What is now Uzbekistan was in ancient times part of the\u00a0Iranian<\/a>-speaking region of\u00a0Transoxiana<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Turan<\/a>. The first recorded settlers were Eastern Iranian nomads, known as\u00a0Scythians<\/a>, who founded kingdoms in\u00a0Khwarazm<\/a>\u00a0(8th\u20136th centuries BC),\u00a0Bactria<\/a>\u00a0(8th\u20136th centuries BC),\u00a0Sogdia<\/a>\u00a0(8th\u20136th centuries BC),\u00a0Fergana<\/a>\u00a0(3rd century BC \u2013 6th century AD), and\u00a0Margiana<\/a>\u00a0(3rd century BC \u2013 6th century AD). The area was incorporated into the\u00a0Iranian<\/a>\u00a0Achaemenid Empire<\/a>\u00a0and, after a period of\u00a0Macedonian rule<\/a>, was ruled by the Iranian\u00a0Parthian Empire<\/a>\u00a0and later by the\u00a0Sasanian Empire<\/a>, until the\u00a0Muslim conquest of Persia<\/a>\u00a0in the seventh century. The\u00a0Early Muslim conquests<\/a>\u00a0converted most of the people, including the local ruling classes, into adherents of\u00a0Islam<\/a>. During this period, cities such as\u00a0Samarkand<\/a>,\u00a0Khiva<\/a>, and\u00a0Bukhara<\/a>\u00a0began to grow rich from the\u00a0Silk Road<\/a>, and witnessed the emergence of leading figures of the\u00a0Islamic Golden Age<\/a>, including\u00a0Muhammad al-Bukhari<\/a>,\u00a0Al-Tirmidhi<\/a>,\u00a0Ismail Samani<\/a>,\u00a0al-Biruni<\/a>, and\u00a0Avicenna<\/a>. The local\u00a0Khwarazmian dynasty<\/a>\u00a0and Central Asia as a whole were decimated by the\u00a0Mongol invasion<\/a>\u00a0in the 13th century, after which the region became dominated by Turkic peoples.<\/p>\n The city of\u00a0Shahrisabz<\/a>\u00a0was the birthplace of the Turco-Mongol conqueror\u00a0Timur<\/a>\u00a0(Tamerlane), who in the 14th century established the\u00a0Timurid Empire<\/a>\u00a0and was proclaimed the Supreme Emir of\u00a0Turan<\/a> with his capital in Samarkand, which became a center of science under the rule of\u00a0Ulugh Beg<\/a>, giving birth to the\u00a0Timurid Renaissance<\/a>. The territories of the\u00a0Timurid dynasty<\/a>\u00a0were conquered by\u00a0Uzbek Shaybanids<\/a> in the 16th century, moving the center of power to\u00a0Bukhara<\/a>. The region was split into three states: the\u00a0Khanate of Khiva<\/a>,\u00a0Khanate of Kokand<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Emirate of Bukhara<\/a>. Conquests by Emperor\u00a0Babur<\/a>\u00a0towards the east led to the foundation of India’s newest invasions as\u00a0Mughal Empire<\/a>. All of Central Asia\u00a0was gradually incorporated<\/a>\u00a0into the\u00a0Russian Empire<\/a>\u00a0during the 19th century, with\u00a0Tashkent<\/a>\u00a0becoming the political center of\u00a0Russian Turkestan<\/a>. In 1924,\u00a0national delimitation<\/a>\u00a0created the\u00a0Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic<\/a>\u00a0as an independent republic within the\u00a0Soviet Union<\/a>. Following the\u00a0dissolution of the Soviet Union<\/a>, it declared\u00a0independence<\/a>\u00a0as the Republic of Uzbekistan on 31 August 1991.<\/p>\n The official language of Uzbekistan is\u00a0Uzbek<\/a>, a Turkic language written in a\u00a0modified Latin alphabet<\/a>\u00a0and spoken natively by approximately 85% of the population.\u00a0Russian<\/a>\u00a0has widespread use as an inter-ethnic tongue and in governance.\u00a0Uzbeks<\/a>\u00a0constitute 81% of the population, followed by\u00a0Russians<\/a>\u00a0(5.4%), Tajiks (4.0%), Kazakhs (3.0%) and others (6.5%).\u00a0Muslims<\/a>\u00a0constitute 93% of the people while 5% follow\u00a0Russian Orthodox Christianity<\/a>\u00a0and 2% of the population follow other religions or are non-religious. A majority of Uzbeks are\u00a0non-denominational Muslims.<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Uzbekistan is a member of the\u00a0CIS<\/a>,\u00a0OSCE<\/a>,\u00a0UN<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0SCO<\/a>. While officially a democratic republic,\u00a0by 2008\u00a0non-governmental<\/a>\u00a0human rights<\/a> organizations defined Uzbekistan as “an authoritarian state with limited civil rights”.