India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership and Geographic Overview

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India and Uzbekistan recently held high-level talks in New Delhi to expand their strategic partnership.
Both countries agreed to boost cooperation in critical minerals, mining, trade, energy, and defense.

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked sovereign nation located in Central Asia.
The country gained independence from the U.S.S.R. in 1991 and is famous for its Silk Road heritage.
Its capital city is Tashkent, and the nation lies between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.
It shares borders with five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan.

Nearly four-fifths of the western region consists of dry plains, including the Turan Plain and the Kyzylkum Desert.
The Ustyurt Plateau in western Karakalpakstan features high-altitude limestone landforms, salt marshes, and steep cliffs.
The eastern region houses rugged mountains, including Beshtor Peak at 4,299 m, which is the country's highest point.
The Aral Sea Basin lost over 90% of its volume due to past river diversions, creating the Aralkum saline desert.
The fertile Zeravshan Valley and Fergana Valley support most of the nation's agriculture, population, and historic cities like Samarkand.

Uzbekistan improves India's trade access to Central Asia through Chabahar Port and the INSTC network.
The country possesses rich deposits of uranium, gold, copper, molybdenum, and rare earth elements for clean energy supply chains.