Independence day of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, officially Republic of Uzbekistan, Uzbek Ŭzbekiston or Ŭzbekistan Respublikasi, country in Central Asia. It lies mainly between two major rivers, the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River) to the northeast and the Amu Darya (ancient Oxus River) to the southwest, though they only partly form its boundaries. 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 autonomous republic of Qoraqalpoghiston (Karakalpakstan) is located in the western third of the country. 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. The capital is Tashkent (Toshkent). Relief Nearly four-fifths of Uzbekistan’s territory, the sun-dried western area, has the appearance of a wasteland. In the northwest the Turan Plain rises 200 to 300 feet (60 to 90 metres) above sea level around the Aral Sea in Karakalpakstan (Qoraqalpog’iston). This terrain merges on the south with the Kyzylkum (Uzbek: Qizilqum) Desert and farther west becomes the Ustyurt Plateau, a region of low ridges, salt marshes, sinkholes, and caverns. Southeast of the Aral Sea, small hills break the flatness of the low-lying Kyzylkum Desert, and, much farther east, a series of mountain ridges partition Uzbekistan’s territory. The western Tien Shan includes the Karzhantau, Ugam, and Pskem ranges, the latter featuring the 14,104-foot (4,299-metre) Beshtor Peak, the country’s highest point. Also part of the western Tien Shan are the Chatkal and Kurama ranges. The Gissar (Hissar) and Alay ranges stand across the Fergana (Farghona) Valley, which lies south of the western Tien Shan. The Mirzachol desert, southwest of Tashkent, lies between the Tien Shan spurs to the north and the Turkestan, Malguzar, and Nuratau ranges to the south. In south-central Uzbekistan the Zeravshan valley opens westward; the cities of Samarkand (Samarqand) and Bukhara (Bukhoro) grace this ancient cultural centre. Drainage Disastrous depletion of the flow of the two historic rivers—the Syr Darya and Amu Darya—has brought rapid change in the Aral Sea and greatly altered the delta of the Amu Darya. Most streams of the delta have dried up, and the Aral Sea, once the fourth largest inland body of water in the world, has lost as much as nine-tenths of both its water (volume) and its surface area since 1961. On the north as well as on the east, huge shallow and dead ponds have become separated from the main remnant Aral Sea, cut off by sandbars that emerged as the water level dropped some 45 feet between 1961 and 1992. After 2010 the eastern lobe began alternating between wet periods and dry periods during which it would dry up completely. Overuse of water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya in both agriculture and industry brought about this dangerous decline. The Syr Darya ceased to deliver any appreciable amount of water to the Aral Sea by about 1978, and flows from the Amu Darya became negligible in the first decade of the 21st century. The southern rivers tributary to the Amu Darya—the Surkhan and Sherabad, followed by the Zeravshan and Kashka—contribute little flow, for the last two trickle into nothing in the desert. The Syr Darya, the second largest river in Uzbekistan, forms there by the confluence of the Naryn and Qoradaryo rivers. The diversion of the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya has resulted in intense salinization of the sea, which also has suffered tremendous pollution from insecticides and chemical fertilizers during the past several decades. This chemical pollution and the decline in water level have killed the once-flourishing fishing industry, grounded most ships that formerly worked within the Aral’s shores, and contaminated wide areas around the sea with salty lethal dust. This in turn has poisoned vegetables and drinking water, most harmfully affecting the health and livelihood of the human population around the Aral Sea littoral. Climate Marked aridity and much sunshine characterize the region, with rainfall averaging only 8 inches (200 mm) annually. Most rain falls in winter and spring, with higher levels in the mountains and minimal amounts over deserts. The average July temperature is 90 °F (32 °C), but daytime air temperatures in Tashkent and elsewhere frequently surpass 104 °F (40 °C). Bukhara’s high summer heat contrasts with the cooler temperatures in the mountains. In order to accommodate to these patterns, Uzbeks favour houses with windows facing away from the sun but open to porches and tree-filled courtyards shut off from the streets. Although more than 600 streams crisscross Uzbekistan, the climate strongly affects drainage, because river water rapidly escapes through evaporation and filtration or runs off into irrigation systems. Plant and animal life Vegetation patterns in Uzbekistan vary largely according to altitude. The lowlands in the west have a thin natural cover of desert sedge and grass. The high foothills in the east support grass, and forests and brushwood appear on the hills. Forests cover less than 8 percent of Uzbekistan’s area. Animal life in the deserts and plains includes rodents, foxes, wolves, and occasional gazelles and antelopes. Boars, roe deer, bears, wolves, Siberian goats, and some lynx live in the high mountains. Ethnic groups Uzbeks make up more than four-fifths of the population, followed by Tajiks, Kazakhs, Tatars, Russians, and Karakalpaks. Uzbeks are the least Russified of the Turkic peoples formerly under Soviet rule, and virtually all of them still claim Uzbek as their primary language. Languages The Uzbeks speak a language belonging to the southeastern, or Chagatai (Turki), branch of the Turkic language group. Karakalpak, a distantly related Turkic language, enjoys official status alongside Uzbek in Karakalpakstan, where it is spoken by about half a million people. About one-seventh of the population of Uzbekistan speaks Russian. Religion The Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims, and they are considered to be among the most devout Muslims in all of Central Asia. Thus, about 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. Settlement patterns Most of the population lives in the eastern half of the country. Heavily populated oases and foothill basins are covered with an extensive network of canals intersecting fields, orchards, and vineyards. The fertile Fergana Valley in the extreme east, the most populous area in Central Asia, supports both old and new cities and towns and traditional rural settlements. Much of Karkalpakstan, in the west, is under threat of depopulation caused by the environmental poisoning of the Aral Sea area. Roughly half of the population of Uzbekistan lives in urban areas; the urban population has a disproportionately high number of non-Uzbeks. Slavic peoples Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians—held a large proportion of administrative positions. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, many Russians and smaller numbers of Jews emigrated from Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, changing the ethnic balance and employment patterns in the region. The cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent have histories that extend back to ancient times. Andijon (Andizhan), Khiva, and Qŭqon (Kokand) also have served the region as cultural, political, and trade centres for centuries. Soviet-era architects purposely laid out some newer towns, including Chirchiq, Angren, Bekobod, and Nawoiy (Navoi), close to rich mineral and energy resources. Soviet planners also sited Yangiyul, Guliston, and Yangiyer in areas that produce and process cotton and fruit. Demographic trends Uzbekistan’s population remains youthful in comparison with those of the western parts of the former Soviet Union, though the population aged slightly and steadily over the decades following its independence. Nearly half the population is in the age range of 25–54. This age structure results from the high birth rate after independence: of all the former Soviet republics, Uzbekistan had the greatest number of mothers with 10 or more living children under the age of 20. The birth rate has since decreased. More … Score: https://www.britannica.com/place/Uzbekistan

