About Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia that borders the countries of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan has a varied landscape that includes a rolling sandy desert, mountains along the border with Tajikistan, and the Aral Sea in the west. The government system is a republic under authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Uzbekistan has a mixed economy in which there is limited private freedom, but the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Languages: Some 74.3 percent of the population speaks Uzbek, 14.2 percent Russian, and 4.4 percent Tajik.