Uzbekistan is a country with great natural resource potential. About one hundred kinds of mineral raw materials are mined here. This article will discuss the features of the relief, minerals of Uzbekistan and their use in the country's economy.
Where is Uzbekistan located?
Uzbekistan is one of the former Soviet republics that gained its independence in 1991. Today it is an independent state in Central Asia, between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya. The configuration of its modern borders is quite complicated. Uzbekistan stretches for 1,400 kilometers from west to east, and about 900 kilometers from north to south. By area (447.4 thousand sq. Km.), The republic is comparable with such a European country as Sweden.
Uzbekistan has no access to the oceans and is bordered by five states. These are Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan shares with Kazakhstan the water area of the Aral Sea-lake, which today is already referred to as the former. In the middle of the last century, the area of the reservoir began to rapidly decline, in particular, due to the predatory abstraction of water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya for agricultural needs.
The climate of the country is sharply continental and arid. 70% of its territory is occupied by deserts. Life in Uzbekistan is concentrated near large cities, which, in turn, gravitate towards the Ferghana Valley, as well as to the channels of the country's largest rivers - the Amu Darya and Syr Darya.
Next we will talk about the relief and minerals of Uzbekistan. Are there mountains in this country? And what is extracted from its bowels?
Uzbekistan relief features
The nature of Uzbekistan combines plain, and mountain, and desert landscapes. In terms of relief, the territory of this country is conditionally divided into two parts: mountainous eastern and lowland western. This feature is clearly visible on the physical map below.
In the west, spurs of the Ustyurt plateau enter Uzbekistan . The northern and central regions of the country are occupied by the Turan lowland and the Kyzylkum desert. Only in the east and south-east of Uzbekistan can one see hills and mountain ranges: Gissar, Kuramin, Turkestan, Ugam, Nuratau and others.
Between the mountain ranges of Uzbekistan are valleys. One of them is called Ferghana, located in the far north-east of the country and extends over 300 kilometers in length. On three sides, the valley is surrounded by mountains.
The territory of Uzbekistan is characterized by a rather high seismicity. Tremors here often reach 7-9 points on the Richter scale. One of the last and most destructive earthquakes in this country occurred in 1966.
Hazret Sultan Peak in Uzbekistan
The Gissar Range passes through the territory of two Central Asian states (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). Its highest point is the peak of Hazret Sultan (4643 meters). The same mountain is the highest peak in all of Uzbekistan.
Earlier, in Soviet times, the peak was inexpressive - named after the XXII Party Congress of the CPSU. During the independence of Uzbekistan, the peak was renamed in honor of the famous poet of the Middle Ages, Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. Hazret Sultan is one of his nicknames.
Mount Hazret-Sultan is not so high (as, for example, Elbrus or Everest), but it is very difficult to access. The first ascent to its peak was carried out in 1964, but no documents or photographs of this conquest were preserved. In subsequent years, attempts to enter this mountain did not always end successfully. From the territory of Uzbekistan, all exits to the peak are extremely difficult, therefore the peak is most often stormed from the side of the neighboring state - Tajikistan.
Minerals of Uzbekistan: briefly on total reserves
Uzbekistan ranks 11th in the world in terms of gas production and 7th in gold production. In addition, the interior of this country contains about 4% of the world's uranium reserves.
Mineral resources of the state are extremely diverse. Minerals of Uzbekistan are more than 100 items and about 2700 different deposits. Local electric power, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy work on domestic raw materials.
In general, a dozen of the main minerals of Uzbekistan are as follows:
- oil;
- natural gas;
- coal;
- Uranus;
- gold;
- copper;
- silver;
- tungsten;
- antimony;
- potassium salt.
In addition, in the vicinity of Samarkand, it has long been extracted high-quality building materials: marble, limestone and gypsum. By and large, the deficit of minerals in Uzbekistan is observed only in one area - Khorezm. According to experts, the total volume of explored reserves of mineral resources of the country is equal (in monetary terms) to about three trillion US dollars.
Fuel and energy minerals of Uzbekistan: oil, gas and coal
The total reserves of natural gas (geological) in the bowels of Uzbekistan amount to over 5 trillion cubic meters, oil - about 5 billion tons. However, according to economists, oil fields in the country are almost depleted. Natural gas will also be enough for a short time - for about 30-40 years (while maintaining the current rate of consumption of this resource).
The main reserves of oil and natural gas in Uzbekistan are concentrated on the plains, where there is a powerful cover of sedimentary rocks. The largest gas deposits in the country: Uchkir, Zevardi, Gazli. Uzbek gas is exported and is also processed at several plants inside the country. From it, in particular, valuable raw materials are obtained for the chemical industry and the production of mineral fertilizers.
Among the solid minerals of Uzbekistan, coal is quite important. Its main deposits are confined to the mountainous regions of the country. Almost all of the coal extracted from the bowels of Uzbekistan is spent on the needs of the local electric power industry.
Gold and uranium mining in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is in the honorable fourth place in the world in gold reserves. About 90 tons of this precious metal are mined here annually. To date , 41 gold deposits are known in Uzbekistan . Nine of them are actively mining. The lion's share in the production of Uzbek gold is given by the Navoi Combine (NMMC). Its structure includes one mining factory and five metallurgical plants in different cities of the country.
In terms of reserves and volumes of gold and uranium ore mining, Uzbekistan occupies one of the leading places among Asian countries. At the moment, 40 uranium deposits have been explored in the republic. There are no nuclear power plants in Uzbekistan. Therefore, all uranium concentrate mined here is exported.