Karakalpakstan,[a] officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan,[b] is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. It spans the northwestern portion of Uzbekistan. Its capital is Nukus (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 of Khwarazm, which in classical Persian literature was known as Kāt (کات).
The name Karakalpakstan means "land of the Karakalpaks". Although most Karakalpaks reside in Uzbekistan, Karakalpak culture and language are closer to those of the Kazakhs and Noghais.[4]
History
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 50 Khorezm fortresses which were constructed here. The Karakalpak people, who used to be nomadic herders and fishers, were first recorded by foreigners in the 16th century.[6] Karakalpakstan was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Khanate of Khiva in 1873.[7]
The region was probably at its most prosperous in the 1960s and 1970s, when irrigation from the Amu Darya was being expanded.[citation needed] However, the evaporation of the Aral 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 and Syr 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]
Geography
Karakalpakstan is now mostly desert and is located in western Uzbekistan near the Aral 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. The Kyzyl Kum Desert is located to the east and the Karakum Desert is located to the south. A rocky plateau extends west to the Caspian Sea.[5]
Politics
Autonomous status
Its predecessor, the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, was an autonomous republic in the Soviet Union until its incorporation into the Uzbek 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 shares veto power with Uzbekistan over decisions concerning its affairs. According to the constitution, 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 74, 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 nationwide referendum held by the people of Karakalpakstan."[citation needed]
In July 2022, large protests broke out in the region over a proposed constitutional change which would strip Karakalpakstan of its autonomy.[14][15] The proposed change was later scrapped in response to the demonstrations.[16]
The population is estimated 1,948,488 (2022), with 51% living in rural areas.[17][18]
In 2007, it was estimated that about 400,000 of the population are of the Karakalpak ethnic group, 400,000 are Uzbeks and 300,000 are Kazakhs.[6] Though 95% of Karakalpaks reside in Uzbekistan,[19] mostly in Karakalpakstan, the Karakalpak language is closer to Kazakh than to Uzbek.[20] The language was written in a modified Cyrillic in Soviet times and has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1996.
The crude birth rate is 2.2%: approximately 39,400 children were born in 2017. Nearly 8,400 people died in the same period. The crude death rate is 0.47%. The natural growth rate is 31,000, or 1.72%.
The median 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:
Nationality
1926 (people)
%
1939 (people)
%
1959 (people)
%
1970 (people)
%
1979 (people)
%
1989 (people)
%
Total
304 539
100.00%
469 702
100.00%
510 101
100.00%
702 264
100.00%
905 500
100.00%
1 212 207
100.00%
Uzbeks
84 099
27.62%
116 054
24.71%
146 783
28.78%
212 597
30.27%
285 400
31.52%
397 826
32.82%
Karakalpaks
116 125
38.13%
158 615
33.77%
155 999
30.58%
217 505
30.97%
281 809
31.12%
389 146
32.10%
Kazakhs
85 782
28.17%
129 677
27.61%
133 844
26.24%
186 038
26.49%
243 926
26.94%
318 739
26.29%
Turkmens
9686
3.18%
23 259
4.95%
29 225
5.73%
37 547
5.35%
48 655
5.37%
60 244
4.97%
Russians
4924
1.62%
24 969
5.32%
22 966
4.50%
25 165
3.58%
21 287
2.35%
19 846
1.64%
Koreans
7347
1.56%
9956
1.95%
8958
1.28%
8081
0.89%
9174
0.76%
Tatars
884
0.29%
4162
0.89%
6177
1.21%
7619
1.08%
7617
0.84%
7767
0.64%
Ukrainians
621
0.20%
3130
0.67%
2201
0.43%
2316
0.33%
2005
0.22%
2271
0.19%
Bashkirs
29
0.01%
381
0.08%
571
0.11%
854
0.12%
920
0.10%
1090
0.09%
Kyrgyz
277
0.09%
181
0.04%
177
0.03%
400
0.06%
1955
0.22%
867
0.07%
Moldovans
10
0.00%
16
0.00%
57
0.01%
343
0.04%
632
0.05%
Belarusians
30
0.01%
214
0.05%
328
0.06%
517
0.07%
852
0.09%
567
0.05%
other
2072
0.68%
1697
0.36%
1874
0.37%
2691
0.38%
2650
0.29%
4038
0.33%
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1979
904,315
—
1989
1,214,000
+2.99%
2000
1,503,000
+1.96%
2010
1,632,000
+0.83%
2020
1,898,351
+1.52%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
The economy of the region used to be heavily dependent on fisheries in the Aral Sea. It is now supported by cotton, rice, and fruits, such as plums, pears, grapes, and apricots, in addition to all kinds of melons. Hydroelectric power comes from a large Soviet-built station on the Amu Darya, which was once heavily populated and supported extensive irrigation based agriculture for thousands of years. Under the Khorezm, the area attained considerable power and prosperity.
However, climate change over the centuries, accelerated by human induced evaporation of the Aral 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 by fertilizer and pesticide 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 of anemia, respiratory diseases and other health problems has risen dramatically.[22]
Administrative divisions
The autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan consists of 16 districts (listed below) and one district-level city: Nukus (number 1 on map).[3]
Journalists can face intimidation in the region, for example Lola Kallikhanova has been questioned by police, and prosecuted.[26] This treatment of Kallikhanova and other journalists was condemned by the Coalition for Women in Journalism.[27]
Radio
In 2009, the first radio station of Karakalpakstan was opened, in Nukus. Named 'Nukus FM,' the station broadcasts on radio frequency 100.4 MHz.[citation needed]
Television
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.[28]
^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.
Karakalpakstan State Anthem of the Republic of Karakalpakstan Oltinkoʻl, Karakalpakstan List of chairmen of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan Flag of Karakalpakstan Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan 2022 Karakalpak protests Emblem of Karakalpakstan Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan Nukus Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Xalıqabat Karatau, Karakalpakstan Boʻston Karakalpakia (town)