Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia, located north of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. With an area of approximately 447,000 square kilometers, Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 km (885 mi) from west to east and 930 km (580 mi) from north to south.^[1] It borders Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan to the north and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east.^[1] Uzbekistan also has four small exclaves in Turkmenistan.

Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian state to border all of the other four.^[1] Uzbekistan also shares a short border with Afghanistan to the south.^[1] As the Caspian Sea is an inland sea with no direct link to the oceans, Uzbekistan is one of only two "doubly landlocked" countries—countries completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. The other is Liechtenstein.

Topography and drainage

The physical environment of Uzbekistan is diverse, ranging from the flat, desert topography that comprises almost 80% of the country's territory to mountain peaks in the east reaching about 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) above sea level.^[1] The southeastern portion of Uzbekistan is characterized by the foothills of the Tian Shan mountains, which rise higher in neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and form a natural border between Central Asia and China.^[1] The vast Qizilqum (Turkic for "red sand"—Russian spelling Kyzyl Kum) Desert, shared with southern Kazakhstan, dominates the northern lowland portion of Uzbekistan.^[1] The most fertile part of Uzbekistan, the Fergana Valley, is an area of about 21,440 square kilometres (8,280 sq mi) directly east of the Qizilqum and surrounded by mountain ranges to the north, south, and east.^[1] The western end of the valley is defined by the course of the Syr Darya, which runs across the northeastern sector of Uzbekistan from southern Kazakhstan into the Qizilqum.^[1] Although the Fergana Valley receives just 100 to 300 millimetres (3.9 to 11.8 in) of rainfall per year, only small patches of desert remain in the center and along ridges on the periphery of the valley.^[1]

Water resources, which are unevenly distributed, are in short supply in most of Uzbekistan.^[1] The vast plains that occupy two-thirds of Uzbekistan's territory have little water, and there are few lakes.^[1] The two largest rivers feeding Uzbekistan are the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, which originate in the mountains of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, respectively.^[1] These rivers form the two main river basins of Central Asia; they are used primarily for irrigation, and several artificial canals have been built to expand the supply of arable land in the Fergana Valley and elsewhere.^[1] During the Soviet Era, a plan was devised in which Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan provided water from these two rivers to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in summer, and these three countries provided Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with oil and gas during the winter in return.^{[citation needed]} However, this system dissolved after the collapse of the USSR, and a new resource-sharing plan has yet to be put in place.^{[citation needed]} According to the International Crisis Group, this situation could lead to irreparable regional destabilization if it is not resolved.^[2] A shallow lake, Sarygamysh Lake, sits on the border with Turkmenistan.^{[citation needed]}

Another important feature of Uzbekistan's physical environment is the significant seismic activity that dominates much of the country.^[1] Indeed, much of Uzbekistan's capital city, Tashkent, was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1966, and other earthquakes have caused significant damage before and since the Tashkent disaster.^[1] The mountain areas are especially prone to earthquakes.^[1]

Climate

Uzbekistan's climate has sometimes been broadly described as Mediterranean and humid continental, meaning that it has both relatively hot summers and relatively cool winters.^[1] However, only a small area in eastern Uzbekistan is classified as Mediterranean and humid continental under the Köppen climate classification. A vast majority of its total area — including all of the sparsely-populated western and central regions — is classified as either cold desert (Köppen BWk) or cold steppe (BSk).

Summer temperatures often surpass 40 °C (104 °F);^[1] winter temperatures average between −1 °C (30 °F) and −3 °C (27 °F),^[3] but may fall as low as −40 °C (−40 °F).^[1] Most of the country also is quite arid, with average annual rainfall amounting to between 100 and 200 millimeters (3.9 and 7.9 in) and occurring mostly in winter and spring.^[1] Between June and September, little precipitation falls, essentially stopping the growth of vegetation during that period of time.^[1]