GPHY 141 Exam 2 Study Guide Part 2
What is the current refugee situation?
1.5 million Ukrainians in 7 days
How has Russia reacted to protestors in Russia?
According to a Russian law introduced in 2014, a fine or detention of up to 15 days may be given for holding a demonstration without the permission of authorities and prison sentences of up to five years may be given for three breaches. Single-person pickets have resulted in fines and a three-year prison sentence.
What countries are part of Central Asia?
Central Asia is a subregion of Asia, which stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. The region consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
What element(s) shape the geographies of climate, vegetation, and agriculture in Central Asia?
Central Asia's Physical regions Central Asian Highlands Tectonic impact, world's highest mountains Tibetan plateau Plains and basins Lower-lying zone of deserts and semi arid steppes Western aeid plains and eastern desert belt North of the desert zone, rainfall gradually increases into steppes a large area of flat unforested grassland
What are the major economic trends in Central Asia?
Central Asian economics in global context. Existing pipelines and russian transit fees. Chinese investment in pipelines, roads, and railways. Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.
What are the language patterns of Central Asia? Do they vary by country? How?
Early religious diversity by 1500 divieded by 2 'spiriual camps': Islam in the west and center and buddhism in tibet ans monfolia Islam in central asia diversity of interpretations sunnis dominant, shilism among certain groups communism discouraged religion; muslims suffered persecution radical Islamism as political movement afghanistan under the taliban
In what ways have sanctions affected Russia?
The sanctions fall well short of a ban on Russian energy exports, which would traumatize the heavily reliant European economy and exacerbate
Who are the leaders of the countries involved in this conflict?
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin
Why is this a significant conflict?
This could lead to World War III
What is the role of Buddhism in Tibet? Who is the Dalai Lama? Where does he live? Why?
Tibetan buddhism Buddhism's entry to tibet from india, merged with native religion Bon Head of Tibetan Buddhist society of Dalai Lama Before Chinese conquest (1959), Tibet was theocracy Chinese persecution and occupation 1959: 100,000 Tibetans fled to India Recently allowed some monasteries to reopen
What are the religious trends in Central Asia?
Tibetan buddhism Buddhism's entry to tibet from india, merged with native religion Bon Head of Tibetan Buddhist society of Dalai Lama Before Chinese conquest (1959), Tibet was theocracy Chinese persecution and occupation 1959: 100,000 Tibetans fled to India Recently allowed some monasteries to reopen Buddhism Siddhartha Gautama - "the enlightened 1" Derived from hinduism Rejected caste system Direct access to Nirvana ritual Direct access to Nirvana
Who are the Uyghurs?
Uyghur is the main indigenous language of China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region. As recently as 1953, the Uyghur made up about 80 percent of Xinjiang's population, but that number has fallen to 44 percent, mostly due to Han Chinese migration. According to official statistics, the Han make up around 39 percent of Xinjiang's population, but Uyghur activists think that number is much larger.
What are the major migration trends in this region? What effects do these migrations have (economically) on the sending and receiving countries?
however, many Russians have migrated back to their homeland, and Russian has gradually declined in favor of local languages. It remains, however, an essential language of interethnic communication, and many ethnic Kazakh remain more comfortable
What are alluvial fans? Why are these important in Central Asia? What types of activities/population centers exist in them?
population of former Soviet Central Asia is also concentrated in the transitional zone between the highlands and the plains. A series of alluvial fans (fan-shaped deposits of sediments dropped by streams flowing out of the mountains) has long been devoted to intensive cultivation
What are the population and settlement trends in Central Asia? Where do most people live? Are these populations rural or urban?
sparsely populated region many areas too arid, too elevated to support life Many populated by scattered groups of nomadic pastoralists Raise livestock for subsistence purposes Densest settlement in lowland settings with good soil and dependable water supplies Highland population and subsistences patterns Harsh environment of the Tibetan Plateau Average elevation of 14,800ft Sparse vegetation Subsistence difficult nomadic pastoralism and sedentary settlement Vitally important mountains to lowland peoples transhumance
What is the place/role of Islam in Central Asia?
Islam in central asia diversity of interpretations sunnis dominant, shilism among certain groups communism discouraged religion; muslims suffered persecution radical Islamism as political movement afghanistan under the taliban
What is the role of organized crime/bribery in Eurasia?
Organized crime remains pervasive in Russia. Many ties also remain between organized crime and Russian intelligence agencies. Much of the country's real wealth has been exported to foreign bank accounts. Various local and regional crime organizations divide up much of the economy and have links to illegal global business operations.
What are the major environmental issues in Central Asia?
