Kamchik Pass | |
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Uzbek: Qamchiq dovoni | |
Elevation | 2,268 m (7,441 ft) |
Location | Uzbekistan |
Range | Qurama Mountains |
Coordinates | 41°06′0″N70°31′5″E / 41.10000°N 70.51806°E |
The Kamchik Pass (Uzbek : Qamchiq dovoni), also spelt Kamchiq or Qamchiq, [1] is a mountain pass in the Qurama Mountains in eastern Uzbekistan. The pass provides a strategically important route as an access for ground transport traveling between the Tashkent and Namangan Regions in the Fergana Valley bypassing neighboring Tajikistan. It connects the capital city of Tashkent with Osh, the second-largest city in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The peak of the pass reaches 2,268 metres (7,441 ft) above sea level. [2]
For centuries, the Kamchik Pass was part of Central Asia's Silk Road trade route that connected the markets of Asia and Europe. [3] The Tashkent-Osh (A373) international highway now winds through the pass. Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles travel through the Kamchik Pass each day. [4]
The Kamchik Pass is frequently closed in the winter due to avalanche hazards. Mudslides and landslides are also threats to vehicles along the route and the nearby villages. In February 2015, the United Nations Development Programme announced it would help aid a disaster risk-reduction project for the Kamchik Pass. The plan is to improve an early warning monitoring system, emergency assistance and education for the people living in remote and rural disaster-prone regions nearby. The project is funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO). [4]
Climate data for Kamchik Pass (elevation 2,138 meters (7,014 ft)), 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 4.4 (39.9) | 10.1 (50.2) | 14.9 (58.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 11.2 (52.2) | 5.1 (41.2) | 0.8 (33.4) | 10.7 (51.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.4 (22.3) | −4.5 (23.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.3 (63.1) | 12.9 (55.2) | 6.5 (43.7) | 0.9 (33.6) | −3.4 (25.9) | 6.1 (43.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.4 (16.9) | −7.8 (18.0) | −3.2 (26.2) | 2.4 (36.3) | 6.8 (44.2) | 10.9 (51.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 3.0 (37.4) | −2.2 (28.0) | −6.4 (20.5) | 2.6 (36.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 69.7 (2.74) | 82.9 (3.26) | 80.1 (3.15) | 93.4 (3.68) | 76.4 (3.01) | 46.0 (1.81) | 21.9 (0.86) | 14.1 (0.56) | 16.7 (0.66) | 52.4 (2.06) | 78.4 (3.09) | 80.6 (3.17) | 712.6 (28.06) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 143 |
Source: NOAA [5] |
In March 2013, Uzbek Railways announced plans to build a new railway through the Kamchik Pass to allow freight traffic to bypass neighboring Tajikistan. The 129 kilometres (80 mi) long electric rail line connects existing railways at Angren and Pop in order to create a direct route between the cities of Tashkent and Namangan. The new rail allows Uzbekistan to abandon the Soviet-era line that cuts across Tajikistan's Sughd Region, saving Uzbekistan a reported $25 million in transit fees it pays to Tajikistan each year. [6] The line opened in 2016.
Transport in Kyrgyzstan is severely constrained by the country's alpine topography. Roads have to snake up steep valleys, cross passes of 3,000 m (9,843 ft) altitude and more, and are subject to frequent mud slides and snow avalanches. Winter travel is close to impossible in many of the more remote and high-altitude regions. Additional problems are because many roads and railway lines built during the Soviet period are today intersected by international boundaries, requiring time-consuming border formalities to cross where they are not completely closed. The horse is still a much used transport option, especially in rural and inaccessible areas, as it does not depend on imported fuel.
Fergana Valley is a valley in Central Asia, lying mostly in eastern Uzbekistan, extending into southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan.
The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia or Red Uzbekistan, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist Party, the legal political party, from 1925 until 1990. From 1990 to 1991, it was a sovereign part of the Soviet Union with its own legislation.
Osh is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country. It is often referred to as the "capital of the south". It is the oldest city in the country and has served as the administrative center of Osh Region since 1939. The city has an ethnically mixed population of 322,164 in 2021, comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Koreans, and other smaller ethnic groups.
