Surkhandarya

▪ oblast, Uzbekistan

also spelled  Surxondaryo ,  Surkhandaria , or  Surchandarja 

      most southerly oblast (province) of Uzbekistan. It embraces the basins of the Sherabad and Surkhan rivers, right-bank tributaries of the Amu River, which forms the frontier with Afghanistan in the south. In the east are the Babatag Mountains, and in the north and west are the lofty Gissar Range and its spurs, the Baysuntau and Kugitangtau, which act as a barrier against cold air masses from the north and make the oblast the warmest part of Uzbekistan, with relatively mild winters and hot, dry summers.

      Cotton, chiefly fine staple, is grown on irrigated land in the Surkhan and Sherabad river valleys, and wheat and barley on unirrigated land; other crops include rice, sugarcane, and fruits. Karakul and Gissar sheep and goats are raised on the desert pasture. About four-fifths of the population is rural, and there are two major cities, Termez, the capital, and Denau. Uzbeks constitute about seven-tenths of the inhabitants; other groups include Tajiks, Russians, and Tatars. Area 8,050 square miles (20,800 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 1,954,294.

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