Map of Karakalpakstan

History

From about 500 BC to 500 AD, the region of what is now Karakalpakstan was a thriving agricultural area supported by extensive irrigation. 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. Karakalpakstan was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Khanate of Khiva in 1873.

Under Soviet rule, it was an autonomous area within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic before becoming part of Uzbekistan in 1936 as the Karakalpak ASSR.

The region was probably at its most prosperous in the 1960s and 1970s, when irrigation from the Amu Darya was being expanded.

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. It has an area of 164,900 km2 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.

Economy

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 the evaporation of the Aral Sea in the late 20th century has created a desolate scene in the region.

Demographics

On 1 July 2023, the population of Karakalpakstan was 1,986,900 people. It experienced an increase of 1.2% when 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).

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. Though 95% of Karakalpaks reside in Uzbekistan, mostly in Karakalpakstan, the Karakalpak language is closer to Kazakh than to Uzbek. The language was written in a modified Cyrillic in Soviet times and has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1996.