Unit 6 Information: Central Asia, Caucasus Nations, and Siberia

Genocide

The Turks practiced ____________________ on the Armenians.

Kara; Kyzyl

The _____________ Kum and ________________ Kum deserts cover much of Central Asia and are about the size of Texas together.

Turks; Armenians

The _______________tried to deport all of __________________ out of their country and practiced genocide on them, killing 1/3rd of the population, during WWI.

Important Facts About Central Asian History

The countries have been conquered again and again by outside empires interested in controlling the Silk Road. In the early 700s, the Arab conquest of Central Asia brought Islam to the region. A conqueror named Timur took over the region in the mid-1300s. Under Timur's rule, the city of Samarqand was the capital of the empire and a cultural city of scholars and artists. Czar Peter the Great began expanding the Russian Empire into the area because he wanted to grow cotton for Russia there. During the Russian Revolution in 1917 most of the region took advantage of the situation and became temporarily independent. Communist forces had regained control of the region by 1920. Soviet rule had some positive impacts on the region, including improvements in power generation and irrigation. Soviet rule also had negative impacts, such as forcing farmers and nomadic herders to work on collective farms. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the region became independent countries.

Arid

The dominant climate in Central Asia is ________________.

Caspian Sea

The world's largest salt-water lake is the ______________ _____________.

Economic and Environmental Problems in Azerbaijan

They do not have many natural resources but do have a lot or oil and natural gas access in the Caspian Sea which they cannot afford to drill for but international investors are fearful of earthquakes and Russia does not want more competition so they discourage others from pumping for them. Because they are poor, they generally treat their environment poorly in an attempt to make money. They pump oil out of the Caspian Sea without following regulations resulting in pollution and a loss of fish life. They also pollute the Sea with factory waste.

West Siberian Plain and the city of Novosibirsk

Where most Siberians live.

Lowlands of Georgia

Which area in the Caucasus Nations has a humid sub-tropical climate because of its location near the Black Sea?

Azerbaijan

Which country gets oil out of the Caspian Sea and is responsible for much of the environmental problems that are occurring along the Caspian Sea?

Armenia

Which country in this region has the nickname, the first Christian nation?

Georgia

Which country was invaded by Russia in 2008 because of its oil pipeline and Russia's desire to have access to it?

West Siberian Plain

World's largest and flattest plain, at over 1 million square miles.

Culture and Daily Life of Central Asia

1) The Kazakhs in the cities dress and act like Europeans but in the rural countryside they dress traditionally in embroidered heavy colorful clothing and live in yurts. 2) Most rural people in Central Asia live in yurts. Women remain in the home and care for the children while men tend to the crops and livestock. 3) Horses are important to Central Asian people, it's like their buffalo or bison. They use the horse for farm labor, eat the horse, make yurts out of the horse, race horses, etc. 4)Families are large and parents have strong authority.

Problems that have occurred in the region since the fall of the Soviet Union

1) The USSR over irrigated the Aral Sea, causing it to lose 90% of its water, and resulting in a loss of a major water source and poor farming. The damage seems to be irreversible and the countries can't agree on how to fix it. 2) The Russians are leaving the region and taking their knowledge and skills with them. Already poorly educated, the region struggles to improve. 3) The Russians heavily polluted the region and they are still recovering. 4) Pollution and increased salt in the air because of the shrinking of the Aral Sea cause health problems. 5)Territorial disputes mainly because of the poorly drawn borders by the USSR. 6) Struggle to create working governments because of the USSR controlling them for so long.

Terrain; Climate; Population

Central Asia, the Caucasus Nations, and Siberia share the following characteristics: Rugged _______________________, harsh ____________________, and sparse _______________________.

Collective Farms

Central Asian people were forced by the USSR to work on ____________________________ ___________.

Language and Religion in the Caucasus Nations

Georgia and Armenia are mostly Christian while Azerbaijan is strongly Muslim (95%). Over 50 languages are spoken throughout the region.

