republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
republic
Independence date
1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
Religions
Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)
Languages
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Exports
cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
External Debt
$8,570,000,000 $
$2,684,000,000,000 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)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6689 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.500%
1.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
6
28
Location
Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Area
447,400 km sq
301,340 km sq
Coastline
0 km
7,600 km
Climate
mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