2022/09/01

Youth Forum – Youth Policy Lab for Climate Action

Climate insecurity is a growing challenge on both sides of the Mediterranean: do you want to support climate change policies in the region? Join the Call for Policy Briefs of the “Youth Forum 2022 – Youth Policy Lab for Climate Action", promoted by ISPI and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

2022/08/31

Međunarodni festival Trans/misije - Tri mora

U sklopu Međunarodnog festivala Trans/misije - Tri mora u Rzeszowu održan je događaj posvećen Hrvatskoj "Croatiana". Upriličen je koncert hrvatske umjetnice Miriiam i čitanje poezije pjesnika Ivana Hercega. Festival Trans /misje organizira Kazalište Wande Siemaszkowe u Rzeszowu uz potporu podkarpatskog vojvodstva i Ministarstva kulture, nacionalne baštine i sporta Poljske, a održao se pod pokroviteljstvom Veleposlanstva.

2022/08/31

Independence Day of the Kyrgyz Republic

Kyrgyzstan, country of Central Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan on the northwest and north, by China on the east and south, and by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the south and west. Most of Kyrgyzstan’s borders run along mountain crests. The capital is Bishkek (known from 1862 to 1926 as Pishpek and from 1926 to 1991 as Frunze). The Kyrgyz, a Muslim Turkic people, constitute nearly three-fourths of the population. The history of the Kyrgyz in what is now Kyrgyzstan dates at least to the 17th century. Kyrgyzstan, known under Russian and Soviet rule as Kirgiziya, was conquered by tsarist Russian forces in the 19th century. Formerly a constituent (union) republic of the U.S.S.R., Kyrgyzstan declared its independence on August 31, 1991. Land - Relief Kyrgyzstan is above all a mountainous country. At its eastern extremity, next to the Uighur Autonomous Region of Sinkiang, China, rises Victory (Pobedy) Peak, at 24,406 feet (7,439 metres) Kyrgyzstan’s highest peak. Mount Khan-Tengri (22,949 feet) is on the border with Kazakhstan. These mountains stand in the core of the Tien Shan system, which continues eastward into China. On the southern border lie the Kok Shaal-Tau, Alay, Trans-Alay (Zaalay), and Atbashi ranges. To the southwest are two great hollows, the Fergana Valley and another valley close to Mount Khan-Tengri. The latter valley is bounded by the westward-thrusting arms of the Kungey-Alatau and Terskey-Alatau ranges and contains Lake Ysyk (Issyk-Kul), whose clear deep waters are fed by the snow-covered peaks. The rugged mountain-and-basin structure of much of the country, and the high alpine plateau of the central and eastern regions, are separated from the Fergana Valley on the west by the Fergana Range, running southeast to northwest, which merges into the Chatkal Range. The Chatkal Range is linked to the Ysyk-Köl region by a final enclosing range, the Kyrgyz. The only other important lowlands in the country are the Chu and Talas river valleys in the north, with the capital, Bishkek, located in the Chu. The country’s lowland areas, though occupying only one-seventh of the total area, are home to most of its people. Drainage Snow and ice perpetually cover the crests of Kyrgyzstan’s high mountain ranges. The Naryn River, draining into the Fergana Valley, continues northwestward as a tributary of the Syr Darya. The Chu River runs parallel to and forms part of the northern boundary with Kazakhstan. Both the Chu and the Naryn are of major importance to the country. Climate Kyrgyzstan’s great distance from the oceans and the sharp change of elevation from adjacent plains strongly influence the country’s climate. Deserts and plains surround Kyrgyzstan on the north, west, and southeast, making the contrast with the climate