The Fergana Valley (alternatively Farghana or Ferghana; Uzbek: Farg‘ona vodiysi, Kyrgyz: Фергана өрөөнү, [ferʁana œrœːny], Tajik: водии Фaрғонa, Russian: Ферганская долина, Persian: وادی فرغانه‎‎) is a valley in Central Asia spread across eastern Uzbekistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. Divided into three republics of the former Soviet Union, the valley is ethnically diverse and in the early 21st century was the scene of ethnic conflict.