Samarqand Region (Samarkand Region) ( uz, Самарқанд вилояти, Samarqand viloyati, russian: Самаркандская область) is the most populous region of Uzbekistan. It is located in the center of the country in the basin of Zarafshan River. It borders with

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

Navoiy Region Navoiy Region ( uz, Навоий вилояти, Navoiy viloyati, russian: Навоийская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekistan. It is located in the central north/northwest of the country. It covers an area of (a large part ...

, Jizzakh Region and

Qashqadaryo Region Qashqadaryo Region ( uz, Qashqadaryo viloyati, Қашқадарё вилояти, قەشقەدەريا ۋىلايەتى; old spelling ''Kashkadarya Region'', russian: Кашкадарьинская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekist ...

. It covers an area of 16,773 km². The population is estimated to be around 4,031,324, with some 63% living in rural areas (2022). Samarqand Region was established on January 15, 1938,Information about the Samarkand Region
,
www.samarqand.uz
', accessed on 2007-07-21. and is divided into 14 administrative districts and two district-level cities. The capital is

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zi ...

(pop. est. 551,700, 2021). Other major towns include

Bulungʻur Bulungʻur ( uz, Bulung’ur/Булунғур) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Bulungʻur District. The town's population was 21,030 people in 1989,

, Juma,

Ishtixon Ishtixon ( uz, Ishtixon/Иштихон, russian: Иштыхан, Ishtykhan) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Ishtixon District. In 1989, the population was 10,155 people,Kattakurgan , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Uzbekistan , pushpin_label_po ...

Urgut Urgut ( uz, Urgut / Ургут; russian: Ургут) is a city in the Samarqand Region of Uzbekistan and the capital of Urgut District. Its population is 65,300 (2016). It is known for the grove of plane trees, some of which are more than 1000 yea ...

, and

Oqtosh Oqtosh ( uz, Oqtosh, russian: Акташ) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic= ...

. The climate is a typically arid

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...

. Samarkand is the second-largest center for economy, science, and culture in Uzbekistan, after

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

. The Institute of Archeology at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan is based at Samarqand. The region's

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

architectural monuments make Samarkand the largest center for international tourism in the country. Samarqand Region also has significant

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

, including construction materials such as

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorpho ...

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonat ...

, and

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Cha ...

. The region's major agricultural activities are cotton and cereal growing, winemaking and

sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, '' Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively stud ...

. Metal processing (spare parts for automobiles and combines), food processing, textiles, and ceramics are the area's most active industries. The region has a well-developed transport infrastructure, with over 400 km of railways and 4100 km of surfaced roads. The telecommunication infrastructure is also well developed.

Administrative divisions

The Samarqand Region consists of 14

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

s (listed below) and two district-level cities:

(''Samarqand'') and

Kattakurgan , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Uzbekistan , pushpin_label_po ...

(''Kattaqoʻrgʻon''). There are 11 cities (

Kattakurgan , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Uzbekistan , pushpin_label_po ...

Bulungʻur Bulungʻur ( uz, Bulung’ur/Булунғур) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Bulungʻur District. The town's population was 21,030 people in 1989,

, Jomboy,

Ishtixon Ishtixon ( uz, Ishtixon/Иштихон, russian: Иштыхан, Ishtykhan) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Ishtixon District. In 1989, the population was 10,155 people,Oqtosh Oqtosh ( uz, Oqtosh, russian: Акташ) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic= ...

Payariq Payariq ( uz, Payariq/Пайариқ, russian: Пайарык, Payaryk, formerly mekishovka) is a city in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Payariq District Payariq District is a district of Samarqand Region in Uzbekistan. Its cap ...

, Chelak, Juma, Nurobod,

) and 88

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

s in the Samarqand Region.

References

{{Authority control Regions of Uzbekistan

Administrative divisions

See also

References