Nukus

Capital, economic and cultural centre of the Kara-Kalpak Autonomous Republic in western Uzbekistan, 1,250 km/777 mi west of Tashkent; population (1995) 180,000. Nukus is situated in the Khorezm oasis on the right bank of the Amu Darya River at the beginning of its delta. It was founded in 1932 and has metalworking, food, and furniture industries. The town is also at the centre of a region growing rice and cotton.

In common with the surrounding area, Nukus has suffered badly from the shrinkage of the Aral Sea and the reduced flow of the Amu Darya, brought about by irrigated agriculture and disastrous water management. It is affected by droughts and dust storms.

Nukus was a place of exile for many artists during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. There is an art museum, a state university, and a branch of the Academy of Sciences here.