200 Cool Facts About Uzbekistan

200 Interesting Facts About Uzbekistan

The official language is Uzbek.
Football is the most popular sport in Uzbekistan.
The country’s uranium production ranks 17th globally.
Uzbekistan has 2 national parks and 9 nature reserves.
Uzbeks are the largest nation in Central Asia.
Samarkand and Bukhara are over 2700 years old cities.
Arranged marriage is still common in Uzbekistan.
Bread is "Honored". The Uzbeks believe that turning bread upside down will bring you bad fortune.
Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation and former Soviet republic.
The official name of the country is the Republic of Uzbekistan.
It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Tajikistan to the southeast, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the south and Turkmenistan to the southwest.
The highest point in Uzbekistan is the Khazret Sultan, at 4,643 meters (15,233 feet) above sea level.
The world’s largest open-pit gold mine is at Muruntau in the Qizilqum desert.
The Aral Sea was once the Earth’s fourth largest inland sea. After the Soviets depleted its water supply to irrigate the cotton fields in the 1960s and extensively used chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it has shrunk to half its former area and decreased by threefold in volume.
Now there is a shortage of water in Uzbekistan, with underground water and reservoirs serving the needs for plant irrigation. Certain rivers are now half dry. The drying of the Aral Sea has ravaged the surrounding land with disease and agricultural devastation.
An island in the Aral Sea named Vozrozhdeniye was a secret biological weapons test site for the Soviets during their era. In 1988, the Soviets buried evidence on the island, which today is contaminated with live anthrax and other deadly poisons.
The Ugam-Chatkal National Park is the natural habitat of 44 mammal species, 230 bird species and 1168 species of plants, including bears, wolves, red marmots, lynx, snow leopards and wild rams. Travel permits are required for parts of the park near the borders with other countries.
The Jeyran Ecological Center is rescuing and restoring this endangered species. The Kitab State Geological Reserve and Kyzylkum Tugai and Sand Reserve explore the natural geography. Watch for wild boar, deer, wild ducks, sandpipers, and reed cats.
The Nuratau-Kyzylkum Biospheric Reserve will soon be included in the UNESCO global list of such reserves.
Dr Pavel (crazy scientist) in The Dark Knight Rises, was apparently from Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan features three health and recreation complexes for relaxation: Chimgan, Charvak and Beldersay. Visas are required for all tourists apart from passport holders of CIS countries (The Commonwealth of Independent States.)
The current population of Uzbekistan is 33,429,848 as of Wednesday, June 3, 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.
Uzbekistan 2020 population is estimated at 33,469,203 people at mid year according to UN data.
Uzbekistan population is equivalent to 0.43% of the total world population.
Uzbekistan ranks number 42 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population.
The population density in Uzbekistan is 79 per km2.
The total land area is 425,400 km2.
50.1 % of the population is urban (16,756,329 people in 2020).
The median age in Uzbekistan is 27.8 years.
Uzbekistan is one of the safest countries in the world.
The coordinates of Uzbekistan: Latitude: 41° 22' 52.20" N, Longitude: 64° 34' 24.89" E.
The total land area of Uzbekistan is 172,742 square miles (447,400 square kilometers).
Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only "double landlocked" countries in the world.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Uzbekistan was conquered by Genghis Khan and was incorporated into the Mongol empire.
Uzbekistan was ruled by Russia for nearly 200 years, as part of the Russian Empire, and then the Soviet Union, before gaining independence in 1991.
During its time as a republic of the USSR from 1924 to 1991, it was known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.
Uzbekistan is a combination of the Turkic words “uz” (self) and “bek” (master) and the Persian suffix “-stan” (country). This essentially translates as the “Land of the Free”.
Uzbekistan’s flag is striped blue, white and green with red narrow margins between the stripes. Blue represents water; white is for peace and purity; green is for nature, fertility, and new life; red represents the life force essential to all humans. In the upper corner is a white crescent moon signifying the rebirth of an independent republic and 12 white stars for the months of the year.
