Uzbekistan is among the world’s leading cotton producers. It is known for its orchards and vineyards and is also important for raising Karakul sheep and silkworms. Uzbekistan’s mineral and oil and gas reserves are substantial. The country produces and exports a large volume of natural gas. The central bank issues the national currency, the sum.

Resources The country’s resources include metallic ores; in the Olmaliq (Almalyk) mining belt in the Kurama Range, copper, zinc, lead, tungsten, and molybdenum are extracted. Uzbekistan possesses substantial reserves of natural gas, oil, and coal. The country consumes large amounts of its natural gas, and gas pipelines link its cities and stretch from Bukhara to the Ural region in Russia as well. Surveys show petroleum resources in the Fergana Valley (including major reserves in the Namangan area), in the vicinity of Bukhara, and in Karakalpakstan. The modern extraction of coal began to gain importance, especially in the Angren fields, only during World War II. Hydroelectric dams on the Syr Darya, the Naryn, and the Chirchiq rivers help augment the country’s nuclear-, coal-, and petroleum-powered generation of electricity. Centuries-old rumours of extensive gold deposits in Uzbekistan evidently arose from a basis in fact. Rich polymetallic ores have been found in the Ohangaron (Akhangaran) field southeast of Tashkent. Miners there extract copper, some gold, lead, molybdenum, tungsten, and zinc. A plant for heat-leaching gold from low-grade ore was built in the mid-1990s by a subsidiary of the Newmont Mining Corporation in the Muruntau field in the Kyzylkum Desert of north-central Uzbekistan. It was intended to be a joint venture with the government, but Newmont Mining Corporation’s share was forfeited in a legal battle in 2007. Uzbekistan requires greater water resources. By the early 1980s the government considered the shortage of water desperate. Officials in Moscow and Tashkent developed a plan to divert substantial amounts of water out of the Irtysh River far to the north into a pumped system that would aid in watering parts of lower Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The project was killed, however, before it began, leaving Uzbekistan with chronic water shortages.

Agriculture Ample sunlight, mild winters of short duration, fertile irrigated soil, and good pastures make Uzbekistan suitable for cattle raising and the cultivation of cotton. Irrigation has fallen into disfavour owing to the depletion of the great rivers, and the construction of new irrigation systems has been prohibited or curtailed. Already existing grand canals include the Great Fergana, Northern Fergana, Southern Fergana, and Tashkent. Several large artificial lakes and reservoirs have been created on the Zeravshan and other rivers. Britannica Quiz Which Country Is Larger? Quiz In addition to the high and stable cotton yield in this most northerly of the great cotton regions of the world, growers have raised silkworms systematically since the 4th century. The silkworms are fed mulberry leaves from the many trees planted along streets and ditches. The Fergana Valley is especially noted for silk production. Varieties of melons, apricots, pomegranates, berries, apples, pears, cherries, and figs grow abundantly, as do vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and greens. Uzbekistan’s grapes are made into wine or raisins or are eaten fresh. Fruits and vegetables are sold both in the bazaars of Tashkent, Samarkand, Fergana, and other localities and in trade with neighbouring states. Korean agriculturalists cultivate rice along the middle Syr Darya. Sheep are the principal livestock.

Industry Uzbekistan is the main producer of machinery and heavy equipment in Central Asia. The republic manufactures machines and equipment for cotton cultivation, harvesting, and processing and for use in the textile industry, irrigation, and road construction. This emphasis on making machinery also makes ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy important. The first metallurgical plant began operation at Bekobod in 1946. Light industry includes tea-packing plants and factories for garment making.

Trade The leading exports from Uzbekistan consist largely of extracted natural resources or raw materials—cotton, natural gas, oil, coal, silk, fruit, and Karakul pelts. Some fresh produce reaches Moscow and other northern markets. Manufactured goods such as machines, cement, textiles, and fertilizer are also exported. Uzbekistan’s largest sources of imports are China, Russia, South Korea, and Kazakhstan. Its main export destinations are Switzerland, China, Turkey, and Kazakhstan.

As the capital of post-Soviet Russia, Moscow was at the center of the country’s historic transformation. In the decade following the Soviet collapse, many historical buildings, especially churches, underwent a sweeping renovation on a scale without precedent in the city’s history. Foreign investment contributed to the proliferation of Western-style supermarkets, car dealerships, restaurants, and casinos. As in other parts of Russia, industrial output dropped sharply, but unemployment in Moscow never exceeded 3 percent. A financial crisis in 1998 caused bank failures in Moscow, as well as a devaluation of the Russian currency, yet Moscow’s economy rebounded in one year’s time. In fact, living standards improved, wages rose, and inflation was reduced to the single digits. On the other hand, criminal activity, including organized crime, increased significantly.

In October 1993 violence broke out in the city when members of the Russian parliament launched an armed revolt against the government of Pres. Boris Yeltsin. Many lives were lost when the rebels attempted to occupy the television tower and studios at Ostankino. The Russian military bombarded the parliament building and eventually put down the revolt. In 1999, bombings in Moscow and other Russian cities killed dozens of people. The government attributed the bombings to Chechen separatists. Moreover, a three-day crisis ensued when a group of armed Chechen rebels held hundreds hostage in a Moscow theater in October 2002. The building was stormed by Russian troops, and most hostages were released, but 129 of them died as a result of a gas released into the building to end the siege. Another violent attack thought to be linked to a militant group in the Caucasus occurred in March 2010, when two suicide bombings killed more than three dozen people in the Moscow Metro.

Moscow entered the 21st century giving the impression of success in the midst of the controversy that has seemingly been endemic to Russia’s postcommunist transition. The city’s major problems include traffic congestion, a shortage of housing, an increase in gang violence, ethnic tensions, and a shrinking working-age population. The burgeoning real estate market has made the cost of living in Moscow substantially higher than in other Russian regions, and many suburbs are dominated by upscale single-family homes. In the early 21st century the earning power of wealthy Muscovites grew significantly, widening the gap between the city’s rich and poor.

Yet, despite these problems, the city’s splendour continues to bedazzle. The Russian Orthodox Church reopened its network of museums for the first time since the early 1900s, and pedestrian routes created around Moscow’s greatest sites are intended to increase tourism. Overall, Moscow remains the most appealing city for Russians, offering high-quality services, educational institutes, and abundant salaries.