Uzbekistan flag
Basic facts of Uzbekistan
Official name: Republic of Uzbekistan
Capital: Toshkent
Area: 447,400 sq km, 172,700 sq mi
Population: 28,268,440 (2008 estimate)
Population density:
67 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
172 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 36 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 64 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Toshkent, Namangan, Samarqand, Andijon, Bukhara
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (mostly Sunni) 76 percent
Atheist 3 percent
Christian 2 percent
Nonreligious 18 percent
Other 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 65.4 years (2008 estimate)
Female 69 years (2008 estimate)
Male 62 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 99.2 percent (2000 estimate)
Female 98.8 percent (2000 estimate)
Male 99.6 percent (2000 estimate)
Form of government: Republic
Total number of military personnel: 55,000 (2004)
Introduction:
Uzbekistan, republic in Central Asia, bordered on the west and north by Kazakhstan, on the east by Kyrgyzstan, on the southeast by Tajikistan, and on the south by Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The Qoraqalpogh Autonomous Republic (also known as Qoraqalpoghiston, or Karakalpakstan) occupies 37 percent of Uzbekistan’s territory in the western portion of the country. Toshkent (Tashkent), located in the northeast, is the capital city and chief industrial and cultural center. Uzbeks make up the majority of the republic’s population. In the official state language of Uzbek, the republic is called Uzbekiston Respublikasy (Republic of Uzbekistan).
Uzbekistan was the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1924 until 1991, when it gained its independence. In 1992 UzbekistanUzbekistan. Although the constitution guarantees a multiparty system, the republic’s president, Islam Karimov, has established an authoritarian-style regime that has been intolerant of opposition groups. Karimov has also proceeded cautiously with market-oriented economic reforms, and the government retains control over most sectors of the economy. was officially designated a secular and democratic republic with the ratification of its first post-Soviet constitution. However, many of the centralized controls that were characteristic of the Soviet period remain entrenched in the economic and political structures of Uzbekistan. Although the constitution guarantees a multiparty system, the republic’s president, Islam Karimov, has established an authoritarian-style regime that has been intolerant of opposition groups. Karimov has also proceeded cautiously with market-oriented economic reforms, and the government retains control over most sectors of the economy.
Toshkent, Uzbekistan
Toshkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is a center of Uzbek culture. Seen here in the foreground is a memorial to a local hero. The round building in the background is the Toshkent Circus.
Kalyan Mosque
The Kalyān Mosque, located in Bukhara, in western Uzbekistan, dates back to the 15th century. The city was a leading center of Islamic learning under Arab rulers and the Persian Samanid dynasty as far back as the 8th century.
Historic Monuments in Samarqand
The gleaming blue dome and towering arches of Golden Mosque and Madrasa, a Muslim school, occupy one side of Registan Square in the heart of ancient Samarqand. The minarets, portals, and intricate murals of the buildings in the square date from the 15th and 16th centuries, when Samarqand reached its apex as Central Asia's cultural and economic hub.