Authoritarian President Islam Karimov ruled the country from 1989 until his death in 2016.
The Aral Sea, located on the border of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, was once the world’s fourth-largest lake. Since the construction of a Soviet irrigation project in the 1960s, the lake has almost disappeared. It has been described as ‘one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters’.
Uzbekistan is home to one of the world’s largest open-pit gold mine. The Muruntau Gold Mine in the Qizilqum Desert is the world’s largest open-pit gold mine and it has the second-highest level of annual production at 66 tonnes. The pit is around 3.35km by 2.5km and at least 560m deep.
Uzbekistan has the world’s 10th largest mine reserves of gold and is the world’s 12th largest gold producer. Gold accounts for around 44% of the country’s exports.
In Uzbekistan, at the end of a shared meal, it is common etiquette to run your hands over your face in the amin gesture to signify thanks.
There is a formal etiquette for pouring tea in Uzbekistan. First, it is custom to rinse out your piala (a small tea bowl) with a drop of hot tea, then return a bowlful to the pot three times before the tea is finally considered fit to drink.
Bukhara, which is situated on the Silk Route, is more than 2,000 years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
The Registan was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan means “Sandy place” or “desert” in Persian. It was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis – and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture.
Shah-i-Zinda is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand. The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 9-14th and 19th centuries.
Uzbekistan is also one of just two doubly landlocked countries, Liechtenstein being the second. A double landlocked country is surrounded only by landlocked countries and requires the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline.
The country was at the heart of the historic Silk Road, the ancient trading route or “superhighway” that connected China with Europe and the Middle East.
Uzbekistan was occupied by Alexander the Great when he captured Samarkand in 329 BCE.
The historic city and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Samarkand is known as a crossroad and melting pot of the world’s cultures, with a history of over 2,500 years going back to 1500 BC. It’s most famous site is the Registan Mosque: a central square flanked by ornately tiled, mosaic-clad madrassas (historic Islamic schools).
Uzbekistan’s Silk Road sites include four of the country’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Samarkand, Shakhrisyabz, Bukhara and Itchan Kala. The fifth is the Tien-Shan mountains.
It is also a tradition in the country that the most respected guest be seated farthest from the house’s entrance.
Tashkent’s metro stations are known for their beauty. There are three stations and each one of them has a unique design and theme. With marble ceilings and beautiful chandeliers, they are considered one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. Riding in such a grand metro will definitely be fun.
The Aral Sea lying between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was once the fourth largest inland sea on Earth. However, from the 1960s, the lake has been gradually shrinking after the rivers were diverted to irrigate the cotton fields. Extensive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has further polluted the region. Today the lake has shrunk to half its former area and decreased by threefold in volume. The shrinking of Aral Sea has been called one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters.
With regard to reserves and production of copper and tungsten, Uzbekistan is among the top ten countries in the world. Uzbekistan is the world’s seventh-largest producer of cotton, most of which is exported. Other exports include gold, oil, and natural gas as well as uranium.
The city-states resisted fiercely but were conquered by the Russian expansion into the area in the mid-19th century.
After World War I the population gave stiff resistance to the Red Army but they were eventually suppressed. A socialist Uzbek Republic was set up in 1924. The country became the independent Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1925.
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan gained its independence in 1991 and became a constitutional republic.
President Islam Karimov ran the country from 1991 until his death in 2016. He was widely held to be responsible for severe breaches of basic human rights (tortures and executions).
In 2016 Uzbekistan held its first election since 1991.
Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populous country and the majority live in rural areas.
Palov or Plov is the national dish. Made of mutton, rice, onions and grated carrots, legend holds it was invented by the cooks of Alexander the Great. Different areas of the country put their own spin on the dish, adding ingredients like pumpkins, peppers or dried tomatoes.
Chuchvara is similar to ravioli (Russian pelmeni) and stuffed with onions and mutton. Manti is a dumpling filled with the same. Somsa (samosa) is a pastry pocket filled with mutton or beef, pumpkin or potatoes.
