OLMALIQ

formerly Almalyk, city, eastern Uzbekistan. It is situated 35 miles (55 km) southeast of the city of Tashkent on the northern slopes of the Qurama Mountains and on the left bank of the Ohangaron River. Olmaliq was founded in 1951 from several settlements exploiting the rich nonferrous-metal resources of the Qurama Mountains. The city has become an important centre of nonferrous metallurgy and produces copper, molybdenum, lead, and zinc concentrates. Copper and zinc are also refined there. The Uzbek version of the city's name became the official one in the early 1990s. Olmaliq (Uzbek: Apple Grove) derives its name from the wild apple trees that grew in the valley. Pop. (1991 est.) 116,400.