Physical Geography and environmental issues: Human transformation of diverse landscapes Despite small area, extraordinary environmental diversity 3 factors explain environmental diversity complex geology of western Eurasus landmass Extensive latitudinal range, influences climate, vegetation, hydrology Human settlement has transformed and modified
What countries are involved in this conflict?
Russia and Ukraine
What is the Baikonur Cosmodrome? Who owns it? Where is it?
Russia leases the massive Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Kazakhstan for its space program. This Soyuz-FG rocket booster carrying the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft blasts off for the International Space Station.
What areas of Eurasia have seen an increase in Islamic fundamentalism?
Russia's vast size poses special challenges, but its rich store of natural resources has offered unique economic benefits. At the same time, the Soviet period (1917-1991) witnessed unparalleled, unrestrained economic development that damaged the region's environment. The entire region still bears the scars of that legacy.
What countries border Ukraine?
Russia. Belarus. Poland. Slovakia. Hungary. Romania. Moldova.
How would you describe democracy in post-Soviet Russia?
Russian Federation Treaty in 1992. The treaty granted Russia's internal autonomous republics and its lesser administrative units greater political, economic, and cultural freedoms, including more control of their own natural resources and foreign trade (see the map of internal republics, Figure 9.32). It weakened Moscow's centralized authority to shape policies within its varied hinterlands. Defined essentially along ethnic lines, 21 regions possess status as republics within the federation and have constitutions that often run counter to national mandates.
What did we learn about the Aral Sea?
Aral sea destruction Water diversion for agriculture of post-war era River flow, lake levels, and fish stocks Economic and cultural damage Effort to save Aral sea
What are the major water bodies in Central Asia? Rivers? Oceans?
Aral sea, and Caspian sea, Aral's only sources of water are the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flowing out of the distant Pamir Mountains.
What is a pastoralist? What do they raise in Central Asia?
Alpine grasslands and tundra, interspersed with rugged mountains and saline lakes, dominate the Tibetan Plateau. In summer, the sparse vegetation offers forage for the herds of nomadic Tibetan pastoralists.
Are there separatist areas in Central Asia? If yes, what/where/who are they?
As we saw earlier, China has clamped down hard on anyone suspected of harboring separatist beliefs in Xinjiang.
What is important about the Fergana Valley? Is this area densely populated? What countries have territory and peoples in this area?
Fergana Valley. Boundary tensions between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; Islamist militancy. signs of Islamic political extremism are uncommon in most areas, the movement does have local adherents, especially in the Fergana Valley. An estimated 1400 to 4000 militants from former Soviet Central Asia have gone to Syria to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS; also known as ISIL or IS) and other extremist groups. Studies suggest that many of these fighters were initially radicalized when working in Russia, where they experienced discrimination.
What role did the Silk Road have in modern-day population centers in Central Asia?
Middle Ages, East Asia was linked to Europe and Southwest Asia through the so-called Silk Road, a network of caravan routes crossing Central Asia. Such cities as Uzbekistan's Samarkand and Bukhara prospered as way stations and regional markets in the Silk Road system. But European maritime trade networks bypassed these routes in the early modern period, undermining Central Asia's economic status and global significance.
What is the historic relationship between these countries and Russia? China?
Minor role in global affairs long under direct control of either Russia or china Mongolia and afghanistan not under direct control, but allied or subjected to outside powers
What are the major landforms in Central Asia?
Pamir Mountains, Himalayas, Central Asia is characterized by high plateaus and mountains in the south-central and southeastern areas, grassland plains (steppes) in the north, and desert basins in the southwestern and central areas
How have both armies fared thus far?
Ukraine doesn't has the strongest army but they are fighting.
What role has energy played in this conflict?
Ukraine has the energy and Russia has a lot of oil
What was the Soviet policy on religion? What was the Soviet system of economic planning?
Under the Soviet Union, all religion was discouraged and persecuted. However, with the downfall of the Soviet Union, a religious revival swept much of the region.
What are the major tectonic processes in Central Asia? What types of landforms/events do they create? What type of landscape is Central Asia dominated by? (e.g., savanna, steppe, taiga, permafrost, etc.)
Unique landlocked region of world;s largest landmass Continental climates are characterized by temperature and seasonal extremes Relatively dry regions cut off from maritime moisture and contains several barren deserts Highlands and headwaters Central Asia's Physical regions Central Asian Highlands Tectonic impact, world's highest mountains Tibetan plateau Plains and basins Lower-lying zone of deserts and semi arid steppes Western aeid plains and eastern desert belt North of the desert zone, rainfall gradually increases into steppes a large area of flat unforested grassland
What supranational organizations are involved?
United Nations United Nations Economic Commission for Europe World Trade Organization European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
What is an autonomous region? What are the autonomous regions in this region?
an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority. The standard Mongolian of both the independent state of Mongolia and China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is called Khalkha.
