1. CENTRAL ASIA
CULTURES AND HISTORY

2. CENTRAL ASIA

3. KEY TERMS COLLECTIVE FARM
In a Communist country, a large farm formed from many private farms collected into a single unit controlled by the government.

4. In 2001 the American soldiers came to fight a war in Afghanistan.
Now they are based in many Central Asian countries.
Russian soldiers are also residing there.
New investors and businessmen are visiting these countries.
Central Asia is growing and gaining importance in the World.

5. MEETING PLACE OF EMPIRES
Long ago Central Asia was a meeting place for peoples from different cultures.
It is located between East Asia and Europe.
Over time several ethnic groups settled here.
Each group brought new ideas and ways of living.

6. THE SILK ROAD
More than 2000 years ago a trade route called the Silk Road linked China and Europe.
The Silk Road brought Central Asia into contact with East Asia, Southwest Asia, and Europe.
Caravans brought Chinese silk and Asian spices to the West.
They carried items like glass, wool, gold and silver to the East.
They exchanged ideas and inventions.

7. INVASION AND CONQUEST
Silk Road generated wealth but it also attracted invaders who wanted to control Central Asia.
The Muslim Empire ruled over this area and spread a great deal. They left their impact on the people and culture of this region.
Today most of the people in this region are Muslims.

8. In 1200s the rise of the sea trade led to the decline of the Silk Road.
Ships began carrying goods between China and Europe.

9. UNDER RUSSIAN RULE
In 1865 Russia captured the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
They built railroads, factories and large farms in Central Asia.
They practiced Islam and lived as nomadic herders.

10. THE SOVIET UNION In 1922, Russian Communists formed the Soviet Union.
The Soviets divided the region into five separate states, which they called republics.
They forced the people to work on collective farms, which are large farms controlled by the government.
These collective farms did not produce sufficient food for people to eat, due to which in 1930s at least 1 million people starved to death.

11. Although the Soviet built many new industries, schools and hospitals, they allowed people few freedom.
They outlawed the practice of religion and tried to stamp out Muslim culture.
Many mosques were torn down in the mid 1900s.

12. WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
In 1979, the Soviets tried to extend their control by invading Afghanistan.
Afghan forces fought the Soviets and called themselves Mujahedin, or holy warriors.
The Soviets finally withdrew their troops.
The war continued and eventually in mid 1990 a group known as Taliban took control of most of the country.
Their brutal rule finished when in 2001 U.S. military attacked.
Hamid Karzai was elected the President of the country.

13. AFTER INDEPENDENCE
After independence the five different republics adopted a name that reflected its main ethnic group.
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The suffix –stan is a Persian term that means “place of, or land”.
Kazakhstan means “place of the Kazakhs” or “Kazakh land”.

14. Kazakhstan is the largest country
Kazakhstan is the largest country. It is mostly flat and has important natural resources, such as oil and natural gas.
Tajikistan is the smallest country which is mountainous and is very poor.

15. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
These newly formed republics have a very poor economy.
Many people do not have jobs. Health care and education are poor and hard to get.
Central Asian people celebrate their culture and Islam.
Mosques that has fallen into ruin are being rebuilt.
They teach their children about their religion.