Soups include lagman, thick with meat, spices, potatoes, pasta and vegetables (usually with 50 ingredients); mastava , which is rice soup with carrots, tomatoes, onions, peas and even wild plums; and shurpa, a soup made with fatty meat (usually mutton) and fresh vegetables.
A Uzbek master chef is held to be able to cook enough palov/plov in one caldron to serve a thousand men.
Lepioshka (bread) is never laid upside down (it brings bad luck) nor placed on the ground, even if it’s safely in a bag.
Traditional Uzbek bread, known as ‘obi non’ or simply ‘non’, is flat and round and always torn by hand, never sliced with a knife. It is also never thrown out.
Algorithm derives from the name of the Uzbek Scientist Khwarezmi.
Uzbekistan has the best melons and watermelons in the world.
Gold reserves of Uzbekistan are ranked fourth in the world after South Africa, the USA and Russia. And as for the extraction of gold - the second place among the CIS countries after Russia.
Uranium reserves of Uzbekistan are ranked seventh in the world after Australia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada, South Africa and Ukraine. And the third in the world in its export after Kazakhstan and Australia.
On reserves and production of copper and tungsten Uzbekistan is among the top ten countries in the world.
Uzbekistan is the world's fifth-largest cotton exporter and seventh-largest producer.
Early human tools and monuments are found in Fergana, Tashkent, Bukhara, Khorezm and Samarkand regions.
The physical environment of Uzbekistan is diverse, ranging from the flat, desert topography that comprises almost 80% of the country’s territory to mountain peaks in the east.
Zaamin National Park is the oldest nature preserve in Uzbekistan, created in 1926 as Guralash Nature Preserve on the northern slopes of the western part of Turkestan Range, in the valleys of the rivers Kulsoy, Guralash, Baikungur, and Aldashmansoy. Total area is 156 squar kilometers (60 square miles). Elevations from 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) (in the Guralash valley) to 3,571 meters (11,716 feet) (Guralash Peak).
The territory was made into the Uzbek Republic in 1924 and became the independent Uzbekistan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1925.
On 20 June 1990, Uzbekistan declared its state sovereignty. On 31 August 1991, Uzbekistan declared independence after the failed coup attempt in Moscow. 1 September was proclaimed the National Independence Day. The Soviet Union was dissolved on 26 December of that year.
Uzbekistan’s economy relies mainly on commodity production, including cotton, gold, uranium, and natural gas.
Uzbekistan is one of the largest producers and exporters of cotton.
Uzbekistan has the fourth largest gold deposits in the world. The country mines 80 tons of gold annually, seventh in the world.
The Uzbek national gas company, Uzbekneftegas, ranks 11th in the world in natural gas production.
Uzbekistan’s national dish is palov (plov or osh or “pilaf”), a main course typically made with rice, pieces of meat, grated carrots and onions. It is usually cooked in a kazan (or deghi) over an open fire.
Green tea is the national hot beverage taken throughout the day; teahouses (chaikhanas) are of cultural importance.
Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populous country and the majority live in rural areas.
Formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 square kilometers (26,300 square miles), the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s. Satellite images taken by NASA in August 2014 revealed that for the first time in modern history the eastern basin of the Aral Sea had completely dried up. The eastern basin is now called the Aralkum Desert. [Images below: The Aral Sea in 1989 (left) and 2014 (right)]
Itchan Kala is the inner town (protected by brick walls some 10 meters / 33 feet high) of the old Khiva oasis, which was the last resting-place of caravans before crossing the desert to Iran. The old town retains more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses, dating primarily from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.
The Gūr-i Amīr is a mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Timur (also known as Tamerlane) in Samarkand. It occupies an important place in the history of Persian-Mongolian Architecture as the precursor and model for later great Mughal architecture tombs, including Gardens of Babur in Kabul, Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra, built by Timur’s Persianised descendants, the ruling Mughal dynasty of North India. It has been heavily restored.
