Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: O'zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.

Republic of Uzbekistan O'zbekiston Respublikasi Ўзбекистон Республикаси
Flag	Coat of arms
Capital - Tashkent
Official languages - Uzbek
Recognised regional languages - Karakalpak
Language for inter-ethnic - Russian communication
Ethnic groups  - 80.0% Uzbek, 5.5% Russian, 5.0%-5.5% Tajik, 3.0% Kazakh, 2.5% Karakalpak, 1.5% Tatar,2.5% Others.
Government -  Presidential republic
President -  Islam Karimov
Prime Minister  - Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Independence -  from the Soviet Union
Declared - 1 September 1991
Recognized - 8 December 1991
Currency - Uzbekistan som (O'zbekiston so'mi) (UZS)
Calling code - +998

Major cities include the capital Tashkent, Samarqand, Bukhara and Khiva.
Once part of the Persian Samanid and later Timurid empires, the region was conquered in the early 16th century by Uzbek nomads, who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. Most of Uzbekistan’s population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak the Uzbek language, one of the families of Turkic languages.

Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). It has been an independent republic since December 1991.

History
The first people known to have occupied Central Asia were Iranian nomads who arrived from the northern grasslands of what is now Uzbekistan sometime in the first millennium BC. These nomads, who spoke Iranian dialects, settled in Central Asia and began to build an extensive irrigation system along the rivers of the region. At this time, cities such as Bukhoro (Bukhara) and Samarqand (Samarkand) began to appear as centers of government and culture. By the 5th century BC, the Bactrian, Soghdian, and Tokharian states dominated the region. As China began to develop its silk trade with the West, Iranian cities took advantage of this commerce by becoming centers of trade. Using an extensive network of cities and settlements in the province of Mawarannahr (a name given the region after the Arab conquest) in Uzbekistan and farther east in what is today China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Soghdian intermediaries became the wealthiest of these Iranian merchants. Because of this trade on what became known as the Silk Route, Bukhoro and Samarqand eventually became extremely wealthy cities, and at times Mawarannahr was one of the most influential and powerful Persian provinces of antiquity.
Alexander the Great conquered Sogdiana and Bactria in 327 BC, marrying Roxana, daughter of a local Bactrian chieftain. The conquest was supposedly of little help to Alexander as popular resistance was fierce, causing Alexander's army to be bogged down in the region that became the northern part of Hellenistic Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. For many centuries the region of Uzbekistan was ruled by Iranian empires, including the Parthian and Sassanid Empires.
The Mongol conquest under Genghis Khan during the 13th century, would bring about a dramatic change to the region. The brutal conquest and widespread genocide characteristic of the Mongols almost entirely exterminated the indigenous Indo-Iranian (Scythian) people of the region. Their culture and heritage being superseded by that of the Mongolian-Turkic peoples who settled the region thereafter.
Following the death of Chinggis Khan in 1227, his empire was divided among his four sons and his family members. Despite the potential for serious fragmentation, Mongol law of the Mongol Empire maintained orderly succession for several more generations, and control of most of Mawarannahr stayed in the hands of direct descendants of Chaghatai, the second son of Chinggis. Orderly succession, prosperity, and internal peace prevailed in the Chaghatai lands, and the Mongol Empire as a whole remained strong and united.
In the early fourteenth century, however, as the empire began to break up into its constituent parts, the Chaghatai territory also was disrupted as the princes of various tribal groups competed for influence. One tribal chieftain, Timur (Tamerlane), emerged from these struggles in the 1380s as the dominant force in Mawarannahr. Although he was not a descendant of Chinggis, Timur became the de facto ruler of Mawarannahr and proceeded to conquer all of western Central Asia, Iran, Asia Minor, and the southern steppe region north of the Aral Sea. He also invaded Russia before dying during an invasion of China in 1405.
Timur initiated the last flowering of Mawarannahr by gathering in his capital, Samarqand, numerous artisans and scholars from the lands he had conquered. By supporting such people, Timur imbued his empire with a very rich culture. During Timur's reign and the reigns of his immediate descendants, a wide range of religious and palatial construction projects were undertaken in Samarqand and other population centres. Timur also patronized scientists and artists; his grandson Ulugh Beg was one of the world's first great astronomers. It was during the Timurid dynasty that Turkish, in the form of the Chaghatai dialect, became a literary language in its own right in Mawarannahr—although the Timurids also patronized writing in Persian. Until then only Persian had been used in the region. The greatest Chaghataid writer, Ali Shir Nava'i, was active in the city of Herat, now in northwestern Afghanistan, in the second half of the fifteenth century.
The Timurid state quickly broke into two halves after the death of Timur. The chronic internal fighting of the Timurids attracted the attention of the Uzbek nomadic tribes living to the north of the Aral Sea. In 1501 the Uzbeks began a wholesale invasion of Mawarannahr.
In the nineteenth century, the Russian Empire began to expand and spread into Central Asia. The "Great Game" period is generally regarded as running from approximately 1813 to the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, a second, less intensive phase followed. At the start of the nineteenth century, there were some 2,000 miles (3,200 km) separating British India and the outlying regions of Tsarist Russia. Much of the land in between was unmapped.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, Central Asia was firmly in the hands of Russia, and despite some early resistance to Bolsheviks, Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia became a part of the Soviet Union. On 27 October 1924 the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was created. On 31 August 1991, Uzbekistan declared independence, marking 1 September as a national holiday.

