The formation and development of economic and social geography as a science in Uzbekistan was connected with the Department of “Economic and Social Geography” of the Faculty of Geography and Natural Resources of the National University of Uzbekistan. Initially, this department was established in 1940 under the name of “Economic Geography”, which is the only one in Central Asia. Later, it was called “Economic and Social Geography” (1978). Since 1998, this department has been operating under the name “Social Geography and Regional Economy”. Later, its name was changed several times, but today it is still under the same name, i.e. “Economic and social geography”.
The first head of the department was Candidate of Geography, associate professor V.G. It was Kuznetsov. Then he was appointed by the PhD, professor M.G. Kadek (1941-1945), g.f.d. Professor V. M. Chetirkin (1944-1948), PhD, associate professor R.S. Lobach (1948-1954), PhD, associate professor Sapenko (1954-1959). During 1960-1969, this task was carried out by N.G. Smirnov, PhD, associate professor. Professor Z.M. Akramov, Ph.D., was the first local Uzbek scientist to head this department. He worked as the head of the department from 1969 to 1984. From 1984 to 2010, the department was managed by a famous scientist, Ph.D., prof. It was directed by A.S. Soliev. Currently, the department is headed by Doctor of Geography, Professor Z.N. Tojieva.
Scientists G.N. Cherdansev, A.N. Rakitnikov, O.B. Ota-Mirzaev, A.A. Qayumov, T.I. Raimov, R.A. Khodiev, T.E. Egamberdiev, T.T. Tojimov, S.S. Saidkarimov, S.B. Boqiev, M.R. Borieva, A.M. Sodikov had significant services.
If we pay attention to the history of the department, the most important and relevant areas of economic and social geography are: economic zoning, industry, agriculture, population geography, problems of urban development and urbanization, scientific research in various fields of social (social) geography in general. it is noticeable that research work is being carried out. In the 1998-1999 academic year, Prof. Theoretical and practical issues related to the direction of regional economics advanced by A.S. Soliev were studied with great interest.
In recent years, based on the standards of world development, traditional scientific directions have appeared in Uzbekistan. For example, services to the population in medical, educational and other fields, political geography and geopolitics, social geography, tourism and recreation, medical and disease geography (nosogeography), crime geography are developing. In all of them, the contribution of the National Scientific School of Economic Geography, which was formed in the years of independence on the basis of the “Economic and Social Geography” department of UzMU, and its affiliated scientists was directly significant. Here it is worth noting that two senior scientists Ziyovutdin Muhitdinovich Akramov and Abdusami Solievich Soliev became the leaders in the formation and effective development of this scientific school.
The history of economic geography is primarily related to the problems of economic zoning. The issue of economic zoning in our country, especially in the Department of UzMU, first of all includes natural geography, and then agricultural demands and needs. Based on the research carried out at the scientific school of economic geography, it was decided to determine the integral, that is, the main economic regions. In this regard, well-known scientists V.M. Chetirkin, Z.M. Akramov, A.S. Soliev, O.B. It is known that the scientific directions carried out by Ota-Mirzaev and others have gained the attention of the scientific community.
In our republic, the scientific school of economic and social geography mainly has two directions. One of these areas is agrogeography (agricultural geography), and the other is population geography. In particular, regional problems of urban development and urbanization are being studied in this direction. The above important scientific directions are the pillars of modern geography of the Motherland, two outstanding scientists and a great person Prof. Akramov Ziyovutdin Muhitdinovich and prof. Soliev was directly connected with the scientific-creative and pedagogic-mentoring activities of Abdusami Solievichs, which were fruitful in mutual harmony and cooperation. That is why this informal scientific association can be directly called “Scientific school of Akramov-Soliev”.
The scientific school of economic geography of Uzbekistan soon gained attention not only in the republic, but also in neighboring republics and other foreign countries. In particular, in this regard, in particular, candidates and doctors of science educated at this scientific school, professors of Moscow State University Y.G. Saushkin, A.I. Kovalyov, professor of Perm State University M.D. Sharigin, professor of St. Petersburg State University A.I. Chistobaev, Kazakhstan Professors of the National University of Estonia S.R. Erdavletov and Sh.M. The Nadirovs gave high marks.
