Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a country located in Central Asia. It is surrounded by five countries: Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Tajikistan to the southeast, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest, making it one of only two doubly landlocked countries on Earth, along with Liechtenstein. Uzbekistan is part of the Turkic world, as well as a member of the Organization of Turkic States. Uzbek is the majority language, while Russian is widely spoken and understood. Islam is the predominant religion, and most Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is the name of the unified armed forces of Uzbekistan, consisting of the Ground Force and the Air and Air Defence forces under the defence ministry. Paramilitary units include the National Guard, a Frontier Service and a River Force. It is reported to be the largest and the strongest in Central Asia.
Samarqand or Samarkand is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarqand is the capital of Samarqand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements Kimyogarlar, Farhod and Khishrav. With 551,700 inhabitants (2021), it is the second-largest city of Uzbekistan.
Tashkent or Toshkent ; historically known as Chach, Shash, Binkat) is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of 3 million. It is located in northeastern Uzbekistan, near the border with Kazakhstan.
Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev is an Uzbek politician who has served as President of Uzbekistan and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan since 14 December 2016. Previously, Mirziyoyev led the government as a Prime Minister of Uzbekistan from 2003 to 2016.
Tourist activities in Uzbekistan range from outdoor activities, such as rock-climbing, to exploration of its archeological and religious history. The Statistical Internet Survey conducted between May 7 and August 27, 2008, found that the majority of those surveyed (39%) visit Uzbekistan due interest in its architectural and historical sites. The next-largest group (24%) visited Uzbekistan to observe its culture, way of life, and customs.
The Tashkent Metro is the rapid transit system serving the city of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. It was the seventh metro to be built in the former USSR, opening in 1977, and the first metro in Central Asia. Each station is designed around a particular theme, often reflected in the station name.
Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan relations refers to the relations between the neighbouring Republic of Kazakhstan and Republic of Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan has an Embassy in Tashkent and a Consulate General in Samarkand. Uzbekistan has an Embassy in Astana and have Consulates General in Almaty and Aktau.
Diplomatic relations between Belarus and Uzbekistan were established on 21 January 1993, with the Belarusian Embassy in Tashkent being opened in February 1994. Uzbekistan also has an embassy in Minsk.
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.
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.
The Tashkent tramway network formed part of the public transport system in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan.
The Angren–Pop railway line is an electrified railway line in eastern Uzbekistan. It provides an additional transport line besides the Kamchik road pass, improving the connection between the Fergana Valley with the rest of Uzbekistan. The total cost of the project was $1.9 billion. The line opened on 22 June 2016. Passenger trains began operating on 1 September 2016.
Tashkent Planetarium is one of the newest constructions in Uzbekistan, and is visited by local people and tourists. Tashkent Planetarium provides visitors with the opportunity to look at outer space, even in the morning, and enlarge their knowledge about the cosmos and the whole universe.
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.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev's tenure as the 2nd President of Uzbekistan began with his inauguration 14 December 2016, after serving as prime minister (2003–16) and acting president following the death of his predecessor, Islam Karimov. In accordance with the Constitution of Uzbekistan, his mandate will last until 2026, following his re-election in 2021.
Presidential elections were held in Uzbekistan on 24 October 2021. This was the sixth presidential election held since independence. Incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoyev won a second term with a majority 80.1% of the vote, although faring the lowest performance for an incumbent in terms of vote share since 1991. Maqsuda Vorisova from the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (XDP) was the runner-up and Alisher Qodirov from the Uzbekistan National Revival Democratic Party came third, which marked the first time that more than two candidates had officially received more than 5% of the vote.
The 2020 Uzbekistan Super Cup was the 6th Uzbekistan Super Cup, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season's Super League and Cup. As Pakhtakor Tashkent completed a domestic League and Cup Double, second placed Super League Nasaf also took part in the match. Pakhtakor Tashkent won the match 1–0, securing their first Super Cup title.
Marjona Malikova is an Uzbekistani chess player. She holds the title of Woman International Master (2023) and is a member of the Uzbekistan national chess team. In 2019, she won the Uzbekistan Chess Championship, and in 2022, she participated in the 44th World Chess Olympiad.
Sergo Sutyagin was an Uzbek architect. He was a laureate of the State Prize of the Uzbek SSR named after Hamza in 1966, as well as the State Prize of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of literature, art, and architecture named after Alisher Navoi, along with other awards.
