Karakalpakstan,[a] officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan,[b] is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus

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Karakalpakstan,[a] officially the Republic of Karakalpakstan,[b] is an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan. It occupies the whole northwestern part of Uzbekistan. The capital is Nukus (Nókis / Нөкис). The Republic of Karakalpakstan has an area of 166,590 km2 (64,320 sq mi),[2] and a population of about two million. Its territory covers the classical land of Khwarezm, which in classical Persian literature was known as Kāt
From about 500 BC to 500 AD, the region of what is now Karakalpakstan was a thriving agricultural area supported by extensive irrigation.[3] It was strategically important territory and fiercely contested, as is seen by the more than 50 Khorezm Fortresses which were constructed here. The Karakalpak people, who used to be nomadic herders and fishers, were first recorded by foreigners in the 16th century.[4] Karakalpakstan was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Khanate of Khiva in 1873.[5] Under Soviet rule, it was an autonomous area within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic before becoming part of Uzbekistan in 1936 as the Karakalpak ASSR.[6] The region was probably at its most prosperous in the 1960s and 1970s, when irrigation from the Amu Darya was being expanded.[citation needed] However, the evaporation of the Aral Sea has made Karakalpakstan one of Uzbekistan's poorest regions.[4] The region is suffering from extensive drought, partly due to climate patterns, but also largely because the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers are mostly diverted in the eastern parts of Uzbekistan. Crop failures have deprived about 48,000 people of their main source of income and shortages of potable water have created a surge of infectious diseases.
Karakalpakstan is now mostly desert and is located in western Uzbekistan near the Aral Sea, in the lowest part of the Amu Darya basin.[8][7][9] It has an area of 164,900 km2[10] and is surrounded by desert. The Kyzyl Kum Desert is located to the east and the Karakum Desert is located to the south. A rocky plateau extends west to the Caspian Sea
Autonomous status
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Its predecessor, the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, was an autonomous republic in the Soviet Union until its incorporation into the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932. The Republic of Karakalpakstan maintained its predecessor's formal sovereignty, even after the independence of Uzbekistan in 1990.[11] Karakalpakstan shares veto power with Uzbekistan over decisions concerning its affairs. According to the constitution, relations between Karakalpakstan and Uzbekistan are "regulated by treaties and agreements" and any disputes are "settled by way of reconciliation". Its right to secede is limited by the veto power of Uzbekistan's legislature over any decision to secede.[10] Article 74, chapter XVII, Constitution of Uzbekistan, provides that: "The Republic of Karakalpakstan shall have the right to secede from the Republic of Uzbekistan on the basis of a nationwide referendum held by the people of Karakalpakstan."

In July 2022, large protests broke out in the region over a proposed constitutional change which would strip Karakalpakstan of its autonomy.[12][13] The proposed change was later scrapped in response to the demonstrations
The population is estimated 1,948,488 (2022), with 51% living in rural areas.[15][16] In 2007 it was estimated that about 400,000 of the population are of the Karakalpak ethnic group, 400,000 are Uzbeks and 300,000 are Kazakhs.[4] The Karakalpak language is closer to Kazakh than to Uzbek.[17] The language was written in a modified Cyrillic in Soviet times and has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1996.

Other than the capital Nukus, major cities include Xojeli, Taqiyatas, Shimbay, Qońirat (Kungrad) and Moynaq.

The crude birth rate is 2.2%: approximately 39,400 children were born in 2017. Nearly 8,400 people died in the same period. The crude death rate is 0.47%. The natural growth rate is 31,000, or 1.72%.

The median age was 27.7 years old in 2017, which is younger than the rest of Uzbekistan (median age of 28.5 countrywide). Men are 27.1 years old, while women are 28.2 years old.

