In 1992, the population in the country was over 21 million people. Of these, over 14 million are Uzbeks and about 1.65 million are Russians. Other minority ethnic groups include Tajiks, Kazakhs, Tatars, and Karakalpaks. Uzbekistan borders on Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and is close to Afghanistan and China. Products Uzbekistan is fifth in the world in cotton production and has high levels of silk production.
Cotton is viewed as a good hard-currency product.
Cotton production plays a primary employment role, much of the crop being painstakingly picked by hand. The cotton ball is the symbol of Uzbekistan with pictures of cotton balls often decorating tea sets, murals and chandeliers. Considerable amounts of fruit and vegetables are produced in Uzbekistan and there is an abundance of tomatoes. The produce markets and local bazaars feature seasonal fruit and vegetables including grapes, pears, watermelons, strawberries, nectarines, peaches, pomegranates, raspberries, apples, carrots, cucumbers, onions and potatoes. The country abounds in mineral resources and non-ferrous metals, and its territory holds oil deposits and a large supply of natural gas.