Central Asia

     From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Central Asia is a subregion of Asia. It covers about 9,029,000 km², or 21 percent of the continent. It is the second largest region in Asia, after North Asia. Central Asia includes:

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

The term is sometimes also used to mean the five former Soviet Central Asian Republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 External link

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 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 few cities.

Rivers include: Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Hari Rud Major bodies of water include: Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash

Demographics

More than 80 million people live in Central Asia, or about 2 percent of the continent's population. Of the regions of Asia, only North Asia has fewer people. Central Asia has a population density of 9 persons per km².

External link

• http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/index.html