<\/p>\n As a\u00a0sovereign state<\/a>, Uzbekistan is a\u00a0secular<\/a>,\u00a0unitary<\/a>,\u00a0presidential<\/a>, constitutional\u00a0republic<\/a>. Uzbekistan comprises 12\u00a0regions<\/a>\u00a0(vilayats),\u00a0Tashkent City<\/a>\u00a0and one\u00a0autonomous<\/a>\u00a0republic,\u00a0Karakalpakstan<\/a>. The capital and largest city of Uzbekistan is Tashkent. Following the death of longtime dictator\u00a0Islam Karimov<\/a>\u00a0in 2016, independent Uzbekistan’s second president\u00a0Shavkat Mirziyoyev<\/a>\u00a0undertook several reforms to ease repression in Uzbekistan.<\/sup>\u00a0He stated he intended to abolish\u00a0cotton slavery<\/a>, systematic use of child labor,<\/sup>\u00a0and\u00a0exit visas<\/a>, and to introduce a tax reform and create four new\u00a0free economic zones<\/a>. He also gave\u00a0amnesty<\/a> to some political prisoners. Relations with the neighboring countries of\u00a0Kyrgyzstan<\/a>,\u00a0Tajikistan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Afghanistan<\/a> drastically improved.\u00a0The Amnesty International 2017\/18 report on\u00a0human rights in Uzbekistan<\/a> found remnant repressive measures or lack of universal rule of law, specific issues being a small minority of labor force in cotton fields being forced labor and restrictions on the movement of ‘freed’ prisoners. A United Nations report of 2020 found much progress toward achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Uzbek economy<\/a>\u00a0is in a gradual transition to the\u00a0market economy<\/a>, with foreign trade policy being based on\u00a0import substitution<\/a>. In September 2017, the country’s currency became fully convertible at market rates. Uzbekistan is a major producer and exporter of\u00a0cotton<\/a>. With the gigantic power-generation facilities from the Soviet era and an ample supply of\u00a0natural gas<\/a>, Uzbekistan has become the largest electricity producer in Central Asia.<\/sup>\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n The first people known to have inhabited Central Asia were\u00a0Scythians<\/a> who came from the northern grasslands of what is now Uzbekistan, sometime in the first millennium BC; when these nomads settled in the region they built an extensive irrigation system along the rivers. At this time, cities such as Bukhoro (Bukhara<\/a>) and Samarqand (Samarkand<\/a>) emerged as centers of government and high culture.<\/sup>\u00a0By the fifth century BC, the\u00a0Bactrian<\/a>,\u00a0Soghdian<\/a>, and\u00a0Tokharian<\/a> states dominated the region.<\/p>\n As East Asian countries began to develop its silk trade with the West, Persian cities took advantage of this commerce by becoming centers of trade. Using an extensive network of cities and rural settlements in the province of Transoxiana<\/a>, and further east in what is today China’s\u00a0Xinjiang<\/a>\u00a0Uygur Autonomous Region, the Sogdian intermediaries became the wealthiest of these Iranian merchants. As a result of this trade on what became known as the\u00a0Silk Route<\/a>, Bukhara and Samarkand eventually became extremely wealthy cities, and at times\u00a0Transoxiana<\/a> (Mawarannahr) was one of the most influential and powerful Persian provinces of antiquity.<\/p>\n In the 8th century, Transoxiana, the territory between the\u00a0Amudarya<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Syrdarya<\/a>\u00a0rivers, was conquered by the Arabs (Qutayba ibn Muslim<\/a>) becoming a focal point soon after of the\u00a0Islamic Golden Age<\/a>. Among the achievements of scholars during this period were the development of\u00a0trigonometry<\/a>\u00a0into its modern form (simplifying its practical application to calculate the phases of the moon), advances in\u00a0optics<\/a>, in\u00a0astronomy<\/a>, as well as in poetry, philosophy, art, calligraphy, and many others, which set the foundation for the Muslim Renaissance.