The first people known to have inhabited Central Asia were Iranian nomads who came from the northern grasslands of what is now Uzbekistan, sometime in the first millennium BC.
The country is the world’s second-largest cotton exporter and fifth largest producer. Other exports include gold, oil, and natural gas as well as uranium. The nation is resource rich but the money has typically gone to the president and his governmental ruling class.
Having been an historic crossroads for centuries as part of various ancient empires, Uzbekistan’s food is very eclectic. It has its roots in Iranian, Arab, Indian, Russian and Chinese cuisine.
Following an ancient tradition, a family member must take a bite from a small piece of Uzbek bread before departing on a journey. The rest of that bread is kept hidden or buried until the traveler comes home.
Handshakes are only acceptable as a greeting between two men. An Uzbek woman is greeted by bowing to her with your right hand placed over your heart.
In Uzbek tradition, the most respected guest is seated the farthest from the entrance to the house.
Respect for the elderly is paramount. An Uzbek never insults nor yells at his parents.
The Uzbek traditional dances are distinguished by a soft smoothness and expressiveness of movement, either in place or in a circle.
Applied arts include painted pottery influenced by the many cultures that have lived in the country and luscious, colorful, ornamental embroidery. A fine embroidery with threads made of gold is still practiced in the province of Bukhara.
Soccer and tennis are the country’s most popular sports. Cycling, boxing, wrestling, and gymnastics are also highly regarded. Uzbekistan athletes have done well in the Olympics in these sports. Kurash is their native martial art form.
Other activities tourists can enjoy in the country include camel trekking, hiking, bird watching, rafting, and skiing.
Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country: that is, a landlocked country surrounded by landlocked countries. Additionally, none of its rivers ever lead to the sea.
Uzbekistan is not only a land locked country. It is a double landlocked country meaning all the countries surrounding it are also landlocked. And to reach any coastline from Uzbekistan, one has to cross at least two countries. Liechtenstein is the only other country in the world which is double landlocked.
There are many superstitions related to bread. It is believed that turning bread upside down or placing it on the ground will bring you bad fortune. According to an ancient tradition, a family member has to take a bite from a small piece of Uzbek bread before departing on a journey. The remaining bread is then kept buried or hidden until the traveler comes home.
In Uzbekistan, handshakes are only acceptable to take place between two men. A man cannot shake hands with a woman. While greeting an Uzbek woman you should bow down to her with your right hand placed over your heart. Does this remind you of a particular scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? Let us know in comments 😉
The country is rich in gold. Its Muruntau gold mine is one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world. The mine is located in Muruntau in Kyzyl Kum desert and produces about 2 million ounces of gold every year.
Tashkent is one of the few cities in the world where you can enjoy the clear starry night sky. This is possible due to the low amount of exhaust fumes in the area.
Uzbekistan produces one of the most delicious fruits in the world with a high content of natural sugars. Mirzachul melon which is grown here is considered the most delicious melon in the world.
One fun fact about Uzbekistan is that it is the only country in the world in which the names of all the neighboring countries end in “stan”.
There are few cities in the country which are more than 2750 years old. The most famous one is Samarkand which, along with Rome, is one of the oldest cities in the world.
Once part of the ancient Persian Empire, what is now known as Uzbekistan was conquered in the fourth century B.C. by Alexander the Great.
During the eighth century invading Arab forces dominated the area and converted the nomadic Turkic tribes living there to Islam.
In the thirteenth century, Ghengis Khan and the Mongols seized the region from the Seljuk Turks.
Next, the territory became part of the empire of Tamerlane the Great and his successors. This lasted into the sixteenth century.
In the early sixteenth century the Uzbeks invaded and merged with the other inhabitants of the territory that today is Uzbekistan, breaking it into the separate principalities of the khanates (city-states) Khiva, Kokand and Bukhara.
The economic trend is for urban residents to earn twice as much as their rural counterparts.