Dynamics of the number and ethnic composition of the population of Karakalpakstan according to the All-Union censuses of 1926–1989:

The economy of the region used to be heavily dependent on fisheries in the Aral Sea. It is now supported by cotton, rice and melons. Karakalpakstan is well known for its fruits, such as plums, pears, grapes, and apricots, in addition to all kinds of melons. Hydroelectric power from a large Soviet-built station on the Amu Darya is also important.

The Amu Darya delta was once heavily populated and supported extensive irrigation based agriculture for thousands of years. Under the Khorezm, the area attained considerable power and prosperity. However, the gradual climate change over the centuries, accelerated by human induced evaporation of the Aral Sea in the late 20th century has created a desolate scene in the region. The ancient oases of rivers, lakes, reed marshes, forests and farms are drying up and being poisoned by wind-borne salt and by fertilizer and pesticide residues from the dried bed of the Aral Sea. Summer temperatures have risen by 10 °C (18 °F) and winter temperatures have decreased by 10 °C (18 °F). The rate of anemia, respiratory diseases and other health problems has risen dramatically

On the east Karakalpakstan occupies the western half of the Kyzylkum Desert, a vast plain covered with shifting sands. The central part consists of the valley and delta of the Amu Darya (river), a low-lying area intersected by watercourses and canals. On the west the republic includes the southeastern part of the Ustyurt Plateau, a slightly undulating area characterized by flat summits rising to some 958 feet (292 m) above sea level. The climate is marked by cool winters and hot summers. Average rainfall is only 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm).


Also known as: Kara-Kalpakstan, Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Karakalpakiya, Qaraqalpaqstan, Qoraqalpoghistan, Qoraqalpoghiston
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Karakalpakstan, also spelled Kara-Kalpakstan, or Qaraqalpaqstan, also called Karakalpakiya, Uzbek Qoraqalpoghistan, autonomous republic in Uzbekistan, situated southeast and southwest of the Aral Sea.


On the east Karakalpakstan occupies the western half of the Kyzylkum Desert, a vast plain covered with shifting sands. The central part consists of the valley and delta of the Amu Darya (river), a low-lying area intersected by watercourses and canals. On the west the republic includes the southeastern part of the Ustyurt Plateau, a slightly undulating area characterized by flat summits rising to some 958 feet (292 m) above sea level. The climate is marked by cool winters and hot summers. Average rainfall is only 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm).


The Karakalpaks are closely allied to the Kazaks. Like many other Turkic peoples, they are of obscure origin. The first historical reference to them dates from the end of the 16th century. During the 18th century they settled in the Amu Darya region, came partly under Russian rule in 1873, and by 1920 were totally incorporated into the Soviet Union. Established as an autonomous oblast (province) of the Kazakh A.S.S.R. in 1925, Karakalpakstan came under the administration of the Russian S.F.S.R. in 1930 and two years later was constituted as an autonomous republic. In 1936, while retaining its status, it was made a part of the Uzbek S.S.R. and became part of Uzbekistan with that country’s independence in 1991. The population is composed mainly of Karakalpaks, Uzbeks, and Kazaks, with smaller numbers of Turkmens and Russians. About one-half of the population is urban. Nukus, the capital, Khŭjayli, Ber
uniy, Takhiatosh, Chimbay, Tŭrtkŭl, and Altykyl are the chief settlements.
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Also known as: Kara-Kalpakstan, Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Karakalpakiya, Qaraqalpaqstan, Qoraqalpoghistan, Qoraqalpoghiston
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Last Updated: Article History
Karakalpakstan, also spelled Kara-Kalpakstan, or Qaraqalpaqstan, also called Karakalpakiya, Uzbek Qoraqalpoghistan, autonomous republic in Uzbekistan, situated southeast and southwest of the Aral Sea.


On the east Karakalpakstan occupies the western half of the Kyzylkum Desert, a vast plain covered with shifting sands. The central part consists of the valley and delta of the Amu Darya (river), a low-lying area intersected by watercourses and canals. On the west the republic includes the southeastern part of the Ustyurt Plateau, a slightly undulating area characterized by flat summits rising to some 958 feet (292 m) above sea level. The climate is marked by cool winters and hot summers. Average rainfall is only 3 to 4 inches (75 to 100 mm).


