Why in the news?

• UNESCO 43rd General Conference held at Samarkand (Uzbekistan).

Uzbekistan

• Location: Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia.
• Capital: Tashkent
• Border Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan.
• Bordering Waterbodies: Aral Sea
• Geography: Part of Eurasian Steppe or Great Steppe.
• Climatic Type: Continental Climate
• International Groupings – Member of Commonwealth of Independent States, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Uzbekistan is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and hosts the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. Uzbekistan joined the new Central Asian Cooperation Organisation (CACO) in 2002, Central Asian Union