Chapter 19: Central Asia
What does the ancient Persian word "stan" mean?
"Land of" or "place of"
Lie along the shores of the Black and Caspian seas
Small patches of lowland plains
May be one of the most environmentally damaged place on Earth
The Apsheron Peninsula of Azerbaijan
What sea is east of the Caspian Sea?
The Aral Sea
The Caspian Sea was once connected to what sea that connected it to the Mediterranean?
The Black Sea
Which two seas is the western section between?
The Black and Caspian Seas
The Fergana is
Thinly settled and marked by farms
All have substantial oil or natural gas reserves, and although they are landlocked, pipelines connect them to other parts of the world
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
Produced the first democratic transfer of power
Kyrgyzstan
The United States Agency for International Development has joined with negatively affected countries in Central Asia to
Protect the river basin of Syr Dar'ya
Most people in Central Asia speak on of the
Turkish languages
Recently opened a pipeline to transport its natural gas to China
Turkmenistan
Connects the Amu Dar'ya to the Caspian Sea
Turkmenistan's Karakum Canal
The Soviet era left profound environmental damage on the
Aral Sea
Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh declared their independence and seized more territory to connect the region to
Armenia
Country with the highest level of urbanization
Armenia
Has been strongly criticized by environmental activists for continuing to run a nuclear power plant in an area prone to earthquakes because they worry a quake could lead to a serious nuclear accident
Armenia
Recently opened a pipeline that allows it to import natural gas from Iran
Armenia
Russia has economic ties and is depended on by
Armenia
Populations of these two countries are shrinking due to low birthrates
Armenia and Georgia
Has the largest oil and natural gas resources
Azerbaijan
Central Asia stretches from the
Black Sea to Asia
Enclaves lead to
Border clashes and displaced persons
The Silk Road crossed Central Asia and was established for trade between
Europe and Asia
Enclave
A territory that belongs to a political unit but is separated from it and surrounded by another political unit
Yurt
A traditional form of housing made of fabric and skins stretched out over wooden poles
Country with the largest population?
Afghanistan
Country with the lowest level of urbanization
Afghanistan
Land mines put into the ground during periods of war is a serious problem of
Afghanistan
One of the most ethnically complex countries in Central Asia
Afghanistan
What country is surrounded by plate boundaries and has many earthquakes?
Afghanistan
What country was not a part of the Soviet Union?
Afghanistan
When the Russian empire expanded into Central Asia after the Russian communist revolution, all but what country became Soviet Socialist Republics?
Afghanistan
Central Asia relies on
Agriculture and natural resource exports
Environmental damage of the Apsheron Peninsula is the result of
Air, water, and soil pollution from the oil and gas industries and from the overuse of pesticides and other harmful chemicals for agriculture
When the US demanded that the Taliban government turn over Bin Laden and they refused,
American and Coalition forces entered Afghanistan an overthrew the Taliban-led government
Tajikistan hopes to build a dam on the tributary of the
Amu Dar'ya
These rivers form the subregion's center and flow into the Aral sea
Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya
Recently, oil and natural gas were found under the
Caspian Sea
Central Asia is generally dry, but the
Caucasus area is mostly wetter
What are sturgeon eggs?
