Fergana

Fergana, a province since 1876 of Russian West Turkestan, formerly the khanate of Khokand, lies among the western ranges of the Tian-Shan mountain complex. Area, 28,222 sq. m., four-fifths of which are mountainous, the Tchoikal Mountains being in the north, and the Ala-tau and the Trans-Alatan chain in the south. The rest of the province consists of the fertile irrigated plain of the Syr Daria (Jaxartes), which traverses Fergana from north-east to south-west. The inhabitants are estimated to number 676,000 (538,800 settled agriculturists and 137,200 nomad shepherds), and consist of Aryan Tajiks and Sarts (mostly settled), and Turkish Uzbeks, Kipchaks, and Kara-Kirghiz (principally nomads). The chief towns are Khokand (the former capital), Marghilan (the present capital), Namangan, and Andijan.