Important Facts About the History of the Caucasus Nations

Georgia and Armenia became two of the earliest countries to convert to Christianity in the 300s. Muslim traders and conquerors brought Islam to the Caucasus in the 700s. The region was then conquered by the Mongols and became part of Timur's Central Asian empire in the 1300s. The Ottomans and Persians (Muslims) competed for control of the region for from the 1400s to the 1700s. Georgia and Armenia turned to Russia for protection from their Muslim rulers in the 1700s. Russia took over most of the region, completely taking control of Armenia after World War I. Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan became independent states for a short time after the Russian Revolution in 1917. In the 1920s The Soviet Union took over the regions and created three Soviet republics. In the 1980s, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan declared independence once again after the Soviet Union weakened and eventually dissolved. The independent countries of the Caucasus regions have today struggled with economic changes, ethnic tensions, and border conflicts.

The Caucasus Nations

Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan

50%Rural, 50%Urban

In Turkmenistan the number of people who live in cities and rural settlements is ______________

The Rural Countryside

In both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan most people live in _____________

Central Asian Nations

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan

Trans-Siberian Railroad

Most cities and towns in Siberia are located along or near which feature?

Siberian Resources

Oil, natural gas, 20% of the world's timber, coal, gold, lead, iron-ore, nickel, platinum

Caucasus Nations Resources

Oil, natural gas, timber, agricultural goods, and hydroelectricity

Central Asia Resources

Oil, natural gas, uranium, gold, mercury, copper, tin, lead, and zinc

Main Problem Today in the Caucasus Nations

Over 50 different ethnic groups that can't communicate with one another and have different cultures results in much disunity and problems.

Russia

Since the early 1700s to the present day, Siberia has been for the most part controlled by _______________.

Mountain Ranges in this Region

The Caucasus, the Tien Shan, and the Ural

Oasis

An ______________________ is a large green area of vegetation found near a desert.

The First Christian Nation

Armenia's Nickname

True

Because of the czars' and Soviets' resettlement programs, the population of Siberia is overwhelmingly Russian.

Russian

Because of the czars' and Soviets' resettlement programs, the population of Siberia is overwhelmingly what ethnicity?

Russia

Beginning with Czar Peter the Great and ending after the fall of the Soviet Union, Central Asia was controlled by ____________________ and forced to follow their laws and decisions for the region.

Kazakhstan

Every country in Central Asia, except for _______________________________, is mostly rural.

Climate

Explain why Siberia, though it has a lot of natural resources, remains untapped/unused?

Important Dates in Siberian History

1000BCE- Nomads migrated into southern Siberia from central and east Asia. 200 BCE- Invaders from China drove groups north onto central Siberian plateau. 1700ACE- Russia controlled Siberia to the Pacific Ocean. 1891-1905ACE- Trans-Siberian Railroad was built across the region. 1917ACE- Russian czar was overthrown and Communists took control of Russia, but were resisted by Siberian leaders. 1922ACE- Communists took control of Siberia, and it became part of the Soviet Union. 1930sACE_Labor camps called gulags were formed across Siberia. The Communist government sent criminals and members of the opposition to Siberia to the gulags as punishment

False

About 60 percent of Kazakhstan's population lives in rural countryside.

Pastoral

Refers to societies that are rural and move with their herds; their lives revolve around taking care of their animal herds. This is the normal way of life in Central Asia.

Georgia in 2008

Russia invaded in order to get access to their oil pipeline. The USA and the UN will threaten to get involved and Russia left.

Language and Religion in Siberia

Russian is the main language and Russian Orthodox Christianity is the main religion with Buddhist and Muslim minorities.

Language and Religion in Central Asia

Russian is widely spoken and most of the countries are Muslim with Kazakhstan being 50% Muslim and 50% Christian

Siberia

__________________ resources remain mostly untapped because it's too cold.