Caviar
The major crops in the Steppes are
Cereals
The Caucasus has a great variation of
Climate
When Central Asia was a part of the Soviet Union, it was a
Command economy, and some countries haven't moved to a market economy
Maintained strong influences across the region
Dictatorial rule
Scrub grasses can grow in some areas of the
Kara-Kum and Kkyzyl-Kum deserts
Ethnic complexity can lead to
Conflict in some places
The Soviets took water from the Syr Dar'ya and Amu Dar'ya (the two rivers that feed into the Aral Sea) to irrigate fields in their boost to push
Cotton production
To stop Tajikistan from building a river, Uzbekistan is
Cutting off sale of natural gas to Tajikistan and shutting rail service carrying needed food imports
Winds blew salt and harmful chemicals from the dry seabed of the Aral Sea to nearby areas which
Damaged the soil where they landed, ruining farmland, and causing Cancer and respiratory diseases in people
Mountainous and desert areas are
Densely populated
Afghanistan has problems with
Desertification and deforestation
Afghanistan possesses natural resources, but few have been
Developed
Countries of Central Asia are less
Developed
Steppes border desert regions across
Eastern Kazakhstan
Part of Central Asia that slopes upward
Eastern part
Central Asia is working hard to find
Economic and political stability
Highland climate varies with
Elevation and exposure to the wind and sun
Fergana Valley has several
Enclaves
In relation to women, the Soviet government mandated
Equality for women and opened career opportunities for them
When Mongol control weakened
Ethnic groups in the region came into power
In Afghanistan, "community-based demining" (removing mines) is being used which is when
Experienced workers recruit and train local people in the skills needed to identify and disable mines
Important economic activity in all of asia
Farming
One of Central Asia's most ethnically diverse areas
Fergana Valley
Some parts of the Steppe have been turned over for growing crops which has resulted in
Fertile soil
Has the most abundant resources in Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Rare in Central Asia
Forests
Overall population density
Generally low
Who had led Mongol forces to conquer Central Asia?
Genghis Khan
Healthcare spending is generally low, except for in
Georgia
What is the one country in Central Asia that is not landlocked?
Georgia
Who has no oil, but as benefited by allowing pipelines to be built through it so that the oil from the Caspian Sea can be transported to Europe?
Georgia
Who prospered during the Soviet Union's rule?
Georgia
Were Christianized under the Roman Empire and were the 1st countries in the world to declare Christianity as the national religion
Georgia and Armenia
Rely on hydroelectric power and their mountainous terrain give them swiftly flowing rivers that can be tapped for hydroelectric power
Georgia and Kyrgyzstan
What are the three countries of the western section?
Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
Was home to nuclear bases in the Soviet era during the Civil War and the Soviet government tested nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons
Kazakhstan
Population density per acre of arable land
High
Help explains Central Asia's low economic output
High percent of agricultural workers, lack of good land, and reliance on traditional farming methods
The 2 ranges of the Caucasus mountains are the
Higher ranges (the Greater Caucasus) to the north and the lower ranges (the Lesser Caucasus) to the south
Higher areas (like mountains) usually have this climate
Highland
Central Asia's land is challenging because it is marked mainly by
Highlands, a dry climate, and vast expanses of desert
Climate south of the Caucasus mountains
Humid subtropical
Georgia relies on what for electricity?
Hydroelectric power
Who saw both their industry and agriculture grow rapidly because of Soviet policies?
Kazakhstan
This river used to provide Lake Balkhash with water, but when it was dammed, the lake's water level dropped and the water became more saline
Ile River
Central Asia was under strict Soviet control and they tried to restrain the subregion's native cultures while at the same time
Improved literacy and standards of living
Arabs had conquered parts of Central Asia and introduced
Islam
Uzbekistan fears that a dam on the Amu Dar'ya would
Limit its own ability to use the river's water to irrigate it profitable cotton and the reduced water flow would have an impact on the quality of the river's water
Central Asia is far from any
Major oceans
Plays a small role in Central Asia
Manufacturing
When Armenia was a part of the Soviet Union, it geared more toward
Manufacturing and much of that activity ended after independence
What climate are the shores of the southern parts of the Caspian Sea?
