Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic. It’s known for its mosques, mausoleums and other sites linked to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. Samarkand, a major city on the route, contains a landmark of Islamic architecture: the Registan, a plaza bordered by 3 ornate, mosaic-covered religious schools dating to the 15th and 17th centuries.

This Silk Road destination has been making history for thousands of years – decrepit Buddhist stupas and Zoroastrian shrines speak of its antiquity, while jaw-dropping vestiges of palaces and mosques make it easy to believe how these medieval kingdoms spawned stories of fantasy and lore.

Uzbekistan is a diamond in the crown of ancient empires and treasury of architectural monuments, the center of ancient cities, one of the centers of the legendary Silk Road. Here you can see the real ancient East – in Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara. You can taste a real Uzbek pilaf cooked according to a recipe that is more than a thousand years old. Hotels here do not cost prohibitive money, and dinner at a restaurant will not ruin even the hungriest tourist. The country will conquer your heart by the beauty of historical monuments of the past, fantastic cuisine and smell of oriental markets.

Perhaps Uzbekistan has already captured your imagination and you’re simply looking for practical details on how to prepare for your upcoming trip, in which case we encourage you to check out Uzbekistan Trip Planner.

Location : The Republic of Uzbekistan is situated in the central part of Central Asia between two rivers: Amu Darya and Syr Darya. There are Turan Lowland in the northwest, and Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alay mountain ridges in the southeast of the territory. Kyzyl Kum Desert is in the North. Uzbekistan borders Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan, and Afghanistan in the South.

Area: total 448.900 km²: land: 425.400 km², water: 22,000 km².

Population: more than 35,163,944 million people

Ethnic composition: Uzbekistan is a multinational state of people living in harmony. Different nations and nationalities live in this country– Uzbeks, Karakalpaks,Tajiks, Kazakhs, Kirghizes, Uygurs, Dungans, west and east Slavs – Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians; also big diasporas of Koreans, Iranians, Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Tatars, Bashkirs, Germans, Jews, Lithuanians, Greeks, Turks live in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan today is the most populous country in Central Asia and is ranked the third-largest state by population in CIS after Russia and Ukraine.  About 80% of population are Uzbeks, more than 10% are representatives of Central Asian nations (Tajiks (4,5%), Kazakhs (2,5%), Karakalpaks (2%), Kirgizs (1%), Turkmens and others). Other largest ethnic groups include Russians and other Slavic nations (10%).

Political structure: The Republic of Uzbekistan is a constitutional republic with a presidential system, and the President of Uzbekistan is the head of state. Executive power is exercised by the government and the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. Legislative power is vested in the two houses of Parliament, the Senate and the Legislative Yuan. The Judiciary (Judiciary) consists of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Higher Economic Court, which exercise judicial power.

Administrative and Territorial Structure: Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakistan, 12 regions, 226 cities and districts.

Capital: Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan and is a metropolis of over 2.5 million people. It’s known for its many museums and its mix of modern and Soviet-era architecture. The Amir Timur Museum houses manuscripts, weapons and other relics from the Timurid dynasty. Nearby, the huge State Museum of History of Uzbekistan has centuries-old Buddhist artifacts. The city’s skyline is distinguished by Tashkent Tower, which offers city views from its observation deck.

Official Language: Uzbekistan is multination country. Uzbek is the state language, Russian and Tajik are the languages of international communication.

Currency: All payments must be done in sum, the national currency of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Currency exchange offices are available in every city of Uzbekistan.

Religion: Main religion in Uzbekistan is Islam, but it is a secular state, where representatives of different religions and confessions live together in harmony. According to the official data, today there are 2225 registered religious organizations, 16 different religious confessions. This varied ethnic image of Uzbekistan states that there is high tolerance to the issue of religion in the country. The Constitution of Uzbekistan protects religious freedom. Everyone shall have the right to profess or not to profess any religion. (Art.31)

Sunni Islam is the dominant religion in Uzbekistan consisting 93% of the population of the country except for 1% of Shia Muslims mostly living on the territory of Bukhara and Samarkand.

Christianity is the other religion with most followers having its both streams: Orthodox (4%) and Catholicism (%3).

Standard time zone: Uzbekistan time is the standard time in Uzbekistan; it is 5 hours ahead of UTC, UTC+05:00. The standard time uses no daylight saving time, though there has been constant debate whether to adopt it in order to increase leisure time.

Electric power: The hotels may have both the contemporary European-type sockets with wide holes and ground connection and the old Soviet-type sockets. Current with a voltage of 220 V and a frequency of 50 Hz is used throughout.