ABSTRACT
Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia with a total area of 447,400 km2. It is bordered on the north by Kazakhstan, on the east by the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, and on the south by Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Geopolitically, the country is divided into 12 provinces (viloyats) and the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan, which is located in the far west of the country near the Aral Sea. The country is divided into three distinct agro-ecological zones:
• the desert (Kyzylkum), steppe and semi-arid region – covering 60% of the country and located mainly in the central and western parts of the country;
• the fertile valleys that skirt the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, including the Ferghana valley; and
• the mountainous areas in the east with peaks at about 4,500 m above sea level (Tien Shan and Gissaro-Alay mountain ranges).
