring mostly in winter and spring.<ref name=":0" /> Between June and September, little precipitation falls, essentially stopping the growth of vegetation during that period of time.<ref name=":0" />

{{Weather box
|location = Tashkent (1981–2010, extremes 1881–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed = yes
|width = auto 
| Jan record high C = 22.6
| Feb record high C = 27.0
| Mar record high C = 32.5
| Apr record high C = 36.4
| May record high C = 39.9
| Jun record high C = 43.0
| Jul record high C = 44.6
| Aug record high C = 43.1
| Sep record high C = 40.0
| Oct record high C = 37.5
| Nov record high C = 31.6
| Dec record high C = 27.3
|year record high C = 44.6
| Jan high C = 6.9
| Feb high C = 9.4
| Mar high C = 15.2
| Apr high C = 22.0
| May high C = 27.5
| Jun high C = 33.4
| Jul high C = 35.6
| Aug high C = 34.7
| Sep high C = 29.3
| Oct high C = 21.8
| Nov high C = 14.9
| Dec high C = 8.8
| year high C = 21.6
| Jan mean C = 1.9
| Feb mean C = 3.9
| Mar mean C = 9.3
| Apr mean C = 15.5
| May mean C = 20.5
| Jun mean C = 25.8
| Jul mean C = 27.8
| Aug mean C = 26.2
| Sep mean C = 20.6
| Oct mean C = 13.9
| Nov mean C = 8.5
| Dec mean C = 3.5
|year mean C = 14.8
| Jan low C = −1.5
| Feb low C = 0.0
| Mar low C = 4.8
| Apr low C = 9.8
| May low C = 13.7
| Jun low C = 18.1
| Jul low C = 19.7
| Aug low C = 18.1
| Sep low C = 13.0
| Oct low C = 7.8
| Nov low C = 4.1
| Dec low C = 0.0
| year low C = 9.0
| Jan record low C = −28.0
| Feb record low C = −25.6
| Mar record low C = −16.9
| Apr record low C = −6.3
| May record low C = −1.7
| Jun record low C = 3.8
| Jul record low C = 8.2
| Aug record low C = 5.7
| Sep record low C = 0.1
| Oct record low C = −11.2
| Nov record low C = −22.1
| Dec record low C = −29.5
| year record low C = −29.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 53.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 63.8
| Mar precipitation mm = 70.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 62.3
| May precipitation mm = 41.2
| Jun precipitation mm = 14.3
| Jul precipitation mm = 4.5
| Aug precipitation mm = 1.3
| Sep precipitation mm = 6.0
| Oct precipitation mm = 24.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 43.9
| Dec precipitation mm = 58.9
| year precipitation mm = 444.4
| Jan humidity = 73
| Feb humidity = 68
| Mar humidity = 61
| Apr humidity = 60
| May humidity = 53
| Jun humidity = 40
| Jul humidity = 39
| Aug humidity = 42
| Sep humidity = 45
| Oct humidity = 57
| Nov humidity = 66
| Dec humidity = 73
| year humidity = 56
| Jan precipitation days = 14
| Feb precipitation days = 13
| Mar precipitation days = 14
| Apr precipitation days = 12
| May precipitation days = 11
| Jun precipitation days = 7
| Jul precipitation days = 4
| Aug precipitation days = 3
| Sep precipitation days = 3
| Oct precipitation days = 7
| Nov precipitation days = 10
| Dec precipitation days = 12
| year precipitation days = 110
| Jan snow days = 9
| Feb snow days = 7
| Mar snow days = 2
| Apr snow days = 0
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 1
| Nov snow days = 2
| Dec snow days = 6
| year snow days = 27
| Jan sun = 117.3
| Feb sun = 125.3
| Mar sun = 165.1
| Apr sun = 216.8
| May sun = 303.4
| Jun sun = 361.8
| Jul sun = 383.7
| Aug sun = 365.8
| Sep sun = 300.9
| Oct sun = 224.8
| Nov sun = 149.5
| Dec sun = 105.9
| year sun = 2820.3
|source 1 = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan<ref>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155530/http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| archive-date = 15 December 2019
| url = http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| title = Average monthly data about air temperature and precipitation in 13 regional centers of the Republic of Uzbekistan over period from 1981 to 2010
| publisher = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzhydromet)
| access-date = 15 December 2019}}</ref>
|source 2 = Pogoda.ru.net (mean temperatures/humidity/snow days 1981–2010, record low and record high temperatures),<ref name = tashkentPogoda >
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155717/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/38457.htm
| archive-date = 15 December 2019
| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/38457.htm
| title = Weather and Climate-The Climate of Tashkent
| publisher = Weather and Climate
| language = ru
| access-date = 15 December 2019}}</ref> [[NOAA]] (mean monthly sunshine hours, 1961–1990)<ref name=NOAATashkent>
{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_II/UZ/38457.TXT
| title = Tashkent Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = 12 February 2017}}</ref> OGIMET<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=38457&ano=2021&mes=1&day=16&hora=12&min=0&ndays=30 |title=38457: Tashkent (Uzbekistan) |publisher=OGIMET |access-date=16 January 2021 |date=16 January 2021}}</ref>
|date=March 2014}}

