Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan, is a doubly landlocked 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, the other being 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.
Tashkent or Toshkent 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.
Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport is the main international airport of Uzbekistan and the third busiest airport in Central Asia. It is located 12 km (7.5 mi) from the center of Tashkent. It was named after Islam Karimov, the first president of independent Uzbekistan, in office from 1991 until his death in 2016.
Over the centuries, Uzbekistan has had a tradition of fostering equestrians and wrestlers (palvins). Some of the sports that originate in the country are the kurash, which is a type of upright wrestling. Other types of wrestling are belbogli kurash, turon, and boyqurgan all having the same origins. Other popular sports in Uzbekistan are football, boxing, wrestling, futsal, and judo.
The history of the Jews in Uzbekistan refers to the history of two distinct communities; the more religious and traditional Bukharan Jewish community and the Ashkenazi community.
Timur Kapadze is an Uzbekistani former professional football midfielder of Ahiska-Turkish descent.
Pakhtakor Football Club is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital city of Tashkent, that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League. Pakhtakor literally means "cotton-grower".
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.
PFC Lokomotiv Tashkent is an Uzbek professional football club based in Tashkent.
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.
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 2013 Uzbekistan First League was the 22nd season of 2nd level football in Uzbekistan since independence in 1992. It is split in an Eastern and Western zone, each featuring 12 teams.
Nafisa Muminova is a chess player from Uzbekistan.
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.
Manuchekhr Firdavsiyevich Safarov is a Tajikistani professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Uzbekistan Super League club Neftchi Fergana.
Rustam Jamshidovich Soirov is a Tajikistani professional football player who currently plays for Istiklol in the Tajikistan Higher League.
Irina Semenova (Gevorgyan) (born 18 January 1990 in Tashkent) is an Uzbekistani chess player.
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.
The 2016 CAFA U-19 Women's Championship was the inaugural edition of CAFA U-19 Women's Championship, the international women's football championship organised by Central Asian Football Association for the women's under-19 national teams of Central Asia. Uzbekistan hosted The tournament from 14 to 16 October 2016.
Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzbekistan)
Yu Yangyi (China)
Alexey Sarana (Serbia)
Richard Rapport (Romania)
Vidit Gujrathi (India)
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan)
Alexander Grischuk (FIDE)
Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran)
Evgeny Romanov (Norway)
Alexander Donchenko (Germany)
Mustafa Yilmaz (Turkey)
GM Vitaly Sivuk (Sweden)
GM Vitaliy Bernadskiy (Ukraine)
GM Mihail Nikitenko (Belarus)
GM Sergei Tiviakov (Netherlands)