The country is now the world's second-largest exporter of cotton, and it is developing its mineral and petroleum reserves.

Geography
Uzbekistan is approximately the size of California and New Jersey added together and has an area of 447,400 square kilometers (172,700 sq mi). It is the 56th largest country in the world by area and the 42nd by population. Among the CIS countries, it is the 5th largest by area and the 3rd largest by population.
Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 kilometers (885 mi) from west to east and 930 kilometers (578 mi) from north to south. Bordering Kazakhstan and the Aral Sea to the north and northwest, Turkmenistan to the southwest, Tajikistan to the southeast, and Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Uzbekistan is not only one of the larger Central Asian states but also the only Central Asian state to border all the other four. Uzbekistan also shares a short border (less than 150 km) with Afghanistan to the south.
The highest point in Uzbekistan is the Khazret Sultan, located at 4,643 meters (15,233 ft) above sea level, located in the southern part of the Gissar Range in Surkhandarya Province, on the border with Tajikistan, just north-west of Dushanbe (formerly called Peak of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party).

The climate in the Republic of Uzbekistan is continental, with little precipitation expected annually (100–200 millimeters, or 3.9–7.9 inches). The average summer high temperature tends to be 40 °C (104 °F), while the average winter low temperature is around ?23 °C (?9 °F).

Provinces and districts
Provinces of Uzbekistan and Districts of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is divided into twelve provinces (viloyatlar, singular viloyat, compound noun viloyati e.g., Toshkent viloyati, Samarqand viloyati, etc.), one autonomous republic (respublika, compound noun respublikasi e.g. Qaraqalpaqstan Avtonom Respublikasi, Karakalpakistan Autonomous Republic, etc.), and one independent city (shahar. compound noun shahri, e.g., Toshkent shahri). Names are given below in the Uzbek language, although numerous variations of the transliterations of each name exist.

	Tash.	And.	Bukh.	Gul.	Djiz.	Karshi	Navai	Nam.	Nukus	Sam.	Ter.	Fer.	Urg.
Tashkent		447	616	118	203	558	509	432	1255	354	708	419	1119
Andijan	447		784	375	421	668	669	67	1342	516	892	73	1566
Bukhara	616	784		485	363	161	125	778	558	268	434	749	503
Gulistan	118	375	465		106	353	254	369	1027	201	557	340	1001
Djizakh	203	421	363	106		247	248	415	921	95	471	386	916
Karshi	558	668	161	353	247		241	662	719	152	273	663	664
Navai	509	669	125	354	248	241		663	383	153	477	634	610
Namangan	432	67	778	369	415	662	663		1336	510	886	85	1552
Nukus	1255	1342	558	1027	921	719	683	1336		826	992	1307	136
Samarkand	354	516	268	201	95	152	153	510	826		376	481	765
Termez	708	892	434	577	471	273	477	886	992	376		857	937
Fergana	419	73	749	340	386	633	634	85	1307	481	857		1538
Urgench	1119	1566	503	1001	916	664	610	1552	136	765	937	1538