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Samarkand (1981–2010, extremes 1936–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed = yes
| Jan record high C = 23.2
| Feb record high C = 26.7
| Mar record high C = 32.2
| Apr record high C = 36.2
| May record high C = 39.5
| Jun record high C = 41.4
| Jul record high C = 42.4
| Aug record high C = 41.0
| Sep record high C = 38.6
| Oct record high C = 35.2
| Nov record high C = 31.5
| Dec record high C = 27.5
|year record high C = 42.4
| Jan high C = 6.9
| Feb high C = 9.2
| Mar high C = 14.3
| Apr high C = 21.2
| May high C = 26.5
| Jun high C = 32.2
| Jul high C = 34.1
| Aug high C = 32.9
| Sep high C = 28.3
| Oct high C = 21.6
| Nov high C = 15.3
| Dec high C = 9.2
|year high C = 
| Jan mean C = 1.9
| Feb mean C = 3.6
| Mar mean C = 8.5
| Apr mean C = 14.8
| May mean C = 19.8
| Jun mean C = 25.0
| Jul mean C = 26.8
| Aug mean C = 25.2
| Sep mean C = 20.1
| Oct mean C = 13.6
| Nov mean C = 8.4
| Dec mean C = 3.7
|year mean C = 14.3
| Jan low C = −1.7
| Feb low C = −0.5
| Mar low C = 4.0
| Apr low C = 9.4
| May low C = 13.5
| Jun low C = 17.4
| Jul low C = 19.0
| Aug low C = 17.4
| Sep low C = 12.8
| Oct low C = 7.2
| Nov low C = 3.5
| Dec low C = −0.2
|year low C = 
| Jan record low C = −25.4
| Feb record low C = −22.0
| Mar record low C = −14.9
| Apr record low C = −6.8
| May record low C = −1.3
| Jun record low C = 4.8
| Jul record low C = 8.6
| Aug record low C = 7.8
| Sep record low C = 0.0
| Oct record low C = −6.4
| Nov record low C = −18.1
| Dec record low C = −22.8
|year record low C = −25.4
|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 41.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 46.2
| Mar precipitation mm = 68.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 60.5
| May precipitation mm = 36.3
| Jun precipitation mm = 6.1
| Jul precipitation mm = 3.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 1.2
| Sep precipitation mm = 3.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 16.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 33.9
| Dec precipitation mm = 47.0
|year precipitation mm = 
| Jan humidity = 76
| Feb humidity = 74
| Mar humidity = 70
| Apr humidity = 63
| May humidity = 54
| Jun humidity = 42
| Jul humidity = 42
| Aug humidity = 43
| Sep humidity = 47
| Oct humidity = 59
| Nov humidity = 68
| Dec humidity = 74
|year humidity = 59
| Jan precipitation days = 14
| Feb precipitation days = 14
| Mar precipitation days = 14
| Apr precipitation days = 12
| May precipitation days = 10
| Jun precipitation days = 5
| Jul precipitation days = 2
| Aug precipitation days = 1
| Sep precipitation days = 2
| Oct precipitation days = 6
| Nov precipitation days = 9
| Dec precipitation days = 12
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan snow days = 9
| Feb snow days = 7
| Mar snow days = 3
| Apr snow days = 0.3
| May snow days = 0.1
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0.3
| Nov snow days = 2
| Dec snow days = 6
|year snow days = 28
| Jan sun = 132.9
| Feb sun = 130.9
| Mar sun = 169.3
| Apr sun = 219.3
| May sun = 315.9
| Jun sun = 376.8
| Jul sun = 397.7
| Aug sun = 362.3
| Sep sun = 310.1
| Oct sun = 234.3
| Nov sun = 173.3
| Dec sun = 130.3
|year sun = 2953.1
|source 1 = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan<ref>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155530/http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| archive-date = 15 December 2019
| url = http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| title = Average monthly data about air temperature and precipitation in 13 regional centers of the Republic of Uzbekistan over period from 1981 to 2010
