The 8th century BC saw Eastern Iranian nomads known as Scythians establish kingdoms across the region now called Uzbekistan. These early settlers founded cities in Khwarazm, Sogdiana, and Bactria during a period spanning from the 8th to the 6th centuries BC.
Timur emerged as the dominant force in Transoxiana in the 1380s after years of tribal struggle and established the Timurid Empire with its capital at Samarkand. He extended his control from the Black Sea to just outside Delhi before dying during an invasion of China in 1405.
Overuse of water from the Aral Sea caused it to shrink to about 10% of its former area due to Soviet-era irrigation policies that diverted massive amounts of water to cotton fields. High salinity and soil contamination with heavy elements plague Karakalpakstan, the region adjacent to the dried seabed.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev became interim president following Islam Karimov's death in September 2016 before being officially elected on the 14th of December 2016 with 88.6% of the vote. He replaced most of Karimov's officials and called for inclusion of younger, patriotic individuals in government.
The nation is 96% Muslim with mostly Sunni adherents and a Shi'a minority alongside small groups of Eastern Orthodox Christians. As of 2022, Uzbekistan has the largest population in Central Asia with approximately 36 million citizens comprising nearly half the region's total.