Lower Amudarya economic region and Khorezm region

Khorezm region occupies a very small part of the country’s territory; its surface is flat, made of river deposits. The Amu Darya matters greatly in its economic life: canals such as Polvon, Yermish, Shovot and Kilichniyozboy spread its water across the region. Besides soil, water and climate, there are healing salt lakes and building raw material (sand, stone, reed). By population the region is below average, but because its area is small its density is high. Traditional houses are made wide and tall with thick rammed-clay walls, because summers are very hot and dry; the wall keeps temperature and humidity inside steady. Because groundwater lies close to the surface, there are no cellars or deep pits. The economy is mostly an agro-industrial complex: cotton is important in Khiva, Shovot and Yangiariq districts, rice paddies are large in Gurlan district, and melons are sown in all districts. Centuries of folk breeding produced excellent early- and late-ripening melon varieties. In livestock, karakul sheep adapted to the desert are numerous; because pastures are scarce, some farms graze their sheep on Karakalpakstan’s pastures. Industry processes cotton, cocoons, fruit, vegetables and livestock products; sewing, footwear, carpet weaving and building materials also exist. Urgench is the administrative, economic and cultural centre of the region; it receives electricity from the Takhiatash power station and the Tuyamuyun hydro complex. Khiva is a city rich in ancient architectural monuments, a centre of crafts such as wood and stone carving, embroidery, copper work and pottery, and is regarded as the homeland of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. Much attention is paid to developing tourism, and new hotels and recreation zones are being built.