Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 In this section you will: Learn about the main physical features of Central Asia. Discover which natural resources are important in Central Asia. Find out how people use the land in Central Asia. Objectives

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Key Term steppe (step) n. vast, mostly level, treeless plains that are covered in grasses

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 The nations of Central Asia are: Afghanistan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Except for Afghanistan, the nations of Central Asia were once part of the Soviet Union. Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Central Asia: Physical

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Central Asia’s main physical features are highlands, deserts, and steppes, such as the Kirghiz Steppe in Kazakhstan. The Kara Kum desert covers much of the land in Turkmenistan, while the Kyzyl Kum desert covers much of Uzbekistan.

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Mountains of Central Asia Tian Shan mountain range covers much of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also extends into China Pamir mountain range covers much of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also extends into Afghanistan, where it meets the Hindu Kush mountains

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Central Asia: Climate Regions

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Most of Central Asia has an arid or semiarid climate with cold winters. At the western edge of this dry region is the Caspian Sea, which is actually a salt lake. The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, and it has some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Natural Resources in Central Asia Petroleum and Natural Gas Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have large oil and gas reserves. Turkmenistan has the fifth-largest reserve of natural gas in the world. CoalKazakhstan has rich deposits of coal, much of which it exports to Russia and Ukraine, as well as to Kyrgyzstan and other former Soviet republics. GoldKyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are important gold producers. Other Minerals Other major mineral resources in the region are copper, iron ore, lead, and uranium.

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Central Asia: Natural Resources

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Most of the land in Central Asia is used for agriculture, especially livestock raising and commercial farming. People in Central Asia have raised sheep, horses, goats, and camels for thousands of years. Agriculture in Central Asia depends on irrigation.

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 Today, cotton is a major crop in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union wanted to increase cotton production, so it began to irrigate Central Asia. However, the irrigation projects have caused major damage to the Aral Sea, a salt lake that was once the fourth-largest inland lake in the world.

Central Asia: Physical Geography Chapter 14 Section 3 As a result, the Aral Sea is drying up, and pesticides used on the cotton crops have polluted the soil around the sea. Heavy irrigation took great amounts of water from the Amu Darya and Sry Darya rivers, which flow into the Aral Sea. The destruction of the Aral Sea has been called one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.