and landscape of its mountainous interior all the more striking. The lower parts of its fringing ranges lie in belts of high temperature and receive hot, drying winds from the deserts beyond. The amount of precipitation the country’s westward- and northward-facing slopes receive increases with their height. The valleys have hot dry summers, with a mean July temperature of 82 °F (28 °C). In January the average temperature is −0.5 °F (−18 °C). Annual precipitation varies from 7 inches (180 mm) in the eastern Tien Shan to 30 to 40 inches (760 to 1,000 mm) in the Kyrgyz and Fergana ranges. In the most populous valleys, rainfall ranges from 4 to 20 inches (100 to 500 mm) a year. Plant and animal life Woodlands run along the lower valleys and on slopes of the north-facing ranges. These are coniferous forests, containing the striking Tien Shan white spruce and occupying 3 to 4 percent of the country’s area. The brown bear, wild pig, lynx, gray wolf, and ermine live in the woodlands. Wooded ravines and the valleys of the mountainous steppe regions provide the abode of the argali, a mountain sheep, along with mountain goats, deer, and snow leopards. In the desert, yellow gophers, jerboas, hares, and a large-eared hedgehog are typical. People of Kyrgyzstan - Ethnic groups The Kyrgyz, formerly a transhumant (nomadic) people, were settled into collectivized agriculture by the Soviet regime. Besides Kyrgyz, the country’s population includes minorities of Russians, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, and Germans (exiled to the region from European parts of the Soviet Union in 1941), as well as Tatars, Kazakhs, Dungans (Hui; Chinese Muslims), Uighurs, and Tajiks. Since independence in 1991, many Russians and Germans have emigrated. Nearly three-fourths of the population is Kyrgyz, while about one-seventh is Uzbek. The other ethnic groups make up the remaining one-eighth of the population. Languages Most Kyrgyz speak a language belonging to the northwestern group of the Turkic languages, especially Kyrgyz. A sizeable minority speak Uzbek, a Turkic language of the southeastern branch. Russian is also spoken, and official language status has been accorded to both Kyrgyz and Russian. Settlement patterns Between 1926 and 1989 the urban portion of the Kyrgyz population grew from almost nothing to more than one-fifth, though the Kyrgyz remained a minority in most cities and towns. During this period fewer than one-fourth of the inhabitants of the capital, Frunze (now Bishkek), were Kyrgyz; Slavs made up more than half of the city’s population. Southern Kyrgyzstan tends to be rural and Islamic, but the more-urbanized Western-oriented north has traditionally dominated the country. Only about one-third of the total population is urban, however, while nearly two-thirds is rural. Demographic trends The population of Kyrgyzstan is young. Over half the population is under age 30, while nearly one-third is under age 15. The death rate is slightly lower than the global average, and the birth rate is slightly above average. Life expectancy is about 75 years for women and 67 years for men. Economy The people of Kyrgyzstan have traditionally raised livestock and engaged in farming. By the late 20th century the republic had become a source for nonferrous metals, notably of antimony and mercury ores, and a producer of machinery, light industrial products, hydroelectric power, and food products. Gold mining has increased in importance, and Kyrgyzstan possesses substantial coal reserves and some petroleum and natural gas deposits. Hydroelectric power provides more than three-fourths of the country’s electric energy. More … Score: https://www.britannica.com/place/Kyrgyzstan

