Page 59 - The Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan

DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Uzbekistan

Facts & Figures

• Area: 172,742 square miles

• Capital: Tashkent

• Languages: @eMPV T^ _SP ZʯNTLW WLYR`LRP& =`^^TLY LYO ?LUTV L]P LW^Z ^[ZVPY

• Ethnicities: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar
1.5%, other 2.5%

• Location: In Central Asia, between Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan

• Geography: Most of Uzbekistan has a desert climate marked by long, hot summers and
short, mild winters. There is, however, a small area of semiarid grassland in the eastern
part of the country known as the Fergana Valley. The Fergana Valley is surrounded by
Uzbekistan’s mountainous border with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan is a doubly
landlocked country—one of only two in the world—meaning you’d have to cross at least
two other countries to get to an ocean. It does, however, have 260 miles of coastline
along the Aral Sea (an inland sea with no outlet to the ocean). The Amu Darya, Syr Darya
>T]OL]dZ LYO EL]LQ^SZY =TaP]^ LWW ʮZb _S]Z`RS @eMPVT^_LY

• Population: 29,199,942

• Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

• Time Zone: Turkmenistan is nine hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). When it
is noon in Washington D.C., it is 9pm in Ashgabat.

National Holidays: Uzbekistan

In addition to the holidays listed below, 03/08 International Women’s Day
Uzbekistan celebrates a number of national
03/21 Nowruz
holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such
L^ 0TO LW 1T_] LYO 0TO LW ,OSL ?Z ʭYO 05/09 Remembrance Day
out if you will be traveling during these
holidays, please visit www.timeanddate. 09/01 Independence Day
com/holidays.
10/01 Teachers Day
01/01 New Year’s Day
12/08 Constitution Day
01/14 Defenders of the Motherland Day

Historical Overview of Uzbekistan
Early History and the Silk Road

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