The presidential, Islam-influenced Republic of Uzbekistan with the capital Tashkent in the heart of Central Asia covers 448,978 km². It borders Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan to the northeast, Tajikistan to the southeast, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest. The former part of the USSR became sovereign with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Uzbekistan has an ancient wine culture. In the Fergana Valley, grapes were already cultivated in the 6th century BC, which were delivered to the Chinese Empire. This is evidenced by cultivated grape seeds found near Samarkand dating back to the 5th century BC. Towards the end of the 7th century AD, the Arabs conquered the land, and the flourishing wine cultivation was greatly reduced due to the religiously motivated prohibition of alcohol.
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