| Zarafshan Zarafshon / Зарафшон |
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| Зарафшан | |
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Zarafshan
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| Country | Uzbekistan |
| Province | Navoiy Province |
Zarafshan (Uzbek: Zarafshon / Зарафшон; Russian: Зарафшан) is a city of over 65,000 inhabitants in the center of Uzbekistan's Navoiy Province. Located in the Kyzylkum desert, it receives water from the Amudarya by a 220-km pipeline.
Zarafshan is called "the gold capital of Uzbekistan". It is home of the Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combinat's Central Mining Administration, charged with mining and processing gold from the nearby Muruntau open-pit mine. Between 1995 and 2006 the Muruntau gold mining and processing operation was run by the Zarafshan-Newmont Joint Venture, a foreign direct investment by Newmont Mining Corporation of Denver, Colorado (at the time the largest U.S. investor in Uzbekistan). As of 2007, full ownership reverted to Uzbekistan.
Zarafshan Airport ((IATA: AFS)) is served by Uzbekistan Airlines with direct daily flights to and from Tashkent.
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