About Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a landlocked country 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, Turkmenistan and the autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan to the south-west. Along with Liechtenstein, it is one of two doubly landlocked countries.
Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic.
Uzbekistan was in ancient times part of the Iranian-speaking region of Transoxiana and Turan.
Official name: Republic of Uzbekistan
Official language: Uzbek
Form of government: Presidential Republic
Head of State: President
Territory: 447.4 thousand sq. Km
Population: More than 32 million people
Capital: Tashkent
Monetary unit: soʻm
Religion: Islam
Climate: continental, arid
Administrative division: Uzbekistan includes 12 regions and the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan.
STATE SYMBOLS
The Republic of Uzbekistan has its state symbols – the flag, the emblem, and the anthem sanctioned by law. The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The flag of the country is a symbol of the sovereignty of the Republic. The national flag of the Republic represents the country internationally when official delegations from Uzbekistan visit foreign countries, as well as at conferences, world exhibitions, and sports competitions.
The national flag of the Republic is a right-angled colored cloth of three horizontal stripes: blue, white, and green.
The state emblem of the Republic presents the image of the rising sun over a flourishing valley. Two rivers run through the valley, representing the Syrdarya and Amudarya. The emblem is bordered by wheat on the right side and branches of cotton with opened cotton bolls on the left side.
Once upon a time, trade caravans of the Silk Road passed through the territory of Uzbekistan, located in the very heart of Central Asia. The armies of the great conquerors of the past, for example, Alexander the Great and Timur (Tamerlane), were also “noted” on these lands. It is believed that it was Timur who turned Samarkand into the largest cultural center of the region, where many scholars of that time lived and worked.
Modern Uzbekistan borders Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
Uzbekistan is a multinational state in which approximately 82% of the population is ethnic Uzbek. But other nationalities also live in the country – Russians, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Crimean Tatars, and even Germans who got here by accident after the end of World War II.
It is also worth noting that there are several sites in the country that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In particular, one can mention the Chatkal reserve located in the Western Tien Shan. The same list also includes the inner city of Khiva – Ichan-Kala. The whole of Samarkand is also included in the cultural heritage of mankind. And several dozen more historical sites of Uzbekistan are included by UNESCO in the so-called “preliminary list”.
Uzbek cuisine
The national Uzbek cuisine is distinguished by a peculiar technology of cooking dishes. It uses a wide range of products. The usual set of products for Uzbeks when cooking is wheat, barley, rice, peas, mung bean, carrots, onions, turnips, flax, sesame seeds, pumpkin, melon, watermelon, etc.
Tea drinking in Uzbekistan is not only a thirst-quenching but also a whole ritual. Usually, tea is brewed in teapots and then poured into bowls. Tea drinking completes any meal, but before the meal, it is customary to eat sweets, fruits, vegetables, and melons. Pilaf and manta are the most common dishes of the national Uzbek cuisine.
The whole of Uzbekistan is one large architectural and archaeological monument in the open air. The Gur-Emir Mausoleum, the tomb of Amir Timur and his family, is one of the most famous sights. The structure was erected in Samarkand in 1404 – a year before the death of the Great Tamerlane.