The Karakalpaks are closely allied to the Kazaks. Like many other Turkic peoples, they are of obscure origin. The first historical reference to them dates from the end of the 16th century. During the 18th century they settled in the Amu Darya region, came partly under Russian rule in 1873, and by 1920 were totally incorporated into the Soviet Union. Established as an autonomous oblast (province) of the Kazakh A.S.S.R. in 1925, Karakalpakstan came under the administration of the Russian S.F.S.R. in 1930 and two years later was constituted as an autonomous republic. In 1936, while retaining its status, it was made a part of the Uzbek S.S.R. and became part of Uzbekistan with that country’s independence in 1991. The population is composed mainly of Karakalpaks, Uzbeks, and Kazaks, with smaller numbers of Turkmens and Russians. About one-half of the population is urban. Nukus, the capital, Khŭjayli, Beruniy, Takhiatosh, Chimbay, Tŭrtkŭl, and Altykyl are the chief settlements.


The economy is predominantly agricultural. The industrial sector, while limited, includes light manufacturing, refineries that process oil from nearby petroleum fields, several building-materials plants that utilize the limestone, gypsum, asbestos, marble, and quartzite of the area, and a power station in Takhiatosh. Cotton is cultivated along the Amu Darya and in its delta and is processed at Chimbay, Qŭnghirot, Beruniy, Takhtakupyr, Khŭjayli, and Mangit. A well-developed system of irrigation canals supplies water from the Amu Darya to the crops. Besides cotton, crops include alfalfa, rice, and corn (maize). Cattle and Karakul sheep are raised in the Kyzylkum Desert.
Lying as it does along both the Aral Sea and the Amu Darya delta, Karakalpakstan by the late 20th century had become one of the areas worst affected by the environmentally unsound agriculture of the Soviet period. Much of the republic’s farmland had become heavily salinized owing to the effects of over-irrigation and to salt dust from the exposed bed of the receding Aral Sea. In addition, high concentrations of toxic agrochemicals (fertilizers, defoliants, insecticides) in both soils and river water posed hazards to human health in many localities. The shrinkage of the Aral Sea eliminated the republic’s fisheries and resulted in a harsher climate and a shorter growing season.

Transport facilities in the republic include a railway from Qŭnghirot to Chärjew in Turkmenistan, motor roads that link several cities of the republic, and air connections with Moscow, Tashkent, Ashkhabad, and other cities. Area 63,900 square miles (165,600 square km). Pop. (2017 est.) 1,817,500


Nukus: Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art
Nukus, city, southwestern Uzbekistan, capital of the Qoragalpoghiston republic. It lies near the head of the Amu Darya (river) delta. The tiny Nukus settlement, which lay amid the desert sands, was established as a city in 1932 and in 1939 replaced Trutkul (which was being eroded by the Amu Darya) as capital of the Kara-Kalpak A.S.S.R. (now Qoragalpoghiston). The present city has a number of food-processing and other light industries, the Qoragalpoghiston branch of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences, Nukus State University (1979), a museum, and a theatre. Pop. (2007 est.) 240,734.
According to historical sources, people lived in Karakalpakstan back in the Neolithic Age. The gravestones tombs of Darius I, dating back to the 5th century BC, say that the Aral Sea and Syrdarya (the territory of modern Karakalpakstan) was occupied by the “Saka tigraxauda” (Scythians with pointy hats").

In the 2nd- 6th centuries BC Turkic tribes migrated from the territory of the Altay and East Turkestan. An assimilation of the indigenous and nomadic Turkic Saka population resulted in two new ethnic communities of Pechenegs and Oghuz. Those were the tribes of Pechenegs that formed the basis of the formation of ethnic Karakalpak.

