Area: 448,900 sq km (278,812 sq miles).

Population: 25,200,000 (2003)

Population Density: 56.1 per sq km.

Capital: : Tashkent, population 2,500,000 (2003).

Climate: Mostly mid latitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

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 bounded by the Aral Sea and the sparsely populated Ustyurt Plateau with its vast cotton fields.

Government: Republic. Gained independence in 1991. Head of State: President Islam Karimov since 1990. Head of Government: Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev since 2003.

Language: Uzbek, Russian, Tadjik, Kazakh.

Religion: Muslim (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox .