Gas, gold and new cities

Uzbekistan is rich in gold, uranium, copper, lead, zinc, tungsten, natural gas, oil and other minerals. The discovery of the Gazli field in the Bukhara region in 1956 laid the base of the gas industry: according to the textbook its reserves were 500 billion cubic metres and the town of Gazli was built for gas workers. Gas output rose from 0.4 billion cubic metres in 1960 to 33.7 billion in 1975; Uzbekistan’s share of all-Union output rose from 1 to 20 percent, but the gas was sent mostly outside the republic, while rural gasification stayed low. On 3 September 1958 the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine was founded and the city of Navoi was built, Muruntau in the Kyzylkum, one of the world’s largest gold deposits, was developed, and in April 1982 Navoi oblast was formed. The Navoi combine gave rise to new towns such as Zarafshon and Uchquduq. “Closed cities” such as Navoi, Zarafshon and Uchquduq were subordinate to the Centre, workers were brought from other regions and, according to the textbook, local young people met difficulties getting housing and jobs. In the 1960s–1980s 127 nationalities and ethnic groups lived in the republic, and the numbers of incoming peoples such as Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians and Koreans grew.