Andijan Region is a region of Uzbekistan, located in the eastern part of the Fergana Valley in far eastern Uzbekistan. It borders with Kyrgyzstan, Fergana Region and Namangan Region. It covers an area of 4,300 km2. The population is estimated to be around 3,253,528 as of 2022, thus making Andijan Region the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan.
Namangan Region is one of the regions of Uzbekistan, located in the southern part of the Fergana Valley in far eastern part of the country. It is on the right bank of Syr Darya River and borders with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Tashkent Region, Fergana Region, and Andijan Region. It covers an area of 7,440 km2. The population is estimated to be 2,931,056 (2022), with 35% of the population living in rural areas. The great river Syrdarya, the main waterway in Central Asia, starts in the territory of Namangan. Syrdarya is formed from inflows of the rivers Naryn and Kara Darya. The Namangan region is very rich in various natural resources. In particular, the region extracts oil in Mingbulak District and big gold and diamond deposits have been discovered in Kosonsoy and Pop Districts. There are also large deposits of uranium, silver, aluminum, tungsten, iron, copper, granite, and marble, among others. There are two big mountain tunnels connecting the Fergana valley with the inner city area and other regions of the country, located in the territory of Namangan.
Fergana Region is one of the regions of Uzbekistan, located in the southern part of the Fergana Valley in the far east of the country. It borders the Namangan and Andijan Regions of Uzbekistan, as well as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its capital is the city of Fergana. It covers an area of 6,760 km2. The population is approximately 4,014,895 as of 2023, with 45% of the population living in rural areas.
Namangan is a district-level city in eastern Uzbekistan. It is the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Namangan Region. Namangan is located in the northern edge of the Fergana Valley, less than 30 km from the Kyrgyzstan border. The city is served by Namangan Airport.
The M41, known informally and more commonly as the Pamir Highway, is a road traversing the Pamir Mountains through Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with a length of over 1,200 km. It is the only continuous route through the difficult terrain of the mountains and is the main supply route to Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. The route has been in use for millennia, as there are a limited number of viable routes through the high Pamir Mountains. The road formed one link of the ancient Silk Road trade route. M41 is the Soviet road number, but it only remains as an official designation in post-Soviet Uzbekistan, as confirmed by official decree. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have passed decrees abolishing Soviet numbering of highways and assigning their own national numbering.
F.C. Neftchi Fergana is an Uzbek professional football club based in Fergana. They play in the top division in Uzbekistani football and are multiple champions of Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan Super League, known as Coca-Cola Uzbekistan Super League due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of professional football in Uzbekistan. It is operated under the auspices of the Uzbekistan Professional Football League and Uzbekistan Football Association. It was founded in 1992 and currently has 14 teams. The top team qualifies to the group stage of the AFC Champions League.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uzbekistan:
Tajikistan–Uzbekistan relations refers to the relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
As of March 2017, the total length of Uzbekistan's main railway network is 4,714 kilometres (2,929 mi). A large percentage of the system's track requires major repair. The main line is the portion of the Transcaspian Railroad that connects Tashkent with the Amu Darya. There are rail links with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. Suburban traffic only exists around Tashkent.
Kyrgyz Railways is the national railway developer of Kyrgyzstan.
The Tashkent–Bukhara high-speed rail line is a 600-kilometre (373 mi) high-speed rail connection between Tashkent and Bukhara, two major cities in Uzbekistan. The route passes through six regions: Tashkent, Sirdaryo, Jizzakh, Samarqand, Navoiy, and Bukhara in Uzbekistan. Trains operate seven days a week under the brand name Afrosiyob. The line originally ran from Tashkent to Samarqand, but an extension to Bukhara went into operation on 25 August 2016. Travel from Tashkent to Bukhara, a distance of 600 km (373 mi), now takes 3 hours and 20 minutes instead of 7 hours.
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The Kamchiq Tunnel is a 19.2 kilometres (11.9 mi) long railway tunnel in Uzbekistan, which makes it the longest tunnel in Central Asia and in ex-USSR, and the longest broad gauge railway tunnel in the world.
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High speed rail in Uzbekistan currently consists of 600 km of track and services using Talgo 250 equipment, branded Afrosiyob by operator Uzbekistan Railways, on upgraded conventional lines. All HSR lines have been built using upgraded lines on Russian gauge. Other regional railways exist.