republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
theocratic republic
Independence date
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Religions
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%
Languages
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%
Exports
cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets
External Debt
$8,570,000,000 $
$17,900,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,317 (2008 est.), 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004)
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 9,142.8 (2008 est.), 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1 (2006), 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004) note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.500%
2.500%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
2
Location
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
Area
447,400 km sq
1,648,195 km sq
Coastline
0 km
2,440 km
Climate
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
