oblast (province), central Uzbekistan. The oblast was constituted in 1938, but in 1982 much of its territory in the north and east was transferred to a newly formed Navoi oblast. Buxoro oblast mainly comprises the Kimirekkum Desert, with the lower reaches of the Zeravshan River in the southwest. The climate is continental, with cold winters and long, hot, dry summers. Annual precipitation is only 5–7 inches (125–175 mm). Karakul sheep are raised in the desert. Natural gas from major deposits discovered in the south in the 1950s is piped to the Urals and central European Russia as well as to the other Central Asian republics. Major cities are Bukhara, the administrative centre; Kagan; and Gizhduvan. Uzbeks constitute over 70 percent of the population. About 38 percent of the population is urban. Area 15,200 square miles (39,400 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 1,576,299.