Central Asia

1. Central Asia Armenia Georgia Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Kyrgystan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

2. 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

4. Armenia

5. 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

6. Armenian Genocide

7. 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 330�s Ottoman & Persian Empires competed for control over the region Absorbed into the Russian empire in 19th century 70% of people are ethnic Georgians

8. Georgia

9. Georgia Early 1990�s, 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 country�s goods T�bilisi = capital & largest city

10. 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

11. Nagorno-Karabakh

12. Armenian Kittens Praying

13. Central Asian Republics Kazakhstan Kyrgystan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

14. 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 1900�s to enforce communist laws Environment has been badly damaged because of many factories/ Nuclear, chemical, & industrial waste has polluted the land & water

16. Kazakhstan

17. 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 � of people are ethnic Kyrgyz

18. Tian Shan Mountains

19. Kyrgystan Kyrgystan mountainsKyrgystan mountains

20. Kyrgyzstan Bilingual country/ Kirghiz, Russian 40% of the people live in cities Capital = Bishkek

21. 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 Uzbeks=related to the Turks 1992, civil war broke out between rival clans = many were killed & economy severely damaged

22. Ismail Samani Peak

23. 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 world�s 3rd largest reserves of natural gas

24. Garagum Desert

25. 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

26. Turkmenistan People were nomads until Soviet Union made them settle on farms 1950�s, 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

27. Turkmenistan

28. Uzbekistan Slightly larger than California One of the world�s 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

29. Aral Sea

30. 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

31. Uzbekistan

32. Wiener Dog Sandwich