Though the Uzbekistan economy grew eight percent in 2015, it is still one of the least developed and poorest countries in Asia.
The majority of the country’s citizens are ethnic Uzbeks who speak Uzbek, the official language. Russian is the second most widely spoken language. Sunni Muslims make up 88 percent of the population though they are secular and not religious Muslims.
The Uzbek people are well-known for the culture’s music. Koshuk are household songs while Lapar are dialogue ones, a give and take between two singers. Many of these are wedding songs. National and professional poems are used as texts for the songs.
The Tashkent region, including the capital city of Tashkent, is the economic and political center of the nation. Here you will find the international airport, bus service, and Tashkent’s beautiful metro system.
Metro Tashkent’s three stations feature marble ceilings and pillars, engraved metal, and beautiful chandeliers. Not only does it have some of the most beautiful stations in the world, this metro is the biggest system in Central Asia.
The country mines 160 million ounces of gold annually and has the fourth largest deposits of gold in the world. Its Muruntau gold mine is the largest open pit gold mine in the world, located on a site where turquoise was previously mined from ancient times.
Be aware that laws are strictly enforced in Uzbekistan, punishments are severe, and it is not wise to get snarky with the police. It is illegal to gamble, possess and use drugs, and use tobacco and alcohol if you are under 20. Homosexuality is illegal in this country.
Be aware some photography upsets the authorities. Don’t photograph government or public buildings and transportation hubs. When in doubt, ask.
Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Asia. A landlocked country is surrounded by land and does not have access to the open sea. Currently, there are 45 landlocked countries in the world and five partially recognised states.
During the 7th and 8th centuries, Arabs conquered Uzbekistan and converted its population to Islam.
In 1966, the capital city of Tashkent was flattened by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
Every year, around one million students, doctors and government employees are forced to work in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields to pick cotton for the government.
Cotton in Uzbekistan is known as “white gold”. Cotton accounts for around 7% of the country’s exports.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Uzbekistan topped the boxing medal table, winning three gold and two silver medals.
Uzbekistan is the most populated country in Central Asia.
The national dish of Uzbekistan is plov, a Central Asian pilaf consisting of rice and fried vegetables generally eaten for lunch.
On August 31, 1991 Uzbekistan declared independence, marking September 1 as a national holiday.
According to the latest WHO data published in 2018 life expectancy in Uzbekistan is: Male 69.7, female 75.0. Total life expectancy is 72.3 which gives Uzbekistan a World Life Expectancy ranking of 100.
The people of Uzbekistan enjoy long, hot summers and mild winters.
Uzbekistan grows vegetables, fruit, cotton and corn and rears cattle.
The industry consists of food processing, textiles, metallurgy, machinery and natural gas.
Uzbekistan also exports gold, cotton, energy products, metals and mineral fertilizers.
The territory of Uzbekistan was populated in the second millennium BC.
Tashkent - one of the few cities in the world where you can see the starry night sky and it’s possible because of low gas content.
Tashkent TV tower is the 11th tallest tower in the world and the tallest TV tower in Central Asia.
As of 1 January 2017, the population of Uzbekistan was estimated to be 30,575,817 people.
It is the 56th largest country in the world by area with 447,400 square kilometers (172,700 square miles).
Tashkent is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It’s known for its many museums and its mix of modern and Soviet-era architecture.
Uzbekistan is one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world (that is, a country completely surrounded by landlocked countries), the other being Liechtenstein.
The Uzbekistan land was once part of the ancient Persian Empire and was later conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C.
The Mongols under Ghengis Khan took over the region from the Seljuk Turks in the 13th century, and it later became part of Tamerlane the Great’s empire and that of his successors until the 16th century.
In Uzbekistan, handshakes are only acceptable if it is between two men. The way to greet an Uzbek woman is by bowing to her with your right hand placed over your heart.
In 2002, archaeologists discovered a series of ancient pyramids in a remote part of Uzebekistan, believed to be 2,700 years old!

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