Surxondaryo

Surxondaryo Region old spelling Surkhandarya Region is a viloyat (region) of Uzbekistan, located in the extreme south-east of the country. Established on March 6, 1941, it borders on Qashqadaryo Region internally, and Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan externally, going anticlockwise from the north. It takes its name from the river Surxondaryo, that flows through the region. It covers an area of 20,100 km². The population is estimated at 1,925,100 (end of 2005 data), with 80% living in rural areas.According to official data, 83% of the population are Uzbeks and 1% Tajiks but non-official statistics show Surxondaryo is a Persian-speaking area, because most Tajiks of Uzbekistan are concentrated in the Surxondaryo, Samarkand and Bukhara regions.The highest point of the Region and also of Uzbekistan is Khazrati Sulton peak reaching 4,643 m/15,233 ft in Gissar Range.

It embraces the basins of the Sherabad and Surkhan rivers, right-bank tributaries of the Amu River, which forms the frontier with Afghanistan in the south. In the east are the Babatag Mountains, and in the north and west are the lofty Gissar Range and its spurs, the Baysuntau and Kugitangtau, which act as a barrier against cold air masses from the north and make the oblast the warmest part of Uzbekistan, with relatively mild winters and hot, dry summers.