The very word 'karakalpak "means " black hats "and refers to that part of the Pecheneg tribes living on the territory of modern Karakalpakstan who wore hats from the black sheep's wool. They were called “black hoods” in the Russian and “kara malahayli” in the Mongolian.

In the historical sources, in the 10th century, the tribes of Pechenegs moved from the territory of modern Karakalpakstan to the south because of the new Russian invasion of Turkic tribes from the east. There they were part of the Nogay khanate before its collapse under attack of Kalmykian tribes. Pechenegs returned to their native steppes, and from that moment they are referred to as the Karakalpak.

In 1714 Karakalpaks headed by one of the chieftains of the tribes Eshmuhammed-khan (Eshimhan) founded their state Karakalpak Khanate on the territory of the Aral Sea and Syrdarya, but in 1723 it disintegrated under the attack of the mentioned Kalmyks. Karakalpak State split into two parts: some tribes migrated to Tashkent and were named upper Karakalpaks, while the other remained in the lowlands of the Syrdarya river and was named the lower Karakalpaks.

In 1731, together with lower Karakalpaks together with Kazakh tribes sent an embassy to the Russian Emperor to ask for citizenship. In 1735 the lower Karakalpaks became subjects of the Russian Empire. The territory of Karakalpakstan was attacked several times by the khans of Khiva, in particular in 1809 and 1811. The Karakalpaks were part of the Khiva Khanate up to early 20th century. After Khiva Khanate’s abolition, Karakalpakstan was renamed by the Soviet authorities into the Karakalpak Autonomous Republic, which became part of the Uzbek SSR in 1936. After Uzbekistan gained independence Karakalpakstan was renamed the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

Today, the Republic of Karakalpakstan is autonomy within the Republic of Uzbekistan. Its population exceeds 600,000 people, but because many of the Aral Sea problems, Karakalpaks moved to other areas of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Karakalpakstan is famous for its ancient monuments, the ruins of numerous forts scattered across the sandy deserts in the Karakalpakstan as well as the in the neighboring Khorezm region.

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic in far west Uzbekistan which occupies a full forty percent of the country's territory and is home to around 2 million people. This quiet corner of Central Asia is slowly rising out of obscurity, having been ranked #2 in a list of Top 10 Destinations by British newspaper The Telegraph in 2015.

Karakalpakstan borders Kazakhstan to the north and Turkmenistan to the west. It has two state languages, Karakalpak and Uzbek, and is primarily populated by the Karakalpaks, a historically semi-nomadic people whose unique culture is evident in their applied arts, national cuisine and mind-boggling ancient sites.

The capital city Nukus was founded on site of an ancient settlement called Shurcha, which was first referred to in 12th-century writings as a military fortress. Interest in the region intensified in the 20th century when a famous archaeological expedition again placed Karakalpakstan on the map. Until the mid-1970s there were some 1200 active archaeological digs in the territory, and while many of these sites were shuttered or remain closed to the public, plenty of ancient remnants still await exploration by the curious tourist.

While Karakalpakstan remains well off the beaten track, it offers adventurous travelers more than enough incentive to visit. The territory has three overlapping deserts - Karakum Desert, Ustyurt Plateau and Kyzylkum Desert – which possess a harsh but mystical beauty. Even more alluring are the hospitable Karakalpaks themselves, who in rural areas are known to welcome strangers like family.

Scattered across Karakalpakstan are a handful of surprisingly diverse and utterly unique sites. Mysterious abandoned ships and avant-garde paintings, Silk Road fortresses and the salty waters of the shrinking Aral Sea all hold clues to Karakalpak culture past and present.

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous republic in far west Uzbekistan which occupies a full forty percent of the country's territory and is home to around 2 million people. This quiet corner of Central Asia is slowly rising out of obscurity, having been ranked #2 in a list of Top 10 Destinations by British newspaper The Telegraph in 2015.

