1. Central Asia

3. Countries in Central Asia: 1.Kazakhstan With a population of 16.2 million, Kazakhstan has benefited from the good situation of its tourism industry. Setting Turkey's development strategy as its model, the country has been successful in improving its infrastructure. Larger than all Western Europe, Kazakhstan is a vast country of steppes and mountains rich in natural beauty. 2.Kyrgyzstan – It is a Landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. 3.Tajikistan - Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. 4.Turkmenistan - Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, Uzbekistan to the east and northeast, Kazakhstan to the north and northwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. 5.Uzbekistan - It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.

4. Major Bodies of Water Aral Sea – was once the forth largest lake in the world with an area of 68 000 square kilometers, the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960’s.

5.  Amu Darya River - also called Oxus and Amu River, is a major river in Central Asia. During ancient times, the river was regarded as the boundary between Ariana (Iran) and Tūrān.

6.  Lake Balkhash is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 13th largest continental lake in the world. It is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, and belongs to an closed basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small part in Kyrgyzstan.

7. Major Landforms 1.Karakum – the sandy desert of the Garagum occupies over 70% of Turkmenistan. Its surface consists of wind sculpted dunes and depressions.

8. 2. Tien Shan mountains – It mainly straddles border between China and Krygyzstan and bisects the ancient territory of Turkistan. The highest peak in Tien Shan is Victory Peak which is 7439 meters.

9. 3. Pamir – lie mainly in Tajikistan. Their highest point at 7495 meter is Communism Peak because it was the highest peak in the former Soviet Union. They have been known as the “Roof of the World.”

10. Environmental Problems: The main contribution to the regional economy comes from agriculture. Increasing of difficulties related with water deficiency, desertification of the land and climate changing lead to considerable complications in the agricultural sector making it ineffective.