Settlements

Settlements are cities, towns, villages and auls. The country has about 120 cities, over 1000 urban-type towns and many thousands of villages. By population, cities are large (over 100 thousand), big (over 250 thousand), very big (over 500 thousand) and million cities; at present Tashkent is the only million city, with about 3 million people, and it is the centre of the biggest urban agglomeration. Ancient cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand arose on crafts and trade. Cities that perform several functions (capital, industrial centre, transport hub, cultural centre) are called multifunctional; satellite cities appear beside them and form an agglomeration. New cities such as Angren, Almalyk, Navoi and Chirchiq grew up near mineral and water resources, while Yangiyul and Gulistan grew on processing farm raw materials. A town usually appears near an industrial plant, mine or railway station. Rural settlements by population are big (over 5 thousand), large (3–5 thousand), medium (1–3 thousand) and small (under 1 thousand). Today the urban and rural populations are roughly equal, and gas, water, electricity, schools and hospitals are being brought to villages.