<\/sup><\/p>\n In the 9th and 10th centuries, Transoxiana was included into the\u00a0Samanid<\/a>\u00a0State. Later, Transoxiana saw the incursion of the Turkic-ruled\u00a0Karakhanids<\/a>, as well as the\u00a0Seljuks<\/a>\u00a0(Sultan Sanjar) and\u00a0Kara-Khitans<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Mongol<\/a>\u00a0conquest under\u00a0Genghis Khan<\/a>\u00a0during the 13th century would bring about a change to the region. The\u00a0Mongol invasion of Central Asia<\/a>\u00a0led to the displacement of some of the Iranian-speaking people of the region, their culture and heritage being superseded by that of the\u00a0Mongolian<\/a>–Turkic peoples<\/a>\u00a0who came thereafter. The invasions of Bukhara, Samarkand,\u00a0Urgench<\/a>\u00a0and others resulted in\u00a0mass murders<\/a>\u00a0and unprecedented destruction, such as portions of\u00a0Khwarezmia<\/a> being completely razed.<\/p>\n Following the death of Genghis Khan in 1227, his empire was divided among his four sons and his family members. Despite the potential for serious fragmentation, the Mongol law of the Mongol Empire maintained orderly succession for several more generations, and control of most of Transoxiana stayed in the hands of the direct descendants of\u00a0Chagatai Khan<\/a>, the second son of Genghis Khan. Orderly succession, prosperity, and internal peace prevailed in the Chaghatai lands, and the Mongol Empire as a whole remained a strong and united kingdom (Ulus Batiy, Sattarkhan).<\/p>\n During this period, most of present Uzbekistan was part of the\u00a0Chagatai Khanate<\/a>\u00a0except\u00a0Khwarezm<\/a>\u00a0was part of the\u00a0Golden Horde<\/a>. After the decline of the Golden Horde, Khwarezm was briefly ruled by the\u00a0Sufi Dynasty<\/a>\u00a0till Timur’s conquest of it in 1388.<\/sup>\u00a0Sufids rules Khwarezm as vassals of alternatively\u00a0Timurids<\/a>, Golden Horde and\u00a0Uzbek Khanate<\/a>\u00a0till Persian occupation in 1510.<\/p>\n In the early 14th century, however, as the empire began to break up into its constituent parts, the Chaghatai territory was disrupted as the princes of various tribal groups competed for influence. One tribal chieftain,\u00a0Timur<\/a>\u00a0(Tamerlane),<\/sup>\u00a0emerged from these struggles in the 1380s as the dominant force in Transoxiana. Although, he was not a descendant of Genghis Khan, Timur became the\u00a0de facto<\/i>\u00a0ruler of Transoxiana and proceeded to conquer all of western Central Asia,\u00a0Iran<\/a>, the\u00a0Caucasus<\/a>,\u00a0Mesopotamia<\/a>,\u00a0Asia Minor<\/a>, and the southern steppe region north of the\u00a0Aral Sea<\/a>. He also invaded Russia before dying during an invasion of\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0in 1405.<\/sup><\/p>\n Timur was known for his extreme brutality and his conquests were accompanied by\u00a0genocidal massacres<\/a>\u00a0in the cities he occupied.<\/sup><\/p>\n Timur initiated the last flowering of Transoxiana by gathering together numerous artisans and scholars from the vast lands he had conquered into his capital, Samarqand, thus imbuing his empire with a rich Perso-Islamic culture. During his reign and the reigns of his immediate descendants, a wide range of religious and palatial construction masterpieces were undertaken in Samarqand and other population centers.<\/sup> Amir Timur initiated an exchange of medical discoveries and patronized physicians, scientists and artists from the neighboring regions such as India; <\/sup>His grandson\u00a0Ulugh Beg<\/a>\u00a0was one of the world’s first great astronomers. It was during the Timurid dynasty that Turkic, in the form of the\u00a0Chaghatai<\/a>\u00a0dialect, became a literary language in its own right in Transoxiana, although the Timurids were Persianate in nature. The greatest Chaghataid writer,\u00a0Ali-Shir Nava’i<\/a>, was active in the city of\u00a0Herat<\/a> (now in northwestern Afghanistan) in the second half of the 15th century.<\/p>\n The Timurid state quickly split in half 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 Uzbek forces began a wholesale invasion of Transoxiana.<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0slave trade<\/a>\u00a0in the\u00a0Khanate of Bukhara<\/a>\u00a0became prominent and was firmly established.