Uzbekistan - Syrdarya Province

Established: 1963
Area: 4, 3 thousand sq. km
Population: 653, 6 thousand.

Province is located in the eastern part of Uzbekistan, on the left bank of the Syr Darya River. There are 9 rural districts in the province - Oqoltin, Boyovut, Guliston, Mekbnatobod, Mirzaobod, Saikhunobod, Syr Darya, Sharof Rashidov, and Hovost; 5 towns - Bakht, Guliston, Syr Darya, Shirin, Yangier; 5 town-type-settlements, and 72 villages. City of Guliston is the administrative center of the province (118 km away from Tashkent, 55,4 thousand people).

Agriculture: cotton, grain crops, horticulture, silkworm breeding, and cattle farming.
Industry: machinery, textile, flour grinding, and construction materials production.

Territory of the province consists of the uneven flatlands of the Mirzachul Desert and the Syr Darya valley. The abundance of sunlight and the warm climate creates ideal conditions for growing cotton, grain, fruits and grapes. Due to water shortages and salinity, the province was not good for farming for several centuries. The construction of several canals now made it possible to develop farming in the province, which ultimately became one of the major cotton cultivation areas in the country.

Province is rich in natural resources. There are large deposits of construction materials in the province. The industry depends on reprocessing the agricultural and local raw material. Major local enterprises are the Syr Darya Hydro Electric Power Station, oil extraction and cotton processing factories. As a whole, there are more than 80 industrial enterprises in the province. Also there are 9 joint ventures, 821 small businesses and 132 cooperative farms.

The total length of railroads in the province is 181,2 km, whereas the total length of automobile roads is 3,800 km. More than 300 general schools, a state university, gymnasium, lyceum, special sport and musical schools operate in the province. The city of Guliston was established in 1963 in the southeastern part of the Mirzachul Desert. Initially it was a small settlement called Mirzachul, but due to gradual development of agriculture and industry it turned into Guliston city, as it is known today. The city is well designed and decorated with many parks and green areas. The city of Yangier located just south of Guliston has ceramic and construction materials enterprises.