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| Country Guide > Asia > Uzbekistan |
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General Information
Area 447,400 sq km (172,740 sq miles). Population 26,093,000 (UN estimate 2003). Population Density 58.3 per sq km. Capital Tashkent. Population: 2,157,000 (UN estimate 2001; including suburbs). Geography Uzbekistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Turkmenistan to the west, Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast and Tajikistan to the east and has a colourful and varied countryside. The south and east are dominated by the Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges and the Kyzyl Kum Desert lies to the northeast. The northwestern autonomous region of Karakalpakstan is bordered by the Aral Sea and the sparsely populated Ustyurt Plateau with its vast cotton fields. Government Republic. Declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Head of State: President Islam Karimov since 1991. Head of Government: Prime Minister Shavkat Mirzoyoev since 2003. Language The official language is Uzbek, a Turkic tongue closely related to Kazakh and Kyrgyz. There is a small Russian-speaking minority. Many people involved with tourism speak English. The Government has stated its intention to change the Cyrillic script to the Latin. Religion Predominantly Sunni Muslim, with Shia (15 per cent), Russian Orthodox and Jewish minorities. Time GMT + 5. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin continental plugs are standard. Communications Telephone Country code: 998. Area code for Tashkent: 71. IDD is available, but calls from hotel rooms still need to be booked either from reception or from the floor attendant. International calls can also be made from main post offices (in Tashkent on Prospekt Navoi). Direct-dial calls within the CIS are obtained by dialling 8 and waiting for another dial tone and then dialling the city code. Calls within the city limits are free of charge. Mobile telephone GSM 900 network provided by Coscom (website: www.coscom.uz). GSM 900/1800 network provided by Daewoo (website: www.daewoounitel.com) and Uzdunrobita (website: www.uzdunrobita.uz). Coverage is limited to certain areas around Tashkent. Fax Services are available from major hotels for residents only. Internet ISPs include Eastlink (website: www.eastlink.com). Internet cafes exist in Tashkent. Telegram Services are available from post offices in large towns. Post Letters to Western Europe and the USA can take between two weeks and two months. Stamped envelopes can be bought from post offices. Addresses should be laid out in the following order: country, postcode, city, street, house number and, lastly, the person’s name. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800. The Main Post Office in Tashkent (see above) is open until 1900. Visitors can also use the post offices situated in the major hotels. There are a number of international courier services based in Tashkent. Press There are no independent daily newspapers in Uzbekistan. The main editions are published in Tashkent and include Khalk suzi and Narodnoye Slovo (in Russian and Uzbek), and Soliqlav va Bojhom Habarlari/Nalogovie I Tamojennie Vesti and Uzbekistan ovizi. Radio BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. |
