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Central Asia

Central Asia is a subregion of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the southwest and Eastern Europe in the northwest to Western China and Mongolia in the east,[4] and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.[5] The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian suffix "-stan" (meaning "land of") in both respective native languages and most other languages.[6]

Not to be confused with Soviet Central Asia.

Area

4,003,451 km2 (1,545,741 sq mi)

75,897,577 (2021) (16th)[1][2]

17.43/km2 (45.1/sq mi)

$1.25 trillion (2023)[3]

$446 billion (2023)[3]

$5,900 (2023; nominal)[3]
$16,400 (2023; PPP)[3]

Increase0.779 (high)

Central Asian

.kg, .kz, .tj, .tm, .uz

143 – Central Asia
142Asia
001World

In the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras (c. 1000 and earlier) Central Asia was inhabited predominantly by Iranian people,[7][8] populated by Eastern Iranian-speaking Bactrians, Sogdians, Chorasmians, and the semi-nomadic Scythians and Dahae. After expansion by Turkic people, Central Asia also became the homeland for the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Tatars, Turkmens, Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs; Turkic languages largely replaced the Iranian languages spoken in the area, with the exception of Tajikistan and areas where Tajik is spoken.


The Silk Road trade routes crossed through Central Asia, leading to the rise of prosperous trade cities.[9][10] acting as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe and the Far East.[11][12][13] Most countries in Central Asia are still integral to parts of the world economy.[14]


From the mid-19th century until almost the end of the 20th century, Central Asia was colonised by the Russians, and incorporated into the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, which led to Russians and other Slavs emigrating into the area. Modern-day Central Asia is home to a large population of European settlers, who mostly live in Kazakhstan; 7 million Russians, 500,000 Ukrainians,[15][16][17] and about 170,000 Germans.[18] Stalinist-era forced deportation policies also mean that over 300,000 Koreans live there.[19]


Central Asia has a population of about 72 million, in five countries: Kazakhstan (19 million), Kyrgyzstan (7 million), Tajikistan (10 million), Turkmenistan (6 million), and Uzbekistan (35 million).[20]

The world's northernmost (sand dunes), at Buurug Deliin Els, Mongolia, 50°18' N.

desert

The 's southernmost permafrost, at Erdenetsogt sum, Mongolia, 46°17' N.

Northern Hemisphere

The world's shortest distance between non-frozen and permafrost: 770 km (480 mi).

desert

The Eurasian .

pole of inaccessibility

Central Asia is a region of varied geography, including high passes and mountains (Tian Shan), vast deserts (Kyzyl Kum, Taklamakan), and especially treeless, grassy steppes. The vast steppe areas of Central Asia are considered together with the steppes of Eastern Europe as a homogeneous geographical zone known as the Eurasian Steppe.


Much of the land of Central Asia is too dry or too rugged for farming. The Gobi desert extends from the foot of the Pamirs, 77° E, to the Great Khingan (Da Hinggan) Mountains, 116°–118° E.


Central Asia has the following geographic extremes:


A majority of the people earn a living by herding livestock. Industrial activity centers in the region's cities.


Major rivers of the region include the Amu Darya, the Syr Darya, Irtysh, the Hari River and the Murghab River. Major bodies of water include the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash, both of which are part of the huge west-central Asian endorheic basin that also includes the Caspian Sea.


Both of these bodies of water have shrunk significantly in recent decades due to the diversion of water from rivers that feed them for irrigation and industrial purposes. Water is an extremely valuable resource in arid Central Asia and can lead to rather significant international disputes.

To the North, the steppe allowed for rapid mobility, first for nomadic horseback warriors like the Huns and Mongols, and later for Russian traders, eventually supported by railroads. As the Russian Empire expanded to the East, it would also push down into Central Asia towards the sea, in a search for warm water ports. The Soviet bloc would reinforce dominance from the North and attempt to project power as far south as Afghanistan.

To the East, the demographic and cultural weight of Chinese empires continually pushed outward into Central Asia since the period of Han dynasty. However, with the Sino-Soviet split and collapse of Soviet Union, China would project its soft power into Central Asia, most notably in the case of Afghanistan, to counter Russian dominance of the region.

Silk Road

To the Southeast, the demographic and cultural influence of India was felt in Central Asia, notably in Tibet, the , and slightly beyond. From its base in India, the British Empire competed with the Russian Empire for influence in the region in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Hindu Kush

To the Southwest, West Asian powers have expanded into the southern areas of Central Asia (usually Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan). Several Persian empires would conquer and reconquer parts of Central Asia; Alexander the Great's Hellenic empire would extend into Central Asia; two Islamic empires would exert substantial influence throughout the region; and the modern state of Iran has projected influence throughout the region as well. Turkey, through a common Turkic nation identity, has gradually increased its ties and influence as well in the region. Furthermore, since Uzbekistan announced their intention to join in April 2018, Turkey and all of the Central Asian Turkic-speaking states except Turkmenistan are together part of the Turkic Council.[90]

[89]

Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program

Central Asian Football Federation

Central Asian Games

Central Asian Union

Central Asians in ancient Indian literature

Chinese Central Asia

Chinese Turkestan

Continental pole of inaccessibility

Hindutash

Inner Asia

Mountains of Central Asia

Russian Turkestan

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Central Asia After 2014

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Pipeline Politics in Asia: The Intersection of Demand, Energy Markets, and Supply Routes

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Bibcode

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Singapore

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Hartford

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IEI_forum / International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research

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"Trials and Tribulations: Kazakhstan's Criminal Justice Reforms"

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Teaching about Inner Asia

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"Central Asia"

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Central Asia ethnicity, languages, and religious composition maps

a historic map from 1874

General Map of Central Asia I – World Digital Library

The Central Asian Chronicles