Birdwatching in Uzbekistan

Official name:

Uzbekiston Respublikasi (Republic of Uzbekistan)

Area:

447,400 square km

Population:

25 million ethnic mix: 80% Uzbek, 5% Russian, 5% Tajik, 3% Kazakh, 2% Tatar, 2% Karakalpak, 1% Kyrgyz, 1% Korean, and 1% others.

Capital:

Tashkent

Holidays:

January 1 - New Year

March 8 - Women's Day

March 21 - Nawruz (New Year)

May 9 - Day of Remembrance and Honor

September 1 - Independence Day ( The independence of Uzbekistan was

declared on August 31, 1991. )

October 1 - Teacher's Day

December 8 - Constitution Day

Location:

Central Asia, bordering the Aral Sea, between Khazakhstan and Turkmenistan, north of Afghanistan.

Land boundaries:

Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km, and the Aral Sea 420 km.

Climate:

mostly mid-latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Lowest point:

Saryqamish Kuli -12 m

Highest point:

Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Religions:

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%,

others 3% Languages: Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4% and others 7.1%

Main Cities:

- Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Fergana, Andijan, Khiva, Urgench, Nukus, Navoi, Karshi, Termez

Uzbekistan is located between two big rivers of Central Asia: Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya rivers. Uzbekistan is the first largest of the Central Asian republics in population and the third in area. The following countries of Central Asia surround Uzbekistan: Kazakhstan to the north, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to the south, and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east.

Human habitation of Uzbekistan stretches so far back in time that no certain starting date can be fixed. Remains of Neanderthal encampments have been found, and the first mention of cities in the area date to 3rd or 4th century BC, when travellers wrote of the wonders of the isolated region.

Uzbekistan's geography is dominated by desert and high plateaus. In fact, three-fifth of the country is arid, although irrigation provides the means for a massive fruit and cotton economy in the northeastern portion of the nation. The biggest body of water in the land-locked region, the Aral Sea, is shrinking rapidly as a result of the unchecked irrigation. About half the area of the Aral Sea has dried up and turned into desert.

Ethnic Uzbeks make up two-third of the population - Tatar, Russians, Kazakhs and Tajik make up the remainder.

For many centuries the territory of modern Uzbekistan was at the center of the rich cultural and commercial developments that occurred in Central Asia. The Great Silk Road passed through Uzbekistans cities as Fergana, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva...

Uzbekistan is reach not only in cotton, vegetables, and grain; its economy is blessed with gold, valuable minerals, and substantial reserves of energy resources, especially natural gas. And cotton still is the most valuable crop, and our country is the fourth-largest cotton producer in the world.