Muruntau (, ) is an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

in the

Navoiy Region Navoiy Region is one of the regions of Uzbekistan. It is located in the central north/northwest of the country. It covers an area of (a large part of which is taken up by the Kyzyl-Kum desert), which makes it the largest of the regions of Uzbek ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. Administratively, it is part of the city

Zarafshon Zarafshon (, ) is a city in the center of Uzbekistan's Navoiy Region. Administratively, it is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Muruntau. It has an area of and 85,100 inhabitants (2021). Located in the Kyzylkum Deser ...

. The town's population in 1989 was 9193 people.

Economy

Near Muruntau in the

Kyzylkum The Kyzylkum Desert (, قِیزِیل‌قُوم; , قىزىلقۇم) is the 15th largest desert in the world. Its name means ''Red Sand'' in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia, in the land between the confluent rivers Amu Darya and ...

, also spelled Kyzyl Kum or Qizilqum, is the largest gold mine in the world the

open pit Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or ...

Muruntau mine The Muruntau mine ( Uzbek: Muruntov koni) is one of the largest gold mines in Uzbekistan and in the world. The mine is located in the mountains of Murintau in the south-west of the Kyzylkum desert, on the territory of the Tamdi district of the ...

which is part of the

Zarafshan Zarafshan, Zarafshon or Zeravshan may refer to: * Zarafshan, Tajikistan * Zarafshon, Uzbekistan * Zarafshan Airport, Uzbekistan * Zarafshon (river), in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan * Zarafshan Range, in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan * Nasser Zarafshan ...

gold complex and was operated by the Navoi Mining and Metallurgy Combinat (NMMC) though its Central Mining Administration (CMA) since 1964.Critics Say Uzbekistan's Crackdown On Radicalism May Fuel the Fervor
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References

Populated places in Navoiy Region Urban-type settlements in Uzbekistan {{Uzbekistan-geo-stub