Embassies in Tashkent

Embassy of Afghanistan in Uzbekistan 6, Murtazaev Str. ("Kazakhstan" cinema) Phone: (+998 71) 134 84 32, 134 84 58 Fax: 1342634	Embassy of Algeria in Uzbekistan 6, Murtazaev Str. ("Kazakhstan" cinema) Phone: (+998 71) 134 17 74, 135 13 92 Fax: 1206275
Embassy of Azerbaidjan in Uzbekistan 25, Shark Tongi Str. (Oliy Madjlis building) Phone: (+998 71) 173 61 67; 173 37 17 Fax: 173 26 58 e-mail: posol@ishonch.uz	Embassy of Bangladesh in Uzbekistan 17-1 Mirobod (former Kunaev Str, near hotel "Grand MIR") Phone: (+998 71) 152 26 92 e-mail: bdootas@rol.uz
Embassy of Belorussia in Uzbekistan 53, Vokhidov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 7252/ 120 5233/ 152 7258 Fax: 120 7253 e-mail: Uzbekistan@belembassy.org	Belgium Consulate in Uzbekistan 10, Karimov Str. Phone & Fax: (+998 71) 152 59 42
Embassy of Bulgaria in Uzbekistan 52, Rakatboshi Str. Phone: (+998 712) 56 48 88 Fax: (+998-71) 152 3952	Embassy of China in Uzbekistan 79, Gulyamov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 133 80 88, 136 08 51 Fax: (+998-71) 133 4735
Canada Consulate in Uzbekistan 56,Usman Nasirov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 115 22 05 Fax: (+998-71) 120 7270 Embassy of Czech Republic in Uzbekistan 9, Hidirali Ergashev Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 77 33	Embassy of Egypt in Uzbekistan 53, Chilanzar Str. ("Chilanzar" shopping complex) Phone: (+998 71) 120 5008/ 120 5009 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6452
Embassy of France in Uzbekistan 25, Akhunbabaev Str. (Academy of Science) Phone: (+998 71) 133 53 82, 133 53 84 Fax: (+998-71) 133 6210 www.ambafarnce-uz.org	Embassy of Georgia in Uzbekistan 16, Tarobiy str. Phone: (+998 71)162 62 43,162 91 39 Fax: (+998 712) 54 65 35 E-mal: gruzemb@geo-embassy.co.uz
Embassy of Germany in Uzbekistan 15, Rashidov Str. (Courage Monument) Phone: (+998 71) 120 84 40/ 120 8472 Fax: (+998-71) 120 8450 www.taschkent.diplo.de	Embassy of Great Britain in Uzbekistan 67, Gulyamov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 65 74, 120 78 52 Fax: (+998 71) 120 65 75 www.britain.uz
Embassy of India in Uzbekistan 15/16, Kora-buloq Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 49 96, 120 49 97 Fax: (+998-71) 136 1976	Embassy of Indonesia in Uzbekistan 73, Gulyamov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 132 02 36, 132 02 37 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6540
Embassy of Iran in Uzbekistan 20, Parkentskaya Str. Phon: (+998 712) 68 69 68 Fax: (+998 71) 120 67 61/ 68 7818	Embassy of Israel in Uzbekistan 3, Abdulla Kahar Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 58 08, 120 58 07
Embassy of Italy in Uzbekistan 40, Yusuf Hos Hojib Str. Phone: (+998 71) 152 11 19, 152 11 20 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6606 e-mail: angelo.persiani@esteri.it	Embassy of Japan in Uzbekistan 1/28, Sadyk Azimov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 80 60, 120 80 61 Fax: (+998-71) 120 8077
Embassy of Jordan in Uzbekistan 9, Farkhadskaya Str. (Akmal-lkramov district municipality - khokimiyat) Phone: (+998 712) 74 41 15, 74 24 79 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6644 jordanuz@online.ru	Embassy of Kazakhstan in Uzbekistan 23, Chehov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 152 16 54, 136 09 86