| publisher = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzhydromet)
| access-date = 15 December 2019}}</ref>
|source 2 = Pogoda.ru.net (mean temperatures/humidity/snow days 1981–2010, record low and record high temperatures),<ref name = Pogodasamarkand >
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161206180636/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/38696.htm
| archive-date = December 6, 2016
| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/38696.htm
| title = Weather and Climate-The Climate of Samarkand
| publisher = Weather and Climate (Погода и климат)
| language = ru
| access-date = December 15, 2019
}}</ref> [[NOAA]] (sun, 1961–1990)<ref name= NOAASamarqand>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_II/UZ/38696.TXT
| title = Samarkand Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = December 6, 2016}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Qarshi (1981–2010)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes 
| Jan high C = 8.7
| Feb high C = 11.8
| Mar high C = 17.2
| Apr high C = 24.5
| May high C = 30.8
| Jun high C = 36.4
| Jul high C = 38.1
| Aug high C = 36.5
| Sep high C = 31.2
| Oct high C = 24.3
| Nov high C = 17.3
| Dec high C = 10.6
| year high C = 
| Jan low C = -1.0
| Feb low C = 0.6
| Mar low C = 5.3
| Apr low C = 11.0
| May low C = 15.9
| Jun low C = 20.3
| Jul low C = 22.2
| Aug low C = 19.7
| Sep low C = 13.7
| Oct low C = 8.0
| Nov low C = 4.2
| Dec low C = 0.4
| year low C = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 32.5
| Feb precipitation mm = 35.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 52.5
| Apr precipitation mm = 32.6
| May precipitation mm = 19.3
| Jun precipitation mm = 1.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 0.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 0.1
| Sep precipitation mm = 1.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 5.4
| Nov precipitation mm = 21.9
| Dec precipitation mm = 32.9
| year precipitation mm = 
| Jan precipitation days = 11
| Feb precipitation days = 11
| Mar precipitation days = 12
| Apr precipitation days = 9
| May precipitation days = 7
| Jun precipitation days = 2
| Jul precipitation days = 1
| Aug precipitation days = 0
| Sep precipitation days = 1
| Oct precipitation days = 4
| Nov precipitation days = 7
| Dec precipitation days = 10
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan humidity = 79
| Feb humidity = 74
| Mar humidity = 72
| Apr humidity = 64
| May humidity = 48
| Jun humidity = 33
| Jul humidity = 30
| Aug humidity = 33
| Sep humidity = 38
| Oct humidity = 48
| Nov humidity = 62
| Dec humidity = 78
| year humidity = 66
|source 1 = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan<ref>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155530/http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| archive-date = 15 December 2019
| url = http://www.meteo.uz/api/v2/climate_en.csv
| title = Average monthly data about air temperature and precipitation in 13 regional centers of the Republic of Uzbekistan over period from 1981 to 2010
| publisher = Centre of Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzhydromet)
| access-date = 15 December 2019}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (humidity)<ref name = QarshiDWD>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_388120_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Karshi (Karschi) / Usbekistan
| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 16 December 2019}}</ref>
}}