<\/sup>\u00a0Before the arrival of the Russians, present Uzbekistan was divided between\u00a0Emirate of Bukhara<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0khanates<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Khiva<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kokand<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In the 19th century, the\u00a0Russian Empire<\/a>\u00a0began to expand and spread into\u00a0Central Asia<\/a>. There were 210,306 Russians living in Uzbekistan in 1912.<\/sup>\u00a0The “Great Game<\/a>” period is generally regarded as running from approximately 1813 to the\u00a0Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907<\/a>. A second, less intensive phase followed the\u00a0Bolshevik Revolution<\/a>\u00a0of 1917. At the start of the 19th century, there were some 3,200 kilometres (2,000\u00a0mi) separating\u00a0British India<\/a>\u00a0and the outlying regions of\u00a0Tsarist Russia<\/a>. Much of the land between was unmapped.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n By the beginning of 1920, Central Asia was firmly in the hands of Russia and, despite some early resistance to the\u00a0Bolsheviks<\/a>, Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia became a part of the\u00a0Soviet Union<\/a>. On 27 October 1924 the\u00a0Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic<\/a>\u00a0was created. From 1941 to 1945, during\u00a0World War II<\/a>, 1,433,230 people from Uzbekistan fought in the\u00a0Red Army<\/a>\u00a0against\u00a0Nazi Germany<\/a>. A number also\u00a0fought on the German side<\/a>. As many as 263,005 Uzbek soldiers died in the battlefields of the\u00a0Eastern Front<\/a>, and 32,670 went missing in action.<\/p>\n On 20 June 1990, Uzbekistan declared its state sovereignty. On 31 August 1991, Uzbekistan declared independence after the\u00a0failed coup attempt<\/a>\u00a0in Moscow. 1 September was proclaimed the National Independence Day. The Soviet Union was\u00a0dissolved<\/a> on 26 December of that year. Islam Karimov, previously first secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan since 1989, was elected president of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, he was elected president of independent Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n President\u00a0Islam Karimov<\/a>, the authoritative ruler of Uzbekistan since independence, died on 2 September 2016.<\/sup>\u00a0He was replaced by his long-time\u00a0Prime Minister<\/a>,\u00a0Shavkat Mirziyoyev<\/a>, on 14 December of the same year.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan 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.<\/sup>\u00a0Among the\u00a0CIS<\/a> countries, it is the 4th largest by area and the 2nd largest by population.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 kilometers (885 mi) from west to east and 930 kilometers (580 mi) from north to south. Bordering Kazakhstan<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Aralkum Desert<\/a>\u00a0(former\u00a0Aral Sea<\/a>) to the north and northwest,\u00a0Turkmenistan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Afghanistan<\/a>\u00a0to the southwest,\u00a0Tajikistan<\/a>\u00a0to the southeast, and\u00a0Kyrgyzstan<\/a>\u00a0to the northeast, Uzbekistan is one of the largest\u00a0Central Asian<\/a>\u00a0states and the only Central Asian state to border all the other four. Uzbekistan also shares a short border (less than 150\u00a0km or 93\u00a0mi) with\u00a0Afghanistan<\/a>\u00a0to the south.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan is a dry,\u00a0landlocked country<\/a>. It is one of two\u00a0doubly landlocked<\/a>\u00a0countries in the world (that is, a landlocked country completely surrounded by other landlocked countries), the other being\u00a0Liechtenstein<\/a>. In addition, due to its location within a series of\u00a0endorheic basins<\/a>, none of its rivers lead to the sea. Less than 10% of its territory is intensively cultivated irrigated land in river valleys and oases, and formerly in the\u00a0Aral Sea<\/a>, which has largely desiccated in one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.