Embassy of Korea in Uzbekistan 7, Afrosiab Str. ("Oybek" metro station) Phone: (+998 71) 152 31 52	Consulate the People's Democratic Republic of Korea in Uzbekistan 95A, Nasir Str. Phone: (+998 712) 50 59 44
Embassy of Kuwait in Uzbekistan 2 cottage, Batumskaya Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 58 88 Fax: (+998-71) 120 8496	Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Uzbekistan 30, Samatov Str. ("Urtak" factory) Phone: (+998 71) 137 47 94
Embassy of Latvia in Uzbekistan 6, apt. 117, Murtazaev Str. ("Kazakhstan" cinema) Phone: (+998 71) 134 9213 Fax: (+998 71) 120 70 36	Embassy of Malaysia in Uzbekistan 10, Bozbozor Str. ("Buyuk Ipak Yuli" metro station) Phone: (+998 71) 137 67 58, 137 67 59 Fax: (+998-71) 137 6753
Embassy of Moldova in Uzbekistan 6, Murtazaev Str. ("Kazakhstan" cinema) Phone: (+998 71) 137 21 05, 135 31 35 Fax: (+998-71) 137 2105	Embassy of Pakistan in Uzbekistan 25, Chilanzar ("Chilanzar" shopping complex) Phone: (+998 71) 144 20 73, 144 86 40
Embassy of Palestine in Uzbekistan 50, Imam Al-Termeziy Phone (+998 712) 54 94 18 Fax: (+998 712) 53 10 17	Embassy of Poland in Uzbekistan 66, Firdavsiy Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 86 50, 120 86 52 Fax: (+998-71) 120 8651 e-mail: embassy@poland.uz
Embassy of Romania in Uzbekistan 44A, Chekalov Str. Phone Fax: (+998 71) 120 75 67 e-mail: romanian_embassy@sarkor.uz	Embassy of Russian Federation in Uzbekistan 83, Nukus Str. (Mirabad market) Phone: (+998 71) 152 62 80 / 120 3519 Fax: (+998-71) 152 2143/ 120 3504 e-mail: rusemb@albatros.uz
Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Uzbekistan 3A, Babur Str. Phone: (+998 71) 152 61 04, 152 61 07 Fax: (+998-71) 152 6106	Embassy of Switzerland in Uzbekistan Blind alley 1, 4, Nosir Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 67 38, 120 67 39 Fax: (+998 71) 120 62 59
Spain Consulate in Uzbekistan 25, Kichik Besh-Yogoch Str. Phone: (+998 71) 152 50 27	Embassy of Slovakia in Uzbekistan 18, Yakkasarai Phone: (+998 71) 120 6852/ 120 6952 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6851 e-mail: slovakia@buzton.com
Consulate of South Africa Republic in Uzbekistan 30A, Asaka Str. Phone: (+998 71) 137 01 70 / 137 1824 Fax: (+998-71) 137 2546	Embassy of Tadjikistan in Uzbekistan 61, Abdulla Kahor Str. Phone: (+998 712) 54 99 66 Fax: (+998 712) 54 89 69
Embassy of Turkey in Uzbekistan 87, Gulyamov Str. (Republican Office of Public Prosecutor) Phone: (+998 71) 133 80 37, 137 21 04, 133 21 07 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6536/ 133 1358	Embassy of Turkmenistan in Uzbekistan 16, Tarobiy Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 52 78, 120 5279 Fax: (+998 71) 120 52 81
The Netherlands Consulate in Uzbekistan 77, Usmon Nasirov Str. Phon: (+998 71) 120 61 41 Fax: (+998 71) 120 63 67	Embassy of Ukraine in Uzbekistan 68, Gulyamov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 136 08 12/ 1335523 Fax: (+998-71) 133 1089
Embassy of Vatican in Uzbekistan 80/1,Musahanov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 133 70 35 Fax: (+998-71) 133 7025	Embassy of Vietnam in Uzbekistan 100, Rashidov Str. Phone: (+998 71) 120 65 56/ 133 5674 Fax: (+998-71) 120 6265
Embassy of Yugoslavia in Uzbekistan 20, Dostoyevskiy Str.	The USA Embassy in Uzbekistan 82, Chilanzar ("Chilanzar" shopping complex) Phone: (+998 71) 120 54 50, (+998 71) 120 54 44

