Uzbekistan officially Republic Uzbekistan, country in Central Asia. Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east and southeast, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest. The Soviet government established the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic as a constituent (union) republic of the U.S.S.R. in 1924. Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 31,1991.

Religion: The Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims, and they are considered the most devout Muslims in all Central Asia. Three- fourths of the population is Muslim. Slightly less than one-tenth of the population is Eastern Orthodox Christian, and the remainder of the people consider themselves nonreligious or follow other religions.

Population: Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populus country. Its 32.5 million people comprise nearly half the region’s total population. The population of Uzbekistan is very young:  34.1% of its people are younger than 14. According to official sources, Uzbeks comprise a majority (80%) of the total population.

Capital: The capital of Uzbekistan is Tashkent. It is the largest city in Central Asia. Tashkent lies in the northeastern part of the country. It is situated at an elevation of 1,475 to 1,575 feet ( 450 to 480 meters) in the Chirchiq River valley west of the Chatkal Mountains and is intersected by a series of canals from the Chirchiq River.

Major cities in Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Andijan, Namangan, Khiva, Fergana, Shashrisabz, Nukus, Qarshi, Urgench, Termez.