Mediterranean
The geography of the Aral sea today is
Several small, shallow, disconnected bodies of water separated by dry land
Central Asia is an ethnic
Mosaic
Most leaders said they would adopt democracy after the Soviet Union dissolved, but
Most have not
The Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan prompted Afghan freedom fighters to fight the Soviets called
Mujahidin
During the Soviet era, a small population of Armenians lived in an area called
Nagorno-Karabakh
People in the eastern part of Central Asia are largely
Nomads
Use the steppes to graze their herds
Nomads
As a result of nuclear bases in Kazakhstan
Northeastern Kazakhstan remains severely affected by radiation given off
Major resources in Central Asia
Oil and natural gas
The Taliban government sheltered al-Qaeda, a terrorist group, and their leader
Osama Bin Laden
People in the subregion have lived in the deserts by practicing
Pastoralism (the raising of livestock)
Strict quotas have been set for Sturgeon fishing, but because Sturgeon eggs are so profitable, there has been
Poaching (the illegal harvesting of wild animals)
The Semi-Arid climate of the Steppes provides enough
Precipitation to support shrubs and short grasses, proving pasture for animals
The countries around the Caspian Sea agreed to the legally binding Convention for the Protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea which commits them to
Reducing agricultural and industrial pollution into the Caspian Sea and conserving fish and other marine wildlife
What did the Mongol period do?
Revive trade and bring prosperity
Leaders in Central Asia have generally
Ruled harshly, ignored human rights, and suppressed dissent
Afghanistan still faces many challenges
Ruling its territory and providing basic services for its people
Locations along the Silk Road became rich trading centers, like
Samarqand
The Red sea has been experiencing
Seafloor spreading
Climate north of the Caucasus mountains
Semi-Arid
Climate of the Steppes
Semi-Arid
Rather than Nagorno-Karabakh being in the control of the republic of Armenia, it was places within the control of the
Soviet republic of Azerbaijan
What kind of vegetation does Central Asia have?
Sparse scrub
The winters in the mountain foothills are mild and allows the people of the Caucasus to grow different crops that the people on the
Steppes
Fishing of what is an important industry in Central Asia?
Sturgeon fishing
Often faces energy shortages
Tajikistan
Relies on Russia as a source of employment income
Tajikistan
After the Soviets left, what Islamic fundamentalist gained control over most of Afghanistan and imposed an extremely strict interpretation of Islam on the people of the country?
Taliban
Armenia has been criticized for the deforestation of the
Teghut forest in northern Armenia
There is severe pollution in what sea in Central Asia?
The Caspian Sea
World's largest inland sea
The Caspian Sea
Central Asia is home to what sea and large lake?
The Caspian Sea and Lake Balkhash
What is the western section of Central Asia sometimes called?
The Caucasus
Where does the western section, the Caucasus, get its name from?
The Caucasus mountains
What agreement has places all Sturgeon species from the Caspian Sea on its list of threatened animals?
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species
What valley has water and fertile soil?
The Fergana Valley of eastern Uzbekistan
Covers most of Turkmenistan
The Kara-Kum (or black-sand desert)
Covers the western half of Uzbekistan
The Kyzyl Kum (or red-sand desert)
Left a legacy of environmental issues
The Soviet era
Has urged Tajikistan to halt construction of their dam
The World Bank
Contributing to desertification and deforestation in Afghanistan is
The burning trees and overgrazing by livestock
Mountains dominate what part of the subregion?
The eastern part
Which section of Central Asia contains the 6 "stans"?
The eastern section
What does the eastern section reach from?
The eastern shores of the Caspian Sea to China and Pakistan
One possible future benefit of "community-based demining" is that
Trained Afghanis will be available to help other countries with the same problem
Central Asia in not highly
Urbanized
One of the world's largest cotton producers and exporters and produce fine clothing from silk, learned as a result of their location on the Silk Road
Uzbekistan
Rely on irrigation to grow crops in dry regions an produce and export natural gas
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
Make automobiles which are mostly exported to Russia
Uzbekistan factories
Besides the Fergana, other basins are
Vast, dune-covered kums (deserts)
Part of Central Asia that slopes downward
Western part
Higher areas are generally
Wetter and colder than other parts of the subregion
The Aimak people of Afghanistan live in
Yurts