MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Uzbekistan
Index
One of Uzbekistan's most abundant and strategic resources is gold.
Before 1992, Uzbekistan accounted for about one-third of Soviet gold
production, at a time when the Soviet Union ranked third in world gold
production. The Muruntau Gold Mine, about 400 kilometers northwest of
Tashkent in the Qizilqum Desert, is estimated to be the largest gold mine
in the world, and other gold reserves are located in the Chadaq area of
the Fergana Valley, on the southern slopes of the Qurama Mountains. In
1992, a reported 80 tons of gold were mined in Uzbekistan, making it the
eighth largest producer of gold in the world. Fluorospar, the most
important source of fluorine, is mined at Tuytepa between Olmaliq and
Tashkent. In the region of Olmaliq, southeast of Tashkent, are deposits of
copper, zinc, lead, tungsten, and molybdenum that are used in the
well-developed metallurgical processing industries centered in
northeastern Uzbekistan. Uranium is mined and processed on the slopes of
the Chatkal and Qurama ranges that surround the Fergana Valley.
Data as of March 1996
|
|