==Environmental problems==
[[Image:Uzbekistan.A2003034.0845.250m.jpg|thumb|Uzbekistan, February 2003. Red dots indicate wildfires.]]
[[File:Water Stress, Top Countries (2020).svg|thumb|Uzbekistan is the seventh most water stressed country in the world.]]
Despite Uzbekistan's rich and varied natural environment, decades of environmental neglect in the Soviet Union have combined with skewed economic policies in the Soviet south to make Uzbekistan one of the gravest of the CIS's many environmental crises.<ref name=":0" /> The heavy use of agrochemicals, diversion of huge amounts of irrigation water from the two rivers that feed the region, and the chronic lack of water treatment plants are among the factors that have caused health and environmental problems on an enormous scale.<ref name=":0" />

Environmental devastation in Uzbekistan is best exemplified by the catastrophe of the [[Aral Sea]].<ref name=":0" /> Because of diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya for cotton cultivation and other purposes, what once was the world's fourth largest inland sea has shrunk in the past thirty years to only about one-third of its 1960 volume and less than half its 1960 geographical size.<ref name=":0" /> The desiccation and salinization of the lake have caused extensive storms of salt and dust from the sea's dried bottom, wreaking havoc on the region's agriculture and ecosystems and on the population's health.<ref name=":0" /> Desertification has led to the large-scale loss of plant and animal life, loss of arable land, changed climatic conditions, depleted yields on the cultivated land that remains, and destruction of historical and cultural monuments.<ref name=":0" /> Every year, many tons of salts reportedly are carried as far as 800 kilometers away.<ref name=":0" /> Regional experts assert that salt and dust storms from the Aral Sea have raised the level of particulate matter in the Earth's atmosphere by more than 5%, seriously affecting global climate change.<ref name=":0" />

The Aral Sea disaster is only the most visible indicator of environmental decay, however.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] approach to environmental management brought decades of poor water management and lack of water or sewage treatment facilities; inordinately heavy use of [[pesticide]]s, [[herbicide]]s, [[defoliant]]s, and [[fertilizer]]s in the fields; and construction of industrial enterprises without regard to human or environmental impact.<ref name=":0" /> Those policies present enormous environmental challenges throughout Uzbekistan.<ref name=":0" />

;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 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

===Water pollution===
Large-scale use of chemicals for cotton cultivation, inefficient irrigation systems, and poor drainage systems are examples of the conditions that led to a high filtration of salinized and contaminated water back into the soil.<ref name=":0" /> Post-Soviet policies have become even more dangerous; in the early 1990s, the average application of chemical fertilizers and insecticides throughout the Central Asian republics was 20 to 25 kilograms per hectare, compared with the former average of three kilograms per hectare for the entire Soviet Union.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, the supply of fresh water has received further contaminants.<ref name=":0" /> Industrial pollutants also have damaged Uzbekistan's water.<ref name=":0" /> In the Amu Darya, concentrations of phenol and oil products have been measured at far above acceptable health standards.<ref name=":0" /> In 1989 the Minister of Health of the Turkmen SSR described the Amu Darya as a sewage ditch for industrial and agricultural waste substances.<ref name=":0" /> Experts who monitored the river in 1995 reported even further deterioration.<ref name=":0" />

In the early 1990s, about 60% of pollution control funding went to water-related projects, but only about half of cities and about one-quarter of villages have sewers.<ref name=":0" /> Communal water systems do not meet health standards; much of the population lacks drinking water systems and must drink water straight from contaminated irrigation ditches, canals, or the Amu Darya itself.<ref name=":0" />

According to one report, virtually all the large underground fresh-water supplies in Uzbekistan are polluted by industrial and chemical wastes.<ref name=":0" /> An official in Uzbekistan's Ministry of Environment estimated that about half of the country's population lives in regions where the water is severely polluted.<ref name=":0" /> The government estimated in 1995 that only 230 of the country's 8,000 industrial enterprises were following pollution control standards.<ref name=":0" />

