Features of the relief and minerals of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a country with a great natural and resource potential. About one hundred names of mineral raw materials are extracted here. This article will deal with the features of the relief, minerals of Uzbekistan and their use in the economy of the country.

Where is Uzbekistan?

Uzbekistan is one of the former Soviet republics, which gained its independence in 1991. Today it is an independent state in Central Asia, in the interfluve of the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. The configuration of its modern borders is quite complicated. From west to east Uzbekistan stretched for 1400 kilometers, and from north to south - about 900 km. By area (447.4 thousand square kilometers), the republic is comparable to such a European country as Sweden.

Uzbekistan has no outlet to the World Ocean and borders on five states. This is Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. With Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan divides the water area of the Aral Sea-Lake, which today is referred to as the former. In the middle of the last century, the area of the reservoir began to decline rapidly, in particular, due to the predatory intake of water from the Amudarya and Syr Darya for agriculture.

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 the channels of the largest rivers of the country - the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya.

Next, we will talk about the relief and minerals of Uzbekistan. Is there a mountain in this country? And what is extracted from its depths?

Features of the relief of Uzbekistan

The nature of Uzbekistan combines both plains, and mountain, and desert landscapes. In terms of relief, the territory of this country is divided into two parts: the mountainous eastern and low western. This feature is clearly visible on the physical map below.

In the west, Uzbekistan spurs the Ustyurt plateau. The northern and central regions of the country are occupied by the Turan lowland and the Kyzylkum desert. Only in the east and southeast of Uzbekistan one can see elevations and mountain ranges: Hissar, Kuramin, Turkestan, Ugam, Nuratau and others.

There are valleys between the mountain ranges of Uzbekistan. One of them is called Fergana, is in the extreme north-east of the country and extends more than 300 kilometers in length. On three sides the valley is surrounded by mountains.

The territory of Uzbekistan is characterized by a sufficiently high seismicity. Underground pushes 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

On the territory of two Central Asian states (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) is the Gissar range. Its highest point is the peak of Khazret-Sultan (4643 meters). The same mountain is the highest peak of all Uzbekistan.

Earlier, in Soviet times, the peak bore an inexpressive name - the name of 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 Khodja Ahmed Yasavi. Hazret-Sultan is one of his nicknames.

Mount Khazret-Sultan is not so high (as, for example, Elbrus or Everest), but very difficult to access. The first ascent to its peak was made in 1964, but no documents or photographs of this conquest were preserved. In subsequent years, attempts to go to this mountain did not always end successfully. From the territory of Uzbekistan, all exits to the peak are extremely difficult, so the summit is most often stormed by the neighboring state - Tajikistan.

Minerals of Uzbekistan: briefly about the general reserves

Uzbekistan ranks 11th in the world in terms of gas production and 7th in gold mining. In addition, in the bowels of this country contains about 4% of the world's uranium reserves.

Mineral resources of the state are extremely diverse. The minerals of Uzbekistan are more than 100 names and about 2700 different deposits. Domestic raw materials are operated by local electric power, black, and also non-ferrous metallurgy.

In general, the ten major minerals in Uzbekistan are as follows:

• oil;
• natural gas;
• coal;
• Uranus;
• gold;
• copper;
• silver;
• tungsten;
• antimony;
• potassium salt.

In addition, in the vicinity of Samarkand has long been extracted 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 amount of explored reserves of the country's mineral resources is (in money terms) approximately three trillion US dollars.

Fuel-energy minerals of Uzbekistan: oil, gas and coal

The total reserves of natural gas (geological) in the bowels of Uzbekistan are more than 5 trillion cubic meters, oil - about 5 billion tons. However, according to economists, oil fields in the country are almost depleted. Natural gas also lasts for a short time - 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 in the plains where there is a powerful cover of sedimentary rocks. The largest gas deposits in the country: Uchkur, Zevardi, Gazli. Uzbek gas is exported and processed at several plants within the country. From it, in particular, they receive valuable raw materials for the chemical industry and the production of mineral fertilizers.

Among the solid minerals of Uzbekistan, coal is of great importance. Its main deposits are confined to the mountain regions of the country. Virtually all coal extracted from the bowels of Uzbekistan, is spent on the needs of local electric power industry.

Extraction of gold and uranium in Uzbekistan

According to the gold reserves, Uzbekistan is on the honorable fourth place in the world. Annually about 90 tons of this precious metal are mined here. To date, there are 41 gold deposits in Uzbekistan. Nine of them are actively mining. The lion's share in the production of Uzbek gold is provided by the Navoi Combine (NMMC). Its structure includes one mining factory and five metallurgical plants in different cities of the country.

According to reserves and volumes of gold mining and uranium ore, Uzbekistan occupies one of the leading places among the countries of Asia. At the moment, 40 uranium deposits have been explored in the republic. There are no nuclear power plants on the territory of Uzbekistan. Therefore, all uranium concentrate extracted here is exported.