Central Asia

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Central Asia

• Armenia
• Georgia
• Azerbaijan
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgystan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

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Central Asia

• All 8 countries of Central Asia
• All were once part of the Soviet Union until its
  breakup in 1991
• Since gaining independence many countries have
  faced internal strife have struggled to
  maintain solid economies

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Caucasus Republics

• Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan
• Caucasus Mountains runs through all 3 countries
• Were once all part of the Soviet Union until 1991

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Armenia
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Armenia

• Slightly smaller than Maryland
• Sits on many faults/suffers from serious
  earthquakes
• Once controlled an empire from Caspian Sea to the
  Mediterranean Sea 2,000 years ago
• Armenia prides itself on being the first country
  to formally adopt Christianity in the early 4th
  century
• Was under the power of various empires Roman,
  Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Ottoman
• Incorporated into Russia in 1828 USSR in 1920
• Armenian leaders are in constant conflict with
  Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh region

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Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide was carried out by the
"Young Turk" government of the Ottoman Empire in
1915-1916. One and a half million Armenians were
killed, out of a total of two and a half million
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
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Georgia

• Slightly smaller than South Carolina
• Warm pleasant, Mediterranean Sea
• Present day Georgia contains the ancient kingdoms
  of Colchis Kartli-Iberia
• Christianity became state religion in the 330s
• Ottoman Persian Empires competed for control
  over the region
• Absorbed into the Russian empire in 19th century
• 70 of people are ethnic Georgians

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Georgia
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Georgia

• Early 1990s, ethnic conflict broke out between
  Georgians other ethnic groups which have hurt
  their move to democracy free market economy
• Less than 10 of people work in agriculture, but
  it makes up 1/3 of the countrys goods
• Tbilisi capital largest city

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Azerbaijan

• Borders the Black Sea, slightly smaller than
  South Carolina
• Turkic majority-Muslim population
• 50 of people live in cities
• 1/3 of people work in agriculture
• Azerbaijan has never ended its conflict with
  Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave
• Azerbaijan has lost 16 of its territory/ But
  must support 800,000 refugees from the conflict
• Unfilled promise of widespread wealth from
  untapped petroleum resources

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Nagorno-Karabakh
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Armenian Kittens Praying
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Central Asian Republics

• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgystan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

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Kazakhstan

• Kazakh ancestors were Mongols nomads
• Were forced to give up nomadic ways when became
  part of Soviet Union
• Many Russians moved to the area in mid 1900s to
  enforce communist laws
• Environment has been badly damaged because of
  many factories/ Nuclear, chemical, industrial
  waste has polluted the land water

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Mongols
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Kazakhstan
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Kyrgystan

• Tian Shan mountains make up most of the land
  surface
• Climate depends on elevation lower valleys
  plains have warm,dry summers chilly winters/
  higher areas have cool summers bitterly cold
  winters
• Grow cotton, vegetables, fruit
• Has few industries/ but has valuable deposits of
  gold mercury
• More than ½ of people are ethnic Kyrgyz

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Tian Shan Mountains

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Kyrgystan


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Kyrgyzstan

• Bilingual country/ Kirghiz, Russian
• 40 of the people live in cities
• Capital Bishkek

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Tajikistan

• Very mountainous
• Ismail Samani Peak is the highest mountain in
  Central Asia used to be known as Communist Peak
• Agriculture most important economic activity
• Mountain streams provide water for irrigation
  hydroelectric power
• Dushanbe capital largest city
• Most of the people are Tajiks related to
  Persians/ 25 are Uzbeksrelated to the Turks
• 1992, civil war broke out between rival clans
  many were killed economy severely damaged

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Ismail Samani Peak
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Turkmenistan

• Vast amount of land but small population due to
  85 of the land being apart of the Garagum desert
• Garagum black sand
• Agriculture leading economic activity/ Raising
  livestock
• Not enough food is able to be produced so food
  has to be imported
• Contains the worlds 3rd largest reserves of
  natural gas

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Garagum Desert
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Turkmenistan

• 1 party state dominated by a president his
  closest advisers
• President has total control even though there is
  a democratic constitution
• 1999, Democratic party was renamed the Communist
  party
• 75 of people are Turkmen
• Ashgabat capital leading economic center
• 51 of people live in rural areas/Turkmen
  villages are normally found near oases formed by
  mountain streams

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Turkmenistan

• People were nomads until Soviet Union made them
  settle on farms
• 1950s, Soviet engineers built a large irrigation
  shipping canal to help increase the area used
  for cotton growth
• Cotton growing has helped dry up the Aral Sea

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Turkmenistan
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Uzbekistan

• Slightly larger than California
• One of the worlds largest cotton producers/
  Cotton industry has disastrous effects on
  environment
• Large farms needing irrigation has drained away
  rivers flowing to the Aral Sea
• Aral Sea has steadily shrank salt content has
  increased/ Fish wildlife have died/ salt
  particles pollute the air soil
• Uzbek leaders want to develop newly discovered
  deposits of oil, gas, gold which would lead
  to more pollution

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Aral Sea
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Uzbekistan

• Most people are Uzbeks/ generally live in fertile
  valleys oases
• Tashkent capital
• About 2,000 years ago, Tashkent was part of the
  Silk Road trade route that linked China Europe

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Uzbekistan
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Wiener Dog Sandwich