===Air pollution===
Poor water management and heavy use of agricultural chemicals also have polluted the air.<ref name=":0" /> Salt and dust storms and the spraying of pesticides and defoliants for the cotton crop have led to severe degradation of air quality in rural areas.<ref name=":0" />

In urban areas, factories and auto emissions are a growing threat to air quality.<ref name=":0" /> Fewer than half of factory smokestacks in Uzbekistan are equipped with filtration devices, and none has the capacity to filter gaseous emissions.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, a high percentage of existing filters are defective or out of operation.<ref name=":0" /> Air pollution data for Tashkent, Farghona, and Olmaliq show all three cities exceeding recommended levels of nitrous dioxide and particulates.<ref name=":0" /> High levels of heavy metals such as lead, nickel, zinc, copper, mercury, and manganese have been found in Uzbekistan's atmosphere, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, waste materials, and ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy.<ref name=":0" /> Especially high concentrations of heavy metals have been reported in Toshkent Province and in the southern part of Uzbekistan near the Olmaliq Metallurgy Combine.<ref name=":0" /> In the mid-1990s, Uzbekistan's industrial production, about 60% of the total for the Central Asian nations excluding Kazakhstan, also yielded about 60% of the total volume of Central Asia's emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.<ref name=":0" /> Because automobiles are relatively scarce, automotive exhaust is a problem only in Tashkent and Farghona.<ref name=":0" />

===Land and Soil Pollution===
The reduction of water in Uzbekistan has resulted in [[soil degradation]], and the spread of the salt from the evaporated Aral Sea has contaminated the surrounding soil.  The soil has lost much of its water due to the increased surface irrigation.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-8960-2 |title=Environmental Problems of Central Asia and their Economic, Social and Security Impacts |series=NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security |date=2008 |isbn=978-1-4020-8959-6 }}{{pn|date=November 2024}}</ref> The irrigation of farmlands with water from the Aral Sea has resulted in increased salinization of the soil, causing the farmland to be less productive and the destruction of a large portion of farmable land.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bekturganov |first1=Zakir |last2=Tussupova |first2=Kamshat |last3=Berndtsson |first3=Ronny |last4=Sharapatova |first4=Nagima |last5=Aryngazin |first5=Kapar |last6=Zhanasova |first6=Maral |title=Water Related Health Problems in Central Asia—A Review |journal=Water |date=24 May 2016 |volume=8 |issue=6 |pages=219 |doi=10.3390/w8060219 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The amount of grasslands in Uzbekistan has gradually decreased mainly due to over-grazing and [[climate change]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Yue |last2=Wang |first2=Zhaoqi |last3=Li |first3=Jianlong |last4=Gang |first4=Chencheng |last5=Zhang |first5=Yanzhen |last6=Zhang |first6=Ying |last7=Odeh |first7=Inakwu |last8=Qi |first8=Jiaguo |title=Comparative assessment of grassland degradation dynamics in response to climate variation and human activities in China, Mongolia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan from 2000 to 2013 |journal=Journal of Arid Environments |date=December 2016 |volume=135 |pages=164–172 |doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.09.004 }}</ref> About 62.6% of the land in Uzbekistan is used for agriculture with 51.7% of that land used for permanent pasture.<ref>"The World Factbook: UZBEKISTAN." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.</ref>