<\/sup>\u00a0The rest is the vast\u00a0Kyzylkum Desert<\/a>\u00a0and mountains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Uzbekistan mines 80 tons of gold annually, seventh in the world. Uzbekistan’s copper deposits rank tenth in the world and its uranium deposits twelfth. The country’s uranium production ranks seventh globally.\u00a0The Uzbek national gas company,\u00a0Uzbekneftegas<\/a>, ranks 11th in the world in natural gas production with an annual output of 60 to 70 billion cubic metres (2.1\u20132.5 trillion cubic feet). The country has significant untapped reserves of oil and gas.<\/p>\n The largest corporations involved in Uzbekistan’s energy sector are the China National Petroleum Corporation<\/a>\u00a0(CNPC),\u00a0Petronas<\/a>, the\u00a0Korea National Oil Corporation<\/a>,\u00a0Gazprom<\/a>,\u00a0Lukoil<\/a>, and\u00a0Uzbekneftegas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Along with many\u00a0Commonwealth of Independent States<\/a>\u00a0or CIS economies, Uzbekistan’s economy declined during the first years of transition and then recovered after 1995, as the cumulative effect of policy reforms began to be felt.<\/sup>\u00a0It has shown robust growth, rising by 4% per year between 1998 and 2003 and accelerating thereafter to 7%\u20138% per year. According to IMF estimates,<\/sup> the GDP in 2008 will be almost double its value in 1995 (in constant prices). Since 2003 annual inflation rates varied, reaching almost 40% in 2010 and less than 20% in 2019.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan has GNI per capita of US$2,020 in current dollars in 2018, giving a\u00a0PPP<\/a>\u00a0equivalent of US$7,230.<\/sup>\u00a0Economic production is concentrated in commodities. In 2011, Uzbekistan was the world’s seventh-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter of\u00a0cotton<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0as well as the seventh-largest world producer of gold. It is also a regionally significant producer of natural gas, coal, copper, oil, silver and uranium.[113]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Agriculture<\/a> employs 27% of Uzbekistan’s labor force and contributes 17.4% of its GDP (2012 data).<\/sup>\u00a0Cultivable land is 4.4 million hectares, or about 10% of Uzbekistan’s total area. While official unemployment is very low, underemployment \u2013 especially in rural areas \u2013 is estimated to be at least 20%.<\/sup>\u00a0Cotton production in Uzbekistan<\/a> is important to the national economy of the country.\u00a0<\/sup>Uzbek cotton is even used to make banknotes in South Korea.<\/sup> The country has a considerable production of carrots as well. The use of child labor in Uzbekistan has led several companies, including Tesco,[116]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0C&A,[117]<\/a><\/sup> Marks & Spencer, Gap, and H&M, to boycott Uzbek cotton.<\/p>\n Facing a multitude of economic challenges upon acquiring independence, the government adopted an evolutionary reform strategy, with an emphasis on state control, reduction of imports and self-sufficiency in energy. Since 1994, the state-controlled media have repeatedly proclaimed the success of this “Uzbekistan Economic Model”<\/sup> and suggested that it is a unique example of a smooth transition to the market economy while avoiding shock, pauperism and stagnation. As of 2019, Uzbekistan’s economy is one of the most diversified in Central Asia what makes the country an attractive economic partner for China.<\/p>\n The gradualist reform strategy has involved postponing significant macroeconomic and structural reforms. The state in the hands of the\u00a0bureaucracy<\/a>\u00a0has remained a dominant influence in the economy. Corruption permeates the society and grows more rampant over time: Uzbekistan’s 2005\u00a0Corruption Perception Index<\/a>\u00a0was 137 out of 159 countries, whereas in 2007 Uzbekistan was 175th out of 179 countries. A February 2006 report on the country by the\u00a0International Crisis Group<\/a>\u00a0suggests that revenues earned from key exports, especially cotton, gold, corn and increasingly gas, are distributed among a very small circle of the ruling elite, with little or no benefit for the populace at large.