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 northwestern autonomous region of Karakalpakstan is bounded by the Aral Sea and the sparsely populated Ustyurt Plateau with its vast cotton fields. Declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The official language is Uzbek, a Turkic tongue closely related to Kazakh and Kyrgyz. There is a small Russian-speaking minority.
Many people involved with tourism speak English.
The Government has stated its intention to change the Cyrillic script to the Latin. Round 2-pin continental plugs are standard. IDD is available, but calls from hotel rooms still need to be booked either from reception or from the floor attendant. Direct-dial calls within the CIS are obtained by dialling 8 and waiting for another dial tone and then dialling the city code. Calls within the city limits are free of charge.