Physiographic regionalisation divides Uzbekistan into parts with similar nature — districts (okrugs). A district is a unified area with similar relief, geology, climate, waters, soils and vegetation. Regionalisation is needed for sensible land use, for placing farming, for setting up nature reserves and for tackling environmental problems. Describe each district with the same plan: position → relief and minerals → climate → waters → soils and vegetation → economy and problems. Exams usually give a description and ask you to name the district.
Mountain and foothill districts get more precipitation, give rise to rivers, show clear altitudinal belts and are densely populated. Lowland districts have a desert climate; rivers cross them or end in them, and oases line the rivers.
District boundaries follow natural lines — mountain ranges, watersheds, rivers and chinks — so they do not always match regional (administrative) boundaries. A district is usually named after the main feature that defines its nature: a river, valley, desert or plateau. Studying these names with a map is the easiest way to remember the districts.
§2. Chirchik-Akhangaran and Fergana districts
Chirchik-Akhangaran — the ranges of the Western Tien Shan (Chatkal, Kurama, Pskem, Ugam) and the Chirchik and Akhangaran valleys between them. The mountains catch moist air from the west, making it one of the wettest districts. Resources: Angren coal and non-ferrous ores near Almalyk (copper, zinc, lead). The Charvak Reservoir and the hydroelectric stations on the Chirchik. Protected areas: the Chatkal Reserve and the Ugam-Chatkal National Park. Tashkent lies here.
Fergana — a large intermontane basin surrounded by mountains on all sides. Adyr foothills fringe it; sands (Yazyavan) and salt flats lie in the centre. The Syr Darya forms here from the Naryn and the Kara Darya. The mountains shelter it from cold air, so the climate is relatively mild. Strong winds blow through the narrow gaps at the entrance (Kokand) and exit (Bekabad). There are oil and gas fields, the Great Fergana Canal and the Andijan Reservoir. The population is very dense and farming intensive.
Worked example
Description: "The district lies in a basin surrounded by mountains; sands and salt flats in the centre; a major river begins here; strong winds at the entrance and exit." Which district is it?
A basin surrounded by mountains is the Fergana Valley.
The major river beginning here is the Syr Darya (Naryn + Kara Darya).
The winds at the entrance and exit are the Kokand and Bekabad winds.
Answer: the Fergana district.
§3. Middle Zarafshan, Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya districts
Middle Zarafshan — the Zarafshan Valley between the Turkestan and Zarafshan ranges; the Samarkand oasis. The valley is broad and fertile and has been a farming centre since ancient times. The Kattakurgan Reservoir.
Kashkadarya — the western slopes of the Hissar Range and the wide Karshi Steppe. Natural gas fields (Shurtan, Mubarek) make it one of the republic’s main gas areas. The Karshi Main Canal brings Amu Darya water to the steppe; the Chimkurgan and Talimarjan reservoirs. The Kitab Geological Reserve.
Surkhandarya — a basin enclosed by the Hissar Range and the Baysuntau and Kugitang mountains and open to the south. The mountains block cold northern air, so it is the hottest district (around Termez), with warm winters. Subtropical crops grow here (long-staple cotton, pomegranates, persimmons). Uzbekistan’s highest point, Khazret Sultan (4,643 m, Hissar Range), lies on its border.
Worked example
A station on the Ustyurt has −8 °C in January and +27 °C in July; Termez has +3 °C and +31 °C (approximate values). Which district’s climate is more continental?
Ustyurt range: 27 − (−8) = 35 °C.
Termez range: 31 − 3 = 28 °C.
The place with the larger range is more continental.
Answer: the Ustyurt — an open plateau with no barrier to cold northern air.
§4. Mirzachul, Lower Zarafshan and Kyzylkum districts
Mirzachul (Golodnaya or "Hungry" Steppe) — an old alluvial plain on the left bank of the Syr Darya. The water table is close to the surface, so the land is prone to salinisation. It was widely brought into cultivation in the twentieth century with the South Mirzachul Canal and collector-drainage networks. The Aydar-Arnasay lakes lie nearby.
Lower Zarafshan — the Bukhara and Karakul oases, where the Zarafshan’s water runs out. The Amu-Bukhara Canal brings Amu Darya water. The Gazli gas field. Karakul sheep take their name from this oasis.
Kyzylkum — the largest district: sandy desert with barchans and hummocky sands, among which rise residual mountains (Tamdytau, Bukantau and others). These hold rich ores: Muruntau gold and Uchkuduk uranium. Saxaul woodland and karakul pastures. Precipitation is very low, summers scorching and winters cold.
Worked example
Description: "Low residual mountains rise from a sandy desert; gold and uranium are mined in them; karakul sheep graze the pastures." Which district is it?
Sandy desert with residual mountains points to the Kyzylkum.
Gold (Muruntau) and uranium (Uchkuduk) are Kyzylkum deposits.
Answer: the Kyzylkum district.
§5. Lower Amu Darya, Ustyurt and Aral districts
Lower Amu Darya — the lower course and delta of the Amu Darya: the Khorezm and Karakalpak oases. Tugai forests (Euphrates poplar, oleaster, tamarisk) line the river; the Baday-Tugai Reserve. The Tuyamuyun Reservoir. Rice and cotton growing are developed. The water table is shallow, so salinisation is a major problem.
Ustyurt — a high plateau between the Aral and the Caspian, bounded by steep escarpments called chinks. It is farthest from the ocean and open to the north, so it has the coldest winters and an extremely continental climate. Stony, gypsum desert. There are gas fields. Population is very sparse.
Aral — a new desert on the dried sea bed, the Aralkum: salt flats and sands from which salt-and-dust storms rise. It is a zone of environmental crisis. Saxaul is being planted on the dry bed to fix the sand.
§6. A key for comparing districts
Hottest — Surkhandarya; coldest winter — Ustyurt; largest — Kyzylkum; wettest — Chirchik-Akhangaran and mountain areas; environmental crisis — Aral
Key words in a description:
"basin + winds + a river begins" — Fergana;
"plateau + chinks + cold winter" — Ustyurt;
"delta + tugai + rice" — Lower Amu Darya;
"residual mountains + gold + uranium" — Kyzylkum;
"subtropical crops + hottest" — Surkhandarya;
"gas + Karshi Steppe" — Kashkadarya;
"coal + non-ferrous metals + heavy precipitation" — Chirchik-Akhangaran;