<\/sup>\u00a0The recent high-profile corruption scandals involving government contracts and large international companies, notably\u00a0TeliaSoneria<\/a>, have shown that businesses are particularly vulnerable to corruption when operating in Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n The economic policies have repelled foreign investment, which is the lowest per capita in the CIS.<\/sup>\u00a0For years, the largest barrier to foreign companies entering the Uzbekistan market has been the difficulty of converting currency. In 2003 the government accepted the obligations of Article VIII under the\u00a0International Monetary Fund<\/a>\u00a0(IMF)<\/sup>\u00a0providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and the tightening of borders have lessened the effect of this measure.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan experienced rampant\u00a0inflation<\/a> of around 1000% per year immediately after independence (1992\u20131994). Stabilization efforts implemented with guidance from the IMF\u00a0paid off. The inflation rates were brought down to 50% in 1997 and then to 22% in 2002. Since 2003 annual inflation rates averaged less than 10%.<\/sup>\u00a0Tight economic policies in 2004 resulted in a drastic reduction of inflation to 3.8% (although alternative estimates based on the price of a true\u00a0market basket<\/a>\u00a0put it at 15%).<\/sup> The inflation rates moved up to 6.9% in 2006 and 7.6% in 2007 but have remained in the single-digit range.<\/p>\n The government of Uzbekistan restricts foreign imports in many ways, including high import duties. Excise taxes are applied in a highly discriminatory manner to protect locally produced goods,<\/sup>\u00a0although the excises taxes were removed in for foreign cars in 2020.<\/sup>\u00a0Official tariffs are combined with unofficial, discriminatory charges resulting in total charges amounting to as much as 100 to 150% of the actual value of the product, making imported products virtually unaffordable.<\/sup>\u00a0Import substitution<\/a> is an officially declared policy and the government proudly reports a reduction by a factor of two in the volume of consumer goods imported. A number of CIS countries are officially exempt from Uzbekistan import duties. Uzbekistan has a Bilateral Investment Treaty with fifty other countries.<\/p>\n Thanks in part to the recovery of world market prices of gold and cotton (the country’s key export commodities), expanded natural gas and some manufacturing exports, and increasing labor migrant transfers, the current account turned into a large surplus (between 9% and 11% of GDP from 2003 to 2005). In 2018, foreign exchange reserves, including gold, totaled around US$25 billion.<\/p>\n Uzbekistan is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing economies in the world (top 26) in future decades, according to a survey by global bank HSBC.<\/p>\n Tashkent<\/a>, the nation’s capital and largest city, has a four-line\u00a0metro<\/a>\u00a0built in 1977, and expanded in 2001 after ten years’ independence from the\u00a0Soviet Union<\/a>. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are currently the only two countries in Central Asia with a subway system. It is promoted as one of the cleanest systems in the former Soviet Union. The stations are exceedingly ornate. For example, the station\u00a0Metro Kosmonavtov<\/i>\u00a0built in 1984 is decorated using a\u00a0space travel<\/a> theme to recognize the achievements of mankind in space exploration and to commemorate the role of Vladimir Dzhanibekov<\/a>, the Soviet\u00a0cosmonaut<\/a>\u00a0of Uzbek origin. A statue of Vladimir Dzhanibekov stands near a station entrance.<\/p>\n There are government-operated trams and buses running across the city. There are also many taxis, registered and unregistered. Uzbekistan has plants that produce modern cars. The car production is supported by the government and the Korean auto company\u00a0Daewoo<\/a>. In May 2007\u00a0UzDaewooAuto<\/a>, the car maker, signed a strategic agreement with General Motors-Daewoo Auto and Technology (GMDAT<\/a>, see\u00a0GM Uzbekistan<\/a>\u00a0also).