| Area |
447,400 sq km (172,740 sq miles). |
| Population |
26,093,000 (2003). |
| Capital |
Tashkent. - population 2,157,000 (2001) |
| Climate |
Uzbekistan has an extreme continental climate. It is generally warmest in the south and coldest in the north. Temperatures in December average -8°C (18°F) in the north and 0°C (32°F) in the south. However, extreme fluctuations can take temperatures as low as -35°C (--31°F). During the summer months temperatures can climb to 45°C (113°F) and above. Humidity is low. The best time to visit is during the spring and autumn. |
| Language |
The official language is Uzbek, a Turkic tongue closely related to kazakh and Kyrgyz. There is a small Russian- speaking minority. Many people involved with tourism speak English. The Government has stated its intension to change the Cyrillic script to the latin. |
| Religion |
Predominantly Sunni Muslin with Shia (15 per cent) Russian Orthodox and Jewish minorities. |
| Time |
GMT + 5
|
| Highlights |
The city of Samarkand founded over 5000 years ago, is a place not to be missed. It was transformed by Timur into one of the world's greatest capitals. Much of its former glory still remains or has been restored. Important sites include Registan Square where 3 huge madrasas (Islamic seminaries) built in the 15th and 17th centuries dominate the area. Khiva city, better preserved than Samarkand although not as old, still lies within the original city walls and has not changed much since the 18th century. It is hardly inhabited and has been turned into a museum town but it is possible to imagine what it was like when it was a market for captured Russian and Persian slaves.
|
| Country Facts |
Uzbekistan's area of 172,740 sq. miles, shares international borders with Afghanistan to the south, Turkmenistan to the west, Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast and Tajikistan to the east. The Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges dominate the south and east and the Kyzyl Kum desert lies to the northeast. Uzbekistan lies astride the Silk Road, the ancient trading route between China and the West. |