Uzbekistan, Republic of

The Republic of Uzbekistan, a double-landlocked country in Central Asia, shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south. The official language of Uzbekistan is Uzbek, and Russian is the language for international communication. Uzbekistan's capital is Tashkent, and the official currency is the Uzbekistani soum (UZS).

The Republic of Uzbekistan has an immensely rich heritage in terms of culture, art, and natural resources. The monuments that remain throughout the country bear witness to a long and eventful history in which Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane the Great all left their marks. The Uzbeks are descendants of nomadic Mongol tribes who mixed with the sedentary inhabitants of Central Asia during the 13th century. The Khanates of Khiva and Kokand and the Emirate of Bukhara ruled the region during the 18th and 19th centuries. Russia became increasingly interested in the region in the 18th century. This interest intensified in the 19th century as Russia and Britain competed for influence in a diplomatic and occasionally military struggle known as 'The Great Game'.

The Central Asian territories initially supported the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in hopes that they could achieve independence from Russia. However, support soon turned to fierce opposition from the nationalist Basmachi movement, and the Soviet forces were forced to withdraw. Soviet power was re-established in September 1919, although armed opposition continued into the early 1920s. On 27 October 1924, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (UzSSR) was created, and in May 1925 became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

There had been little industrial development in Central Asia under Tsarist rule, although some raw materials were extracted. During World War II, Uzbekistan's industrial base was enlarged by the re-location of factories from the war-zone. Post-war Soviet development policies focused on the exploitation of the country's raw materials, with particularly heavy investment in the production of cotton. By the late 1980s, the republic was producing 90% of the Soviet Union's cotton, one third of its gold, and half of its uranium.

Independent since 1991, Uzbekistan seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Uzbekistan is a dry, double-landlocked country of which 10% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. Around 50% of the population lives in densely populated rural communities. Energy supplies and hydrocarbons, including natural gas and petroleum, provide a significant share of exports. Other major export earners include cotton, food, services, and metals. Uzbekistan is now the world's eleventh-largest cotton exporter and sixth-largest producer.

PwC Uzbekistan has been serving clients in Uzbekistan since 1995, when it opened an office in Tashkent. Currently, 163 professional staff work for the Uzbekistan member firm, in three lines of service: advisory, assurance, and tax and legal services. PwC Uzbekistan offers a wide variety of client services, which have been developed to meet the ever-growing expectations of clients.