Uzbekistan Visa
In order to enter Uzbekistan every foreign tourist must have a valid entry visa, to be obtained from the nearest Uzbekistan Embassy or General Consulate. Tourist visas can be obtained upon presenting an Invitation Letter, duly approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan.

Visa support formalities
1. Salom Travel Service must receive the following data:
- Scan of passport of each coming tourist
-  Occupation, name of company and its location (country, city)
- Length of stay in Uzbekistan
- Place of application to obtain a visa (location of Uzbekistan Consulate)
- Full name, children if have, sex, and present and previous citizenship.
- Home address.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan will issue Visa Support within 3 working days for express visa and 10 working days for a usual visa. But applying 1 month before arrival will be the best. The Visa Support number is send directly by MFA to the issuing authority (Uzbek embassy or consulate abroad) and the copy to the local tour operator, who informs the tourist or travel agent about Visa Support number.
3. Our company sends to the tourist the Letter of Invitation with the above mentioned reference number and copy of a tourist voucher, to be presented at the Consulate.
Consulate fees

1. Issuing visa. Visa can be issued in:
• Uzbekistan embassy or consulate in tourists own or nearest country. The list of all Uzbekistan embassies and consulates abroad with their addresses are given at the end of this paragraph. Appearance of tourist is not a must, all Uzbekistan Embassies issue visa via mail.
• In a third country where tourist has transit for more than 24 hours.
• In Tashkent International Airport, but only in cases when the above 2 points are absent. In this case tourist has to fax evidence that he is residing in a country with no Uzbek embassy near and is flying directly or with short transit time to Uzbekistan.

2. Visa fees:
• Up to 30 days - $60 p/pax
• Up to 3 months - $80 p/pax
• Up to 1 year - $160 p/pax
• Transit Visa - $20-40 p/pax
• Every extra entry will cost $ 10 p/entry p/pax additionally
• Group Visa up to 15 days - $15 p/ pax
• Group Visa up to 30 days - $ 25 p/ pax
• Extension of Visa up to 24 hours - $ 15 p/ pax
• Extension of Visa up to 30 days - $ 50 p/ pax
* Visa fees can be various in different embassies.

The citizens of the following countries do not need Visa support letter to get a Visa and may get Uzbek single entry Visa at any Uzbek Embassy or Consulate during 2 working days: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Switzerland and Japan.

Transit Visas
In case of transit via Uzbekistan, while traveling to a third country, including CIS countries, foreign travelers must have a transit visa issued beforehand. The transit visas are issued for a period up to 72 hours and cost US$20 for 24 hours, US$25 for 48 hours or US$30 for 72 hours. Travelers flying by Uzbekistan Airways, can get transit visas for Uzbekistan without visa support formalities.
Such transit visas are of two kinds: Single entry - for 72 hours or 3 days and Double entry - for 144 hours or 3+3 days. They can be obtained from any Uzbekistan Consulate within 24 hours, upon presenting an air-ticket for an "Uzbekistan Airways" flight.
Expired visa penalties