Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: Oʻzbekiston Respublikasi, Ўзбекистон Республикаси), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia. It is a unitary, constitutional, presidential republic, comprising 12 provinces, 1 autonomous republic, and 1 independent city. Uzbekistan is bordered by five countries: Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea to the north; Tajikistan to the southeast; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Afghanistan to the south; and Turkmenistan to the southwest.
Once part of the Turkic Khaganate and later Timurid Empires, the region which today includes the Republic of Uzbekistan was conquered in the early 16th century by nomads who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. This region was subsequently incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century, and in 1924 it became a bordered constituent republic of the Soviet Union, known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). It subsequently became the independent Republic of Uzbekistan on 31 August 1991 (officially, as of the following day). Most of Uzbekistan's population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak Uzbek, a language belonging to the family of Turkic languages.
Uzbekistan's economy relies mainly on commodity production, including cotton, gold, uranium, and natural gas. Despite the declared objective of transition to a market economy, its government continues to maintain economic controls which deter foreign investment and imports in favour of domestic 'import substitution'.
Uzbekistan is a secular, unitary, constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage. The country's official language is Uzbek, spoken natively by approximately 85% of the population. Uzbeks constitute 81% of the population. Minorities include Russians (5.4%) and others (13.5%). A majority of Uzbeks (54%) are non-denominational Muslims.[6] Uzbekistan is a member of the CIS, OSCE, UN, and the SCO.
The country receives continuous media attention and highlight due to the ecological disaster in the Aral Sea caused by a national irrigation system.
Thanks for Coperation to
Sony Baltic Branch
especially Mr. Vitalijs Malinovskis