Daşoguz

Daşoguz
formerly known as Tashauz
Daşoguz
Location in Turkmenistan
Coordinates:
Country Turkmenistan
Province Daşoguz Province
Incorporated
Government
 • Mayor Mammetnyyaz Owezovic Nurmammedov[1]
Elevation 88 m (289 ft)
Population (2004)
 • Total 210,000
Postcode

Daşoguz (also Dashkhovuz, Dashhowuz, Dashoguz, Dasoguz, Дашогуз; roughly "stone spring" in Turkmen), formerly known as Tashauz (Russian: Ташауз), is a city in northern Turkmenistan and the capital of Daşoguz Province.

Contents

Geography

It is located at latitude 41.833° North, longitude 59.9667° East, at an average of 88 meters above sea level. It is about 76.7 km (47.7 mi) from Nukus, Uzbekistan, and 460 km (290 mi) from Ashgabat.In nearby Lake Sarykamysh, you can find 65 different varieties of fish.

Demographics

Daşoguz's population of 166,500 (1999 census estimate) is predominately Turkmen and Uzbek, with smaller numbers of Russians, Koreans, Karakalpaks, and Tatars present. A large number of those forcefully displaced by ex-President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov have been resettled in lands adjoining the town.[2]

History

Early in its history, it was a popular stop on the Silk Road because it had a spring, hence its name.[3] Founded as a fort in the early 19th century by the Russians, modern Daşoguz is a Soviet-designed city with many monuments and museums acting as a local administrative and cultural center and rail junction.DZ

Transportation

Daşoguz Airport provides a connection with Ashgabat, Mary, Turkmenabat, Balkanabat, Turkmenbashy with Turkmenistan Airlines.

Miscellaneous

Daşoguz is the main portal of tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Konya-Urgench. Some of the main agricultural products of the area are cotton and jute, which can be cultivated due to the city's proximity to the Amu Darya river. It is also the location of the football club Turan Dasoguz.

On September 5, 1998, an H5 meteorite weighing approximately 7 kilograms fell in Daşoguz.[4]

Notable people

See also

References

External links