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Chapter 18

Chapter 18. Central Asia. Natural Environment. Objectives What are the major landforms and rivers and Central Asia What climates, biomes, and natural resources does the region have?. “Stan” = Land or place in Turkish. Landforms. Central Asia has a vary diverse elevation

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Chapter 18

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  1. Chapter 18 Central Asia

  2. Natural Environment • Objectives • What are the major landforms and rivers and Central Asia • What climates, biomes, and natural resources does the region have?

  3. “Stan” = Land or place in Turkish

  4. Landforms • Central Asia has a vary diverse elevation • Ranging from below sea level to huge mountains • Glaciers are very common in the regions mountains

  5. Landforms • The region is very mountainous in the South and Southeast. • To the North and to the west of the mountains are many plateaus and plains. • The mountains are the Tian Shan and the Pamirs ranges. “Shan” = Mountain in Chinese • They were formed from tectonic activity • Indian subcontinent is pushed into the rest of Asia.

  6. Rivers • There are 2 major rivers in the region • Amudar’ya • Flows Northwest from the Pamirs mountains into the Aral Sea • SyrDar’ya • Also flows Northwest, but from the Tian Shan, into the Aral Sea.

  7. Aral Sea • Shrunk by 60% since 1960 • Remember the Soviets lack on environmental concern? • They used the river to grow crops

  8. Aral Sea1989/2008

  9. Climates • Most places have harsh climates • High mountains block warm moist oceanic air, and create a rain shadow. • As a result, precipitation totals are low and there are extreme seasonal temperature ranges. Making Semiarid and Arid climates common. • Summer can rise up to 115 degrees • Winter lows have dropped to -36 degrees.

  10. Natural Resources • Large dams generate electricity from snowmelt. Water is the most important resource in this area. • Around the Caspian Sea there is a huge amount of oil. • Kazakhstan exports copper, iron, lead, and nickel • Uzbekistan is a major gold producer.

  11. History and Culture • Objectives • 1. How have various cultures and invaders affected the region’s history? • 2. What are some features of Central Asian cultures?

  12. History • A.D 600 – Turkic speaking peoples established kingdoms • A.D 650 – Chinese armies conquered the region • A.D 751 – Arab armies invaded the Chinese • A.D 1218 – Mongols who were led by Ghengis Khan took over • A.D 1480 - Europeans found a better route to East Asia which isolated the region.

  13. Genghis Khan

  14. Russian and Soviet Rule • The Russians were expanding in all directions in search of better farming and therefore colonized Central Asia in the Mid 1800’s • When the Soviets (Lenin) took over and established the USSR, the Central Asian countries were called republics, but were fully under Soviet control. This helped in the space race, where the USSR launched the first manmade satellite, Sputnik, into orbit.

  15. The Soviets in Central Asia • The soviets built huge irrigation projects (Dry Aral Sea) and built a cotton monoculture. • When the USSR collapsed (1991), the republics declared their independence. • Troublesome boundaries remained from the Soviet Era. This was due to the Soviets creating boundaries to weaken the resistance. • Ex. The countries now had to share rivers and irrigation canals.

  16. Culture • The entire region is sometimes referred to as Turkistan because of the large Turkish influence on the region • Turkic heritage is still strong in the region • A large segment of the population was made up of Nomads(this is why there are few towns) that moved herds from mountainous pastures in the summer, to lowland pastures in the winters. • The most practiced religion in this region is Islam.

  17. Nomads • Nomads created yurts to make moving with herds possible • Yurts are unique movable homes made of felt mats. • People in the region still live in yurts and may put them up for weddings and funerals.

  18. Language • 2/3 of the regions people speak a Turkic language. • Russian is the main language for a sizable minority, however because many Russians are returning to Russia, the use of the language is decreasing. • Why might Russians be returning to home?

  19. The region today • Objectives • How has the economy of Central Asia changed over time? • What are the region’s cities like? • What issues must Central Asia face to improve its economy?

  20. Economic Changes • Corruption, poor transportation links, and a lack of cash for investment have hurt development of industry. • Many skilled Russian workers are leaving the region.

  21. Urban Environments • There are few big cities, because throughout history the people were nomads. • Funds are not available to upgrade cities • Bukhara, Uzbekistan

  22. Issues and Challeneges • The biggest problem is the countries are landlocked. What is the effect? • The water in rivers is used upstream for hydroelectricity. • The water is needed downstream for irrigation.

  23. Political and Environmental • The change from command to market economy has been tough on the region. • Ethnic conflicts are very common in the region. • Soviet agricultural, and industrial policies damaged Central Asia’s land and water, with the use of chemicals. Uzbekistan’s farmers are using crop rotation to help improve the soil. • Nuclear testing exposed millions to radiation, causing birth defects and cancer.

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