WARM UP: NAME THE CAPITALS OF THE FOLLOWING CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRIES: KAZAKHSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, TURKMENISTAN, TAJIKISTAN.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS All landlocked countries Altay Shan in far northeast Tian Shan and Pamirs in southeast What are these landforms? Tectonic activity sometimes causes earthquakes

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS (CONT) Kopet-Dag form rugged boundary between Turkmenistan and Iran Plateaus and plains stretch north and west from the mountains Caspian Sea at western edge of region East of Caspian Sea is landlocked Aral Sea

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS Amu Dar’ya flows northwest from Pamirs to Aral Sea Syr Dar’ya flows northwest from source in Tian Shan and empties into Aral Sea Irrigation drains much of the water from these two rivers Irtysh River in Eastern Kazakhstan flows northward into Russia Joins Ob River where drains into Arctic Ocean Provides water for crops, reservoirs, hydropower stations and industrial cities

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS (CONT) Lake Balkhash freshwater and saltwater Issyk-Kul never freezes Moderates the areas cold climate

CLIMATES, BIOMES AND NATURAL RESOURCES Mostly semiarid and arid climates 2 large deserts: Kara-Kum (“Black Sand”) and Kyzyl- Kum (“Red Sand”) Small area with Mediterranean climate in southern Turkmenistan

CLIMATES, BIOMES AND NATURAL RESOURCES Decidious forests at middle elevations Walnut trees Evergreen trees in higher elevations Alluvial fans, foothills, and river deltas support grasses and shrubs Deer, pheasants and wild boar Snow leopard in high southeastern ranges

CLIMATE, BIOMES AND NATURAL RESOURCES Beautiful vegetation in spring Antelope, wildcats, and wolves Domesticated camels, goats and sheep graze on desert grasses Water is most precious resource Dams generate hydroelectricity

CLIMATE, BIOMES AND NATURAL RESOURCES Tons of mineral and energy resources Coal deposits, oil fields (Caspian Sea area) Copper, iron, lead and nickel in Kazakhstan. Zinc Gold in Uzbekistan