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|pop =2733,727333,435333 (2020)|pop-basis =2009|gdp =$27.918 billion 60,000,000,000 (2020)

|gdp-pc =$1,026 800 (2020)

The '''Republic of Uzbekistan ''' is a [[totalitarian]] [[dictatorship]] in [[Central Asia]], a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and a former Soviet Socialist Republic. Its capital city is [[Tashkent]]. The first president [[Islam Karimov]] ruled the country from 1991 to 2016.

Uzbekistan shares borders with [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Afghanistan]]. In the north west northwest tip of Uzbekistan lies the [[Aral Sea]]. The largest city in this area is Nukus which was described in the Lonely Planet guide as the "saddest place on earth" due to the rapidly shrinking water supply of the Aral Sea, as well as its heavy pollution due to weapons testing. The Ferghana Valley is the most fertile and heavily populated area of Uzbekistan. Prominent cities include the historical city [[Kokand]] that was once the capital of the Kokand Dynasty and Ferghana. [[Samarkand]], [[Bukhara]] and [[Khiva]] are famous ancient cities.

The educational system has achieved 97% literacy, and the mean amount of schooling for both men and women is 11 years. However, due to budget constraints and other transitional problems following the collapse of the Soviet Union, texts and other school supplies, teaching methods, curricula, and educational institutions are outdated, inappropriate, and poorly kept. Additionally, the proportion of school-aged persons enrolled has been dropping. Although the government is concerned about this, budgets remain tight. Similarly, in health care, life expectancy is long, but after the breakup of the Soviet Union, health care resources have declined, reducing health care quality, accessibility, and efficiency. It is alleged as well that forced sterilization is taking place to prevent overpopulation and political unrest.<ref>httphttps://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/17/uzbekistan-haunting-tales-mass-sterilization-drive-curb-population-growth/</ref>

Terrorist bombings were carried out March 28-April 1, 2004 in Tashkent and Bukhara. It is not clear who committed the attacks, but Karimov assigned blame to Islamic extremists. In May 2005, [[2005 Andijon Uprisings|violence erupted ]] in the eastern Fergana valley city of Andijon following armed attacks against a prison, the local government headquarters, and other government facilities. These incidents, combined with mass demonstrations against the jailing of local men on charges of "Islamic extremism" escalated into violence when Uzbek troops responded to the protestors militants taking hostages in the square with gunfirearmed intervention. The civilian death toll from the violence has been estimated to be in the hundreds176 people died, though Uzbek authorities officially confirmed only 187 casualties. President Karimov identified the protestors as Islamic militants including 45 civilians and fundamentalists who provoked the government's violent response. Karimov's opponents believed the conflict was a product of the President's ongoing policy to suppress all forms of dissent in Uzbekistan31 soldiers.

Several prominent opponents of the government have fled, and others have been arrested. The government severely represses those it suspects of Islamic extremism, particularly those it suspects of membership in the banned Party of Islamic Liberation ([[Hizb ut-Tahrir)]]. Some 5,300 to 5,800 suspected extremists are incarcerated. This number fluctuates, as hundreds are amnestied periodically. Prison conditions remain very poor, particularly for those convicted of extremist activities, and a number of such prisoners are believed to have died over the past several years from prison disease and abuse. The police force and the intelligence service use torture as a routine investigation technique. Following the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Government of Uzbekistan in May 2003 drafted an action plan to implement the Special Rapporteur's recommendations. The government began heavily disorganized response to enact a number the Andijan uprisings from troops led to massive amounts of its provisionscriticism, but its violent actions in May 2005 in Andijon have been widely condemned by other nations and from human rights groupsand inside the Uzbekistani government. It continues to reject calls by the international community to allow an international, independent inquiry of the turbulent events.

The country is a founding member of and remains involved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in March 1998 by Tajikistan. In 2002, Uzbekistan joined the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which also includes Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In 2006, Uzbekistan joined the Eurasian Economic Community (EurASEC), comprising Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

==DefenseMilitary==Uzbekistan possesses the largest and most competent military forces in the Central Asian region, having around 65,000 people in uniform. Its structure is inherited from the Soviet armed forces, although it is moving rapidly toward a fully restructured organization, which will eventually be built around light and Special Forces. The Uzbek Armed Forces' equipment is not modern, and training, while improving, is neither uniform nor adequate yet for its new mission of territorial security. The government has accepted the arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union, acceded to the [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ]] (as a non-nuclear state), and has supported an active program by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to demilitarize and clean up former weapons of mass destruction-related facilities in western Uzbekistan (Nukus and Vozrozhdeniye Island), as well as to guard against the [[proliferation]] of radiological materials across its borders. The Government of Uzbekistan spends about 3.7% of GDP on the military.

Since Uzbekistan's independence, U.S. firms have invested roughly U.S. $500 million in Uzbekistan. 2006 was one of the worst years for foreign investment, especially U.S. Due to declining investor confidence, currency convertibility problems, and changes to Uzbek legislation, numerous international investors have left the country or are considering leaving. The Government of Uzbekistan declared bankrupt the Newmont Mining joint venture, the largest U.S. investor. Caterpillar Tractors pulled out in late 2006. Chevron-Texaco set up operations in 1992 and is focusing on producing lubricants for the Uzbek market. Coca -Cola, one of the largest U.S. franchises, weathered problems in previous years. No large, new investments have been made by U.S. firms in the last 5 years.   

 [[Category:Former Soviet Countries]][[Category:DictatorshipsUzbekistan]]