The Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic occupies the territory of the Amu Darya Delta, the southern region of the Aral Sea, and the adjacent areas of Ustyurt and Kyzylkum. The republic is located between 40°58′ and 45°39′ north latitude and between 56°00′ and 62°33′ east longitude. To the west, north, and northeast, the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic borders the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic; to the south, it borders the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic; and to the east and southeast, it borders the Bukhara and Khorezm regions of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. The territory stretches 420 kilometers from north to south and 550 kilometers from east to west. Its total area is 167,000 square kilometers. The Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic possesses enormous and still insufficiently utilized potential for diverse agricultural development. The foundation of its economy is oasis irrigated agriculture. However, owing to its vast pastures, reed beds, and numerous bodies of water, agriculture here is uniquely combined with semi-stall and migratory livestock husbandry, as well as fisheries, hunting, and fur-animal breeding. However, of the total land area suitable for irrigation, the irrigation system of Karakalpakia covers less than 400,000 hectares, of which approximately 270,000 hectares are arable land, while the actual sown area amounts to only about 175,000 hectares. Large expanses of virgin land and long-fallow land, despite having access to the powerful irrigation source of the Amu Darya, have not yet been brought under cultivation. This situation is largely due to the fact that Karakalpakia’s rich natural resources are accompanied by considerable difficulties in development. In particular, the success of irrigating new lands and the effective use of old lands for irrigated crops depend entirely on solving the complex problem of preventing and combating soil salinization. Furthermore, in many areas, agriculture is possible only if the flooding of the Amu Darya can be reliably controlled. In other words, agricultural utilization in this region is feasible only through the continuous application of a comprehensive system of land-reclamation measures. Animal husbandry also utilizes only a relatively small portion of the available natural fodder resources. The virgin lands of the delta produce millions of tons of plant biomass annually, and together with the desert pastures, these resources remain largely unused. The development of the desert expanses of Ustyurt and Kyzylkum faces significant difficulties related to water supply and the maintenance of livestock during the winter season. The agricultural characteristics mentioned above are highly typical of the Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The republic possesses abundant land and water resources, yet it is situated within the harsh natural conditions of the desert zone, which in many respects are unfavorable to soil fertility. For a long time, researchers from various fields have paid close attention to the study of the natural conditions of Karakalpakia. Because of the practical needs of agriculture, soil research acquired particular importance. In this regard, Karakalpakia has accumulated a large body of published and unpublished materials, especially the results of major expeditions conducted during 1951-1953. The task of the present survey is to provide a systematic synthesis of these materials.