<\/sup>\u00a0The government bought a stake in Turkey’s Koc in\u00a0SamKochAvto<\/a>, a producer of small buses and lorries. Afterward, it signed an agreement with\u00a0Isuzu Motors<\/a> of Japan to produce Isuzu buses and lorries.<\/p>\n Train links connect many towns in Uzbekistan, as well as neighboring former republics of the Soviet Union. Moreover, after independence two fast-running train systems were established. Uzbekistan launched the first high-speed railway in Central Asia<\/a>\u00a0in September 2011 between\u00a0Tashkent<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Samarqand<\/a>. The new high-speed electric train\u00a0Talgo 250<\/a>, called\u00a0Afrosiyob<\/i>, was manufactured by\u00a0Patentes Talgo S.L.<\/a> (Spain) and took its first trip from Tashkent to Samarkand on 26 August 2011.<\/p>\n The\u00a0flag of Uzbekistan consists of three horizontal azure, white and green bands separated by two thin red fimbriations, with a\u00a0crescent<\/a>\u00a0moon and twelve stars at the\u00a0canton<\/a>. Adopted in 1991 to replace the\u00a0flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic<\/a>\u00a0(SSR), it has been the\u00a0flag<\/a>\u00a0of the Republic of\u00a0Uzbekistan<\/a>\u00a0since the country gained independence in that same year. The design of the present flag was partly inspired by the former one.<\/p>\n The symbolism of the National flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan continues the traditions inherent in the flags of major states and empires that existed in the country while reflecting the natural features of Uzbekistan, the national and cultural identity of the peoples of this Central Asian country.<\/p>\n The azure color on the flag is a symbol of blue sky and clear water. Azure is revered in the East. Azure is also the color of the Turkic peoples. The majority of the population of Uzbekistan are Turkic peoples who speak Turkic languages.<\/p>\n White is a symbol of peace, purity, and kindness. White also means the ancient religion of\u00a0Zoroastrianism<\/a>, which was dominant in the territory of this country before the arrival of\u00a0Islam<\/a>.<\/p>\n The red stripes are vital forces pulsating in every living creature, a symbol of life, courage, as well as a symbol of national and religious minorities of Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n The Crescent corresponds to the centuries-old tradition of the people of Uzbekistan and is also one of the main symbols of Islam. The Crescent moon and stars are also considered a symbol of a cloudless calm sky and peace.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Uzbekistan-on-the-Globe-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Tashkent-300x129.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Silk-Road-300x145.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Genghis-Khan-237x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Timur-198x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/6\/60\/1872_Vereshchagin_Triumphierend_anagoria.JPG\/220px-1872_Vereshchagin_Triumphierend_anagoria.JPG\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/2\/25\/Karazin_-_Entry_of_Russian_troops_into_Samarkand_1868.jpg\/220px-Karazin_-_Entry_of_Russian_troops_into_Samarkand_1868.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Islam-Karimov-235x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Uzbekistan-Topography-300x211.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/4c\/UN-Uzbekistan.svg\/250px-UN-Uzbekistan.svg.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/3\/3c\/Yodgorlik_Silk_Factory_%285982822980%29.jpg\/220px-Yodgorlik_Silk_Factory_%285982822980%29.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/d1\/Urgut_Sunday_market_bread_sellers.JPG\/220px-Urgut_Sunday_market_bread_sellers.JPG\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Uzbekistan-Exports-Treemap-300x195.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Afrosiyob-high-speed-train-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Uzbekistan:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Flag-of-Uzbekistan-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>