The soil has been polluted by mining and smelting activities due to the spread of metals and other pollutants by wind.  Smelter ash contaminated soil causes environmental risks such as reduction of [[soil respiration]], contamination of microbial biomass, and negatively effecting trophic interactions. Many species of animals are sensitive to metal pollution and are directly exposed to it by living off of the land that has been polluted by the mining and smelting activities. The metals polluting the land and soil include copper, gold, lead, silver, metallic zinc, and others.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shukurov |first1=Nosir |last2=Kodirov |first2=Obidjon |last3=Peitzsch |first3=Mirko |last4=Kersten |first4=Michael |last5=Pen-Mouratov |first5=Stanislav |last6=Steinberger |first6=Yosef |title=Coupling geochemical, mineralogical and microbiological approaches to assess the health of contaminated soil around the Almalyk mining and smelter complex, Uzbekistan |journal=Science of the Total Environment |date=April 2014 |volume=476-477 |pages=447–459 |doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.01.031 |pmid=24486500 }}</ref> An example is the metallurgical complex at Almalik in Uzbekistan that manufactures metals and has waste storage sites in surrounding areas, which pollute the soil, groundwater, and air with high amounts of copper, zinc, arsenic, lead, and cadmium. The mining complexes in Uzbekistan have created toxic waste that has spread through the land, groundwater, air, waterways, and soil.<ref name=maylya>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-9538-8_4 |chapter=A Review of Central Asian Trans-border Issues Associated with Environmental Problems and Hazard Mitigation |title=Environmental Security of the European Cross-Border Energy Supply Infrastructure |series=NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security |date=2015 |last1=Mavlyanova |first1=N. G. |last2=Denisov |first2=I. |last3=Lipatov |first3=V. |pages=49–60 |isbn=978-94-017-9537-1 }}</ref>

The soil in Uzbekistan is also polluted by [[industrial waste]]. The improper handling and disposal of industrial waste has polluted the land in Uzbekistan and other countries in Central Asia.<ref name=maylya/> The evaporation of the Aral Sea exposed [[Vozrozhdeniya Island]], also known as Resurrection Island, to the land and environment in Uzbekistan when the island transformed into a large peninsula. At Resurrection Island, the land and soil was polluted with weaponized and genetically modified pathogens due to a secret biological weapons program carried out by the Soviet military. The island was decontaminated by the Russian military, Government of Uzbekistan, and U.S. experts because of the health and environmental dangers it could have caused with its new connection to the land.<ref name=micklin>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-02356-9 |title=The Aral Sea |date=2014 |isbn=978-3-642-02355-2 |editor-last1=Micklin |editor-last2=Aladin |editor-last3=Plotnikov |editor-first1=Philip |editor-first2=N.V. |editor-first3=Igor }}{{pn|date=November 2024}}</ref>

===Government environmental policy===

The government of Uzbekistan has acknowledged the extent of the country's environmental problems,<ref name=":0" /> and it has made a commitment to address them in its [[Biodiversity Action Plan]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} But the governmental structures to deal with these problems remain confused and ill-defined.<ref name=":0" /> Old agencies and organizations have been expanded to address these questions, and new ones have been created, resulting in a bureaucratic web of agencies with no generally understood commitment to attack environmental problems directly.<ref name=":0" /> Various nongovernmental and grassroots environmental organizations also have begun to form, some closely tied to the current government and others assuming an opposition stance.<ref name=":0" /> For example, environmental issues were prominent points in the original platform of Birlik, the first major opposition movement to emerge in Uzbekistan.<ref name=":0" /> By the mid-1990s, such issues had become a key concern of all opposition groups and a cause of growing concern among the population as a whole.<ref name=":0" />

In the first half of the 1990s, many plans were proposed to limit or discourage economic practices that damage the environment.<ref name=":0" /> Despite discussion of programs to require payments for resources (especially water) and to collect fines from heavy polluters, however, little has been accomplished.<ref name=":0" /> The obstacles are a lack of law enforcement in these areas, inconsistent government economic and environmental planning, corruption, and the overwhelming concentration of power in the hands of a president who shows little tolerance of grassroots activity.<ref name=":0" />

International donors and Western assistance agencies have devised programs to transfer technology and know-how to address these problems.<ref name=":0" /> But the country's environmental problems are predominantly the result of abuse and mismanagement of natural resources promoted by political and economic priorities.<ref name=":0" /> Until the political will emerges to regard environmental and health problems as a threat not only to the government in power but also to the very survival of Uzbekistan, the increasingly grave environmental threat will not be addressed effectively.<ref name=":0" />

