About 88% of the population of Uzbekistan professes Islam, and most of them are Sunnis. 9% are Orthodox Christians. Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Buddhists also live in the country.
Transport in Uzbekistan
Airplanes fly from Moscow to Tashkent several times a week. Travel time – 4 hours. Also from Moscow you can fly to Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Ferghana, Andijan, Karshi, Urgench and Nukus. In addition, there are a number of flights to Tashkent from Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Samara. You can also get from Moscow to Tashkent by train. Travel time 68 hours. Also
Tashkent is connected by railway lines with Ufa and Saratov. If you want to travel to Uzbekistan by car or by bus, then get ready for a long and tiring journey. From Moscow to Tashkent – 3610 km. You can enter the country through the border checkpoints on the border with Kazakhstan: Zhibek-Zholy/Gysht-Koprik (between Tashkent and Shymkent) and Beyneu/Karakalpakiya (in the Aral Sea region); on the border with Tajikistan: Zhartepe/Pyandzhikent (between Samarkand and Panjikent), Oybek/Fatekhabad (between Tashkent and Khujand) and Brotherhood/Denau (between Dushanbe and Termez); on the border with Kyrgyzstan in a number of small crossings in the Ferghana Valley.
Within the country, air communication has been established between Tashkent and Namangan, Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara, Karshi, Termez, Urgench and Nukus. Railways connect Tashkent with Bukhara, Urgench, Termez (these routes pass through Samarkand) and Andijan (the train transits through Tajikistan). Comfortable branded express trains run between Tashkent and Samarkand. Buses and mini-buses also run regularly between Uzbek cities. The fares for trains and buses are about the same and relatively low compared to air travel.
Urban communication in Uzbekistan is represented by buses and fixed-route taxis, also in Tashkent operates the only metro in Central Asia. But it is best to travel within cities by taxi. You should agree on the cost of the trip in advance, and in any case, bargaining is necessary, because local taxi drivers often overcharge. Many Uzbek motorists are engaged in private transportation, you can also use their services.
You can only rent a car in Uzbekistan with a driver.
Plant and Animal World in Uzbekistan
Most of the country’s territory is occupied by steppes and deserts, dominated by wormwood, saltwort, sand locust, saxaul and tamarisk. The vegetation of river valleys flowing through arid plains is fundamentally different from the surrounding desert vegetation. Tugai forests grow here, where poplar, willow, sucker and mulberry are found. In the eastern part of Uzbekistan, large-grass vegetation is widespread in the foothills, and on the slopes of the mountains there are broad-leaved forests consisting of walnut trees, maple, birch, ash and poplar.
The fauna of the vast desert regions of Uzbekistan is represented by wild boars, wolves, foxes, hares and various lizards, snakes and rodents. The local deserts are also inhabited by the rare saiga antelope and a one and a half meter monitor lizard. Of the birds of the arid zone, crows, jays and buzzards are common. Wild boars, wolves, foxes, mountain goats, martens, badgers and the rare snow leopard live in the mountainous regions. Pheasants, larks, owls and large birds of prey are found here.
Several dozen species of fish live in the reservoirs of Uzbekistan, including Aral salmon, Amu Darya trout, pike, Aral roach, Aral barbel, carp, goldfish, catfish, pike perch, perch, snakehead, silver carp and grass carp, as well as many crustaceans.
Minerals in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan has deposits of natural gas, oil, brown and hard coal, gold, copper, lead, silver, lithium, tungsten, bismuth, oil shale, uranium, potash salts, phosphorites, quartz, kaolins and limestones.
Political State in Uzbekistan
According to politicsezine, Uzbekistan is a sovereign democratic republic. The head of state is the president. He is elected by popular vote for a term of 7 years. The head of government (Prime Minister) and members of the government (Cabinet of Ministers) are appointed by the President. Executive power belongs to the president and the government. Legislative power is exercised by the Supreme Assembly, which is called the Oliy Majlis. Its members are elected for a term of 5 years. “Oliy Majlis” consists of two chambers – the Legislative Chamber (Lower Chamber) and the Senate (Upper Chamber).
Administratively, the country is divided into 12 “viloyats” (regions or provinces), the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan and the urban district of Tashkent.
Population in Uzbekistan
About 75% of the population of the country are Uzbeks. Of the other peoples of Central Asia, Tajiks (5%), Kazakhs (4%), Karakalpaks (2.5%), Kyrgyz (1%), Turkmens (1%) live in Uzbekistan. In addition, 6.5% of the country’s inhabitants are Russians, 2.5% – Tatars, 1% – Ukrainians, 1% also account for Belarusians, Koreans and Jews.
Language:
Since 1989, Uzbek has been the official language of Uzbekistan. Tajik and Russian languages are also widely spoken in the country. Many tourism workers speak English.
