Transcript chpt 19: central asia

CHPT 19: CENTRAL
ASIA
WHERE?
• 2 parts:
• 1) Western section in the Caucasus; 3
countries—Armenia, Georgia,
Azerbaijan
• 2) Eastern section: from Caspian Sea
to China; includes the “stan” countries
• “Stan” means “land of”
MOUNTAINS
• Several mt ranges in Central Asia
(mostly in the eastern portion)
• Tian Shan in Kazakhstan
• Altay Shan
• Pamirs in Tajikistan
• Hindu Kush in Afghanistan
DESERTS
• Kara-Kum (black-sand desert): covers
most of Turkmenistan
• Kyzyl-Kum (red-sand desert): covers
western half of Uzbekistan
• Each is about the size of Arizona
WATER
• Caspian Sea: largest inland sea
• Aral Sea: east of Caspian; used to be
one of world’s largest inland seas (why
not now?)
• Lake Balkhash: eastern Kazakhstan;
diminishing due to damming of the Ile
River
• Main rivers: Amu Dar’ya and Syr
Dar’ya
STEPPE
• Def: wide, grassy plains of Eurasia
• Border desert regions in eastern
Kazakhstan
• 8-12 inches of rain/yr
• Fertile soil---good for growing CEREALS:
any grain like barley, oats, or wheat
that is grown for food
RESOURCES
• Main resources: oil and natural gas
• Turkmenistan has 4th largest natural gas
reserves in world
• Kazakhstan: metals (iron ore, copper,
etc..) make up 1/5 of exports
• Uzbekistan: 4th largest gold reserves
• Kyrgyzstan: gold (#1 export)
SECTION 2: HUMAN
GEOGRAPHY
SILK ROAD
• 100 A.D.: road established for trade
btwn Europe and China
• Crossed through Central Asia
• Made Central Asia a crossroads
• This made the region a target for
conquest
• When you command trade, you have
the power
• 7th-9th centuries: Arabs conquer region,
bringing Islam
MONGOLS
• A.D. 1200s: Genghis Khan leads
Mongols to conquer Central Asia
• Mongols revived trade and brought
prosperity
• Mongol power weakens and local
ethnic groups take control
RUSSIA
• Early 1800s: Russian empire expands
into Central Asia
• British prevent Russia from taking
Afghanistan (The Great Game)
• 1917: Central Asia, except
Afghanistan, become part of the USSR
• Soviets try to restrain native cultures
INDEPENDENCE
• 8 Soviet republics gain independence
at virtually the same time (1991)
• Leaders promised democracy
• Still waiting
MUJAHIDEEN
• 1979: Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
• Afghan freedom fighters, the
MUJAHIDEEN—Islamic freedom fighters,
rise up to fight Soviets
• 1989: Soviets leave Afghanistan
• New group takes power
TALIBAN
• TALIBAN: “seeker” or “student”; name
for a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim
group, active in Afghanistan;
controlled government from 1996-2001
• Sheltered Al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin
Laden, those responsible for
September 11, 2001
• Taliban refused to give bin Laden up
• U.S. and coalition forces overthrew
Taliban
ETHNICITY
• Region is ethnically complex
• Central Asian countries are arranged
where an ethnic majority is established
• Some groups cut off
• EXCLAVE: territory that belongs to a
particular political unit but is separated
from it and surrounded by another
political unit (Nagorno-Karabakh)
• ENCLAVE: a distinct territorial or cultural
area that is within a foreign territory
(Sokh)
SOCIETY AND
CULTURE TODAY
WOMEN
• Soviets mandated equality for women
• Fall of Soviet power led to a shift to
traditional Islamic practices
• In many places, women are prevented
from getting an education or working
outside the home
ECONOMICS
• Central Asia is not very industrialized
• Rely on ag and natural resource
exports
• ½ of workforce works on a farm
• Cotton is a big crop (Uzbek and
Turkmen)
• Kazakhstan is a world leader in wheat
ECONOMICS
• Oil makes up ¾ of export earnings
• Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan: gold
• Oil pipelines run through the Caucasus
• Under Soviets, this region followed a command economy
• Change to free market is slow
SECTION 3: HUMAN
IMPACT
THE POLYGON
• The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site of
Kazakhstan
• Nearly 500 nuclear weapons tested
here (biological and chemical as well)
• Local pops were not warned or
evacuated
• 1989: radiation leaks discovered
• It will be years before it is clear of
radiation