The Government of Uzbekistan joined forces with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan in 1992 to form the [[Aral Sea#Institutional bodies|International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea]] (IFAS) and in 1993 to form the Interstate Council on the Problems of the Aral Sea Basin (ICAS).  The ICAS was formed to work with the World Bank in order to improve the conditions of the Aral Sea, but was disbanded in 1997 to form IFAS.<ref name=micklin/>

The Uzbekistan government along with NGOs and U.S. international donors has been working to help improve the health conditions in Uzbekistan since the 1990s. This has led to improvements in drinking water.  The World Bank and United Nations have also been involved in preparing possible solutions for the environmental problems in Uzbekistan. The World Bank worked with the countries in the Aral Sea Basin to form the Aral Sea Basin Assistance Program (ASBP) in the early 1990s.  The main roles of the ASBP were the rehabilitation of the Aral Sea area that was destroyed through evaporation, the planning and management of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, and the construction of institutions to plan and implement the rehabilitation and management of the water resources surrounding the Aral Sea.  The World Bank also formed the Water and Environmental Management Project in 1998 that was funded by both the World Bank and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).  The program was funded by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Asian Development Bank, as well as the governments of a few countries.  Other groups that contributed to the rehabilitation and management of the Aral Sea include the European Union, the United Nations, UNESCO, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Science for Peace program.<ref>United Nations.  Second National Communication of the Republic of Uzbekistan under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Rep. Tashkent: Centre of Hydrometeorological Service under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, n. d. Web.</ref>

==Area and boundaries==
;Area:
:*total: 447,400&nbsp;km²
:**''country rank in the world:'' 56th
:*land: 425,400&nbsp;km²
:*water: 22,000&nbsp;km²

;Area — comparative:
:* same size as [[Morocco]]
:* slightly smaller than [[Sweden]]
:* Australia comparative: slightly less than twice the size of [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]
:* Canada comparative: slightly smaller than the [[Yukon]]
:* United Kingdom comparative: approximately {{sfrac|5|6}} larger than the United Kingdom
:* United States comparative: slightly larger than [[California]]
:* [[European Union|EU]] comparative: slightly less than {{sfrac|1|1|2}} times the size of [[Italy]]

;Land boundaries:
:*Total: 6,221&nbsp;km
:*Border countries: [[Afghanistan]] (137&nbsp;km), [[Kazakhstan]] (2,203&nbsp;km), [[Kyrgyzstan]] (1,099&nbsp;km), [[Tajikistan]] (1,161&nbsp;km), [[Turkmenistan]] (1,621&nbsp;km)

;Coastline:
:*0&nbsp;km (landlocked)

;Maritime claims: 
:*None. 
:**Note: Uzbekistan is one of only two countries ([[Liechtenstein]]) in the world that are ''doubly [[landlocked]]''.

;Elevation extremes:
:*Lowest point: [[Sarygamysh Koli|Sariqarnish Kuli]] −{{convert|12|m|ft}} below sea level.
:*Highest point: [[Alpomish|Alpomish Peak]], {{convert|4668|m|ft}}<ref name="pb">[https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=130621 "Alpomish" on Peakbagger]. Retrieved 2024-08-30.</ref>

==Resources and land uses==
;Natural resources: [[natural gas]], [[petroleum]], [[coal]], [[gold]], [[uranium]], [[silver]], [[copper]], [[lead]] and [[zinc]], [[tungsten]], [[molybdenum]]

;Land use:
:*arable land: 9.61%
:*permanent crops: 0.8%
:*other: 89.58% (2011)

;Irrigated land:
:*41,980&nbsp;km² (2005)

;Total renewable water resources:
:*48.87&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (2011)

;Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
:*total: 56&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>/yr (7%/3%/90%)
:**per capita: 2,113 m<sup>3</sup>/yr (2005)

==References==
*{{CIA World Factbook}}
{{reflist}}

{{coord|41|00|N|64|00|E|type:country|display=title}}
{{Geography of Asia}}
{{Asia topic|Climate of}}

[[Category:Geography of Uzbekistan| ]]

[[bn:উজবেকিস্তান#ভূগোল]]