Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia. Various definitions of its exact composition exist.

Definitions

Under one definition, Central Asia covers about 9,029,000 km², or 21% of the continent. Under this definition Central Asia includes the following countries:

• China (the provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, and Xinjiang),
• Kazakhstan (the territories east of the Ural River),
• Kyrgyzstan,
• Mongolia,
• Tajikistan,
• Turkmenistan and
• Uzbekistan.

A second definition includes:

• Iranian Azerbaijan
• The countries of Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia)
• Turkic/Muslim regions of southern Russia (Southern Siberia)
• Mongolia
• The western portions of China (Xinjiang and Tibet)
• Afghanistan or parts of it
• Parts of northern Pakistan

A third definition describes Central Asia as consisting of only the former Soviet Central Asian Republics:

• Kazakhstan,
• Kyrgyzstan,
• Uzbekistan,
• Tajikistan and
• Turkmenistan.

History

Except Mongolia and the Chinese-controlled areas, the lands of Central Asia were once part of the Communist-led Soviet Union, which broke up in 1991. These nations have moved away from the Communist system, and now have a variety of political systems ranging from somewhat democratic to highly authoritarian. However, most have retained close ties to Russia, which led the Soviet Union. Most Central Asian nations are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Geography

Central Asia is a region of high plateaus and mountains (Tian Shan), vast deserts (Kara Kum, Kyzyl Kum, Taklamakan), and treeless, grassy plains. Much of the land is too dry or too rugged for farming. A majority of the people earn a living by herding livestock. Industrial activity centers in the region's cities.

Rivers include: Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Hari Rud

Major bodies of water include: Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash

Demographics

By the most inclusive definition, more than 80 million people live in Central Asia, or about 2% of the continent's population. Of the regions of Asia, only North Asia has fewer people. It has a population density of 9 persons per km².

External link

• Central Eurasian Studies World Wide (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/index.html/)
• Publications on the history of Central Asia Prior to 1917 (http://www.getcited.org/mbrx/PT/2/MBR/10819625)
• University of Central Asia (http://www.ucentralasia.org/)

an:Asia Zentral de:Zentralasien fr:Asie centrale ko:중앙아시아 nl:Centraal-Azië ja:中央アジア pl:Azja Środkowa zh:中亚

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