Karakalpakstan borders Kazakhstan to the north and Turkmenistan to the west. It has two state languages, Karakalpak and Uzbek, and is primarily populated by the Karakalpaks, a historically semi-nomadic people whose unique culture is evident in their applied arts, national cuisine and mind-boggling ancient sites.

The capital city Nukus was founded on site of an ancient settlement called Shurcha, which was first referred to in 12th-century writings as a military fortress. Interest in the region intensified in the 20th century when a famous archaeological expedition again placed Karakalpakstan on the map. Until the mid-1970s there were some 1200 active archaeological digs in the territory, and while many of these sites were shuttered or remain closed to the public, plenty of ancient remnants still await exploration by the curious tourist.

While Karakalpakstan remains well off the beaten track, it offers adventurous travelers more than enough incentive to visit. The territory has three overlapping deserts - Karakum Desert, Ustyurt Plateau and Kyzylkum Desert – which possess a harsh but mystical beauty. Even more alluring are the hospitable Karakalpaks themselves, who in rural areas are known to welcome strangers like family.

Scattered across Karakalpakstan are a handful of surprisingly diverse and utterly unique sites. Mysterious abandoned ships and avant-garde paintings, Silk Road fortresses and the salty waters of the shrinking Aral Sea all hold clues to Karakalpak culture past and present.

Aral Sea, KarakalpakstanUstyurt Plateau, Karakalpakstan
Many secrets of this harsh land have yet to be discovered, and it remains a gold mine for archaeologists, researchers, artists, photographers, filmmakers and thrill seekers. Whether you are seeking historical, cultural, art or adventure tourism, Karakalpakstan is up to the task. Come peer into the past via an endless expanse of desert, where time has stood still for millennia, discovering a beautiful 21st-century culture in the process.

History of Karakalpakstan
Karakalpakstan was inhabited in the Neolithic era by various nomadic peoples whose origins can be traced back to the Saka and Massagetae tribes. In succeeding centuries, the territory was conquered by the Persians, Khorezmians Arabs, Kalmyks and finally the army of Genghis Khan. Although Zoroastrianism was the religion of choice until Islam arrived with the Arabs in the 8th century, the influence of other religions is also evident. Some scholars believe that the territory was consecrated by the apostles Thomas and Andrew and by later preachers who traveled the Great Silk Road to spread their faith. Most Karakalpaks still adhere to Islam, yet there are exceptions, as evidenced by the presence of an Orthodox church in Nukus.

The word "Karakalpak”, which literally translates as “Black Hat”, first appeared in written sources in the 9th century. The first mention of the Karakalpak statehood dates to the end of the 14th century, at which time the Karakalpaks were part of the Nogai Horde led by Khan Edegey. After the Nogai were defeated on the Volga River in the 17th century, the Karakalpaks fled to the shores of the Syr Darya River in present-day Uzbekistan, where they fell under the control of the Bukharan and Khiva khanates.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Karakalpak tribes began uniting into one nationality, and it was through this unification that the Karakalpak Khanate was formed. Over time, the khanate split into two groups, one of which settled near Tashkent and the other along the lower Syr Darya River. In 1873, the Karakalpaks near Tashkent were annexed to the Russian Empire, while those along the Syr Darya remained a part of the Khiva Khanate.

In 1918, both Karakalpak tribes were placed under the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic and the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic before gaining partial autonomy in 1924. The first capital was in the city of Turtkul before being moved to Nukus, Karakalpakstan in 1932. In 1936, the Karakalpak SSR became a part of the Uzbek SSR. Ever since gaining independence from the USSR in 1991, Karakalpakstan has remained a part of Uzbekistan while retaining many outward attributes of nationhood, including a separate Karakalpakstan flag, constitution and coat of arms.

Many questions regarding the history of the Karakalpak people remain unanswered to this day. For example, in 1966 a marble sculpture of a man’s head with ram horns, legs and a tail was discovered in the foothills of Karakalpakstan. As such figures are typically only found in palaces, this discovery indicates that the history of the people who inhabited these territories was much more complex than originally thought.