2022/08/31

COUNTRY OF MOLDOVA TOURISM PROMO

Country of MOLDOVA, one of the most beautiful countries to visit. This promo piece produced by DreamQuest Productions takes the viewer on a short journey to what you could expect to find on your next vacation.

2022/08/30

Wizyta Konsula Generalnego Niemiec we Wrocławiu Martina Kremera w Śląskim Urzędzie Wojewódzkim

Wojewoda śląski Jarosław Wieczorek spotkał się dzisiaj z Konsulem Generalnym Niemiec we Wrocławiu Martinem Kremerem. Wizyta miała charakter kurtuazyjny. Pan Martin Kremer pełni funkcję Konsula Generalnego Niemiec we Wrocławiu od sierpnia br.. Przed objęciem stanowiska Konsula Generalnego RFN we Wrocławiu sprawował funkcję zastępcy Ambasadora Niemiec w Warszawie.

2022/08/30

Wizyta studyjna przedstawicieli Miasta Wiednia w Krakowie

11 sierpnia 2022 roku wizytę Prezydentowi Miasta Krakowa Jackowi Majchrowskiemu złożyli Prezydent Stowarzyszenia Przedsiębiorstw Komunalnych Republiki Austrii (VKÖ) pan Gerhard Fida oraz prezes VKÖ pani Heidi Maier-Dekruijf. Goście przewodniczą 23-osobowej delegacji, w której skład wchodzą Radni Miasta Wiednia oraz przedstawiciele wiedeńskich spółek miejskich, przebywający w Krakowie w dniach 10-13 sierpnia 2022 w ramach wizyty studyjnej.

2022/08/30

Wizyta Ambasador Republiki Filipin w Polsce

W dniu 12 sierpnia 2022 roku w murach Uniwersytetu Morskiego w Gdyni gościliśmy Ambasador Republiki Filipin w Polsce Panią Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz. Celem wizyty było omówienie możliwości i obszarów współpracy morskich uczelni i instytucji związanych z gospodarką morską Filipin i Polski. W trakcie spotkania przedstawiono Pani Ambasador naszą Uczelnię, jej bogatą historię, potencjał oraz perspektywy dalszego rozwoju. Pani Ambasador przedstawiła także plany związane z przyszłorocznymi obchodami 50. rocznicy nawiązania stosunków obu naszych krajów.

2022/08/30

Wizyta Ambasadora Japonii na Podkarpaciu

Ambasador Japonii w Polsce Akio MIYAJIMA przebywał z wizytą na Podkarpaciu, gdzie spotkał się z wicewojewodą podkarpackim Jolantą Sawicką. Wizyta odbyła się 1 sierpnia br. i miała charakter kurtuazyjny. W spotkaniu z ambasadorem Akio MIYAJIMA uczestniczyła druga sekretarz Ambasady Japonii Isozaki Kaori. Podczas spotkania rozmawiano m.in. o aktualnej sytuacji i wyzwaniach związanych z kryzysem migracyjnym.

2022/08/30