CAPITAL TASHKENT – POPULATION 28.3 MILLION – AREA 447,400 SQ KM – OFFICIAL LANGUAGE UZBEK
There are few names as evocative as Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent, and Uzbekistan possesses all three. Over the last few years, Uzbekistan has seen a good flow of both independent travelers and tour groups arriving to view its ancient Silk Road sites, though they remain far from crowded even at the height of summer. In 2009, if you really want to escape the road most travelled, head out to what little remains of the Aral Sea – and Moynaq, the eerie near-ghost-town that once made its living from fishing the Aral. Now a tragic, desolate area of grounded ships and poisonous dust storms, it’s a sobering reminder of man’s sometimes shocking effect on the environment.
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