Karakalpakstan,[a] officially theRepublic of Karakalpakstan,[b] is anautonomous republic ofUzbekistan. It spans the northwestern portion of Uzbekistan. Its capital isNukus (Nókis /Нөкис). Karakalpakstan has an area of 166,590 km2 (64,320 sq mi),[3] and has a population of about 2 million people. Its territory covers the classical land ofKhwarazm, which in classicalPersian literature was known asKāt (کات).
The nameKarakalpakstan means "land of theKarakalpaks". Although most Karakalpaks reside in Uzbekistan, Karakalpak culture and language are closer to those of theKazakhs andNogais.[4]
Ancient fortress ofKyzyl-Kala (1st–4th century AD), under restoration (2018)
From about 500 BC to 500 AD, the region of what is now Karakalpakstan was a thriving agricultural area supported by extensive irrigation.[5] It was strategically important territory and fiercely contested, as is seen by the more than 50Khorezm fortresses which were constructed here. TheKarakalpak people, who used to be nomadic herders and fishers, were first recorded by foreigners in the 16th century.[6] Karakalpakstan was ceded to theRussian Empire by theKhanate of Khiva in 1873.[7]
The region was probably at its most prosperous in the 1960s and 1970s, when irrigation from theAmu Darya was being expanded.[citation needed] However, the evaporation of theAral Sea has made Karakalpakstan one of Uzbekistan's poorest regions.[6]
The region is suffering from extensive drought, partly due to climate patterns, but also largely because the Amu Darya andSyr Darya rivers are mostly diverted in the eastern parts of Uzbekistan. Crop failures have deprived about 48,000 people of their main source of income and shortages of potable water have created a surge of infectious diseases.[9][needs update]
Karakalpakstan is now mostly desert and is located in western Uzbekistan near theAral Sea, in the lowest part of the Amu Darya basin.[10][9][11] It has an area of 164,900 km2[12] and is surrounded by desert. TheKyzyl Kum Desert is located to the east and theKarakum Desert is located to the south. A rocky plateau extends west to theCaspian Sea.[5]
Its predecessor, theKarakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, was an autonomous republic in the Soviet Union until its incorporation into theUzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932. The Republic of Karakalpakstan maintained its predecessor's formal sovereignty, even after the independence of Uzbekistan in 1990.[13] Karakalpakstan sharesveto power with Uzbekistan over decisions concerning its affairs. According to theconstitution, relations between Karakalpakstan and Uzbekistan are "regulated by treaties and agreements" and any disputes are "settled by way of reconciliation". Its right to secede is limited by the veto power of Uzbekistan's legislature over any decision to secede.[12] Article 89, chapter XVII,Constitution of Uzbekistan, provides that: "The Republic of Karakalpakstan shall have the right to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of a nationwidereferendum held by the people of Karakalpakstan."[14][15]
In July 2022,large protests broke out in the region over a proposed constitutional change which would strip Karakalpakstan of its autonomy.[16][17] The proposed change was later scrapped in response to the demonstrations.[18]
On 1 July 2023, the population of Karakalpakstan was 1,986,900 people. It increased of 1.2% compared to the corresponding period of 2022. The number of men (997,800) slightly exceeded the number of women (989,100). There were slightly more people living in rural areas (1,015,500) than in urban areas (971,400).[19]
In 2007, it was estimated that about 400,000 of the population are of theKarakalpak ethnic group, 400,000 areUzbeks and 300,000 areKazakhs.[6] Though 95% of Karakalpaks reside in Uzbekistan,[20] mostly in Karakalpakstan, theKarakalpak language is closer toKazakh than toUzbek.[21] The language was written in a modifiedCyrillic in Soviet times and has been written in theLatin alphabet since 1996.
Thecrude birth rate is 2.2%: approximately 39,400 children were born in 2017. Nearly 8,400 people died in the same period. Thecrude death rate is 0.47%. The natural growth rate is 31,000, or 1.72%.
Themedian age was 27.7 years old in 2017, which is younger than the rest of Uzbekistan (median age of 28.5 countrywide). Men are 27.1 years old, while women are 28.2 years old.
Dynamics of the number and ethnic composition of the population of Karakalpakstan according to the All-Union censuses of 1926–1989:
The economy of the region used to be heavily dependent onfisheries in the Aral Sea. It is now supported bycotton,rice, and fruits, such as plums, pears, grapes, and apricots, in addition to all kinds of melons.Hydroelectric power comes from a largeSoviet-built station on theAmu Darya, which was once heavily populated and supported extensiveirrigation based agriculture for thousands of years. Under theKhorezm, the area attained considerable power and prosperity.
However,climate change over the centuries, accelerated by human induced evaporation of theAral Sea in the late 20th century has created a desolate scene in the region. The ancient oases of rivers, lakes, reed marshes, forests and farms are drying up and being poisoned by wind-borne salt and byfertilizer andpesticide residues from the dried bed of the Aral Sea. Summer temperatures have risen by 10 °C (18 °F) and winter temperatures have decreased by 10 °C (18 °F). The rates of incidence ofanemia,respiratory diseases and other health problems has risen dramatically.[23]
Journalists can face intimidation in the region, for exampleLola Kallikhanova has been questioned by police, and prosecuted.[27] This treatment of Kallikhanova and other journalists was condemned by theCoalition for Women in Journalism.[28]
In 2009, the first radio station of Karakalpakstan was opened, inNukus. Named 'Nukus FM', the station broadcasts onradio frequency 100.4 MHz.[citation needed]
Qaraqalpaqstan tеlеvideniesi is an Uzbek television channel that broadcasts to the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan. The channel airs programming in four languages, Karakalpak, Uzbek, Kazakh and Russian.[29]
^"The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan"(PDF).constitution.uz (Unofficial translation). 30 April 2023. p. 13. Retrieved15 July 2024.The Republic of Karakalpakstan shall have the right to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of a nation-wide referendum held by the people of Karakalpakstan.
^Birgit Schlyter (2012). "Language Policy and Language Development in Multilingual Uzbekistan". In Schiffman, Harold (ed.).Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors. Brill. p. 191.ISBN978-90-04-21765-2.
.jpg)
