respect of its geography, Uzbekistan that is located in the centre of the Central Asia covers most of the lands that extend between the River Oxus in the southwest and the Syr-Darya River in the northeast. Uzbekistan is surrounded with Kazakhstan in the north and northwest, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the east and southeast, Turkmenistan in the southwest, and a small section of Afghanistan in the south. Karakalpak Autonomous Region that was founded in the year of 1936 is also included within the boundaries of Uzbekistan.
Like in the Soviet period, the lands of Uzbekistan are divided into 12 provinces as administrative centres: Bokhara, Navii, Endican, Harezm, Surhanderya, Cizzak, Kaşkaderya, Namangan, Samarkand, Syr-Darya, Tashkent and Ferghana. Furthermore, there are 156 cities, 104 districts and 1254 villages in the country.
Uzbekistan that is one of the Central Asian Republics has a surface area of 447.600 square kilometres. It is the most crowded country of the region with its population that reaches to the figure of 22 millions. Uzbek people have been the third biggest nation following the Russians and Ukranians in the former USSR.
There are more than 60 ethnical groups in Ukranians. It is possible to observe some tribes such as Kongrat, Nayman, Kineges, Mangıt, Toyak, Saray, Barın, Üç Uruğ, Bugut, Arlat, Kanglı, Kırk, Bataş and Karakalpak, etc. within the Republic. However, the marriage relations among these tribes have been fairly restricted. The censuses conducted between the years of 1926-1939 before the 2nd World War had displayed that the population increase of the Muslim peoples was lower than the population increase of Slav rooted peoples and the other peoples in the entire country. There were radical changes in this situation after the war. Nowadays, Uzbekistan houses particularly the dynamic communities in respect of population increase. According to the recent determinations, the population of Uzbekistan is estimated as 21.6 millions of people. This population is composed of Uzbek people with the share of 69%, Russians with the rate of 9%, Tajik people with the rate of 4.7%, Kazakh people with the rate of 4.1%, Tatar people with the rate of 2.4%, Karakalpak people with the rate of 2.1% and the other ethnical groups with the rate of 7%.
The population of the Russian minority is much less in Uzbekistan when compared with the other Turkish Republics. The Russians live in big metropolises like Tashkent and they have dominant ranks and offices. The administrative personnel in Uzbekistan is generally composed of Uzbek people. However, Russians are charged in the places that necessitate technical know-how and specialisation. They are especially dominant in the sector of services. Although there has not been any significant conflict and fight between the Uzbeks and Russians, the ambiguity of the future led Uzbekistan to put its national currency into circulation in November 1993. The government of Uzbekistan resisted against the entitlement of dual citizenship for the Russian minority despite the pressure of Moscow. These events played an augmentative role that increased the inclination of migration that essentially existed among the Russian population.
It cannot be stated that the relations between Uzbek people and some ethnical groups are in harmony. As a matter of fact, there were bloody fights between the Uzbeks and Ahiska Turks in the year of 1989 and a group of Ahiska Turks had left the country. Similarly, there were serious events that took place between the Khirghiz people and Uzbeks in the Kyrgyzstan side of Ferghana River due to a conflict of land. These events also effected the relations with the Khirghiz people in Uzbekistan.
Most of the population of Uzbekistan is composed of Uzbek people and this condition is considered as a political power and also an element of stability in the country. This situation has also provided great facilities and opportunities for Kerimov for the adoption of Uzbek identity in the key positions that were equipped with the Russians in respect of administration and economy.
The population increase in Uzbekistan is fairly high and it is equal to the rates of the Third World countries. However, this situation brings forwards some negative effects in respect of particularly economy. For example; the increase of the population that has reached to the age of employment is above 90% in this country. Uzbekistan has a birth rate that is two times higher than the rate of the entire former USSR. This rate was determined as 68.6% in Uzbekistan between the years of 1970-1989. However, this rate was 18.6% in the USSR. It has been estimated that the population of Uzbekistan will have reached to the figure of 32-36 millions in the year of 2010. As a result of this population explosion, a concentrated settlement will increase in the fertile regions with the means of aquiculture and the land area per capita will decrease. It seems that it is not possible to resolve this problem through the policy of migrations. Actually, the migration rate of the settled population in the entire Central Asian region is approximately 25-30% of the general average rate. Fairly low migrations are observed in these regions and particularly the population in the rural areas is inactive. In addition, Uzbekistan has the highest urban population when compared with the other Central Asian Republics. This rate was determined as 41% between the years of 1979-1980. However, the event of the gradual decrease of urban population is still going on. Three-fourth of the people living in the rural areas that constitute 59% of the total population is composed of the people with Uzbek origin.
Uzbekistan covers the highest native population following Azerbaijan and it is the country that houses the least Russian population compared with the other republics. Although there are various ethnical groups in the country, Uzbek people that live in Tajikistan has the share of 7%, the Uzbeks that live in Kyrgyzstan has the share of 3.5%, and the Uzbeks that live in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan has the share of 2%. Furthermore, there are nearly 20 thousands of Uzbek people that live in Sincan Uighur Autonomous Region of China.
Karakalpak people that constitute nearly 2.1% of the population today come from a Turkish tribe close to Kazakh people. Karakalpakistan that is the region they live in was one of the regions of Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in April 1925. This region that attained its autonomous status on the date of 20th March 1932 was annexed to the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in December 1936.
Uzbekistan has a rich cultural and literary foundation that dates back to the very history. The most famous and well-known thinkers, men of letters, mathematicians and scientists of the Turkish world that were known all over the world were brought up and trained in the cities of Samarkand and Bokhara. This deep-rooted cultural inheritance that is not possessed by the other republics has provided a more powerful sense and conscience of national identity for the Uzbek people.
The literature that is called as Uzbek Literature today is the continuation the literature that developed as the common literature of the Turkish tribes in the Central Asia until the second half of 19th century and that was known mostly as Chagatai Literature in Turkey.
Uzbek people who have a very rich culture and literature have announced and declared the political pressures by means of their literature and they tried to invigorate their national sense and demands for independence. Besides, they have succeeded in the protection of their rich cultural wealth despite all of the destructive wars and the civil turmoils.