Uzbekistan explained to kids

Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. The country is bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Turkmenistan to the southwest, Tajikistan to the southeast, and Kyrgyzstan to the northeast. It has a population of over 32 million, making it the 56th most populous country in the world. The official language is Uzbek, a Turkic language written in the Latin alphabet. The territory of Uzbekistan was inhabited by humans for at least 32,000 years. The first recorded settlers were the Sogdians, a people who spoke an Indo-European language. Arabs began to arrive in the 7th century, and by the 8th century, they had conquered the area. The Arabs brought Islam to the region, and the area became part of the Muslim world. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongols conquered the area. The Mongols were eventually replaced by the Uzbek Khanate, a Turkic dynasty. The Khanate was conquered by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Uzbekistan became a Soviet Republic in 1924. Uzbekistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, the country has been governed by an autocratic regime. The government has been accused of human rights violations. The economy of Uzbekistan is largely based on agriculture. The country is a major producer of cotton, and it also grows wheat, rice, and other crops. Uzbekistan also has deposits of gold, uranium, and other minerals. Uzbekistan is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.