1. Former Soviet Central Asia Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan

2. Objectives Identify Kazakhstan on a blank map. Explain what is happening to the Aral Sea and why. Explain where the population is highest in Central Asia and why people would live there. Describe the ways in which modernization and increases in wealth has come to Central Asia. Describe how modernization has changed the people’s lives.

3. Terms and People Aral Sea is a shrinking sea. Its waters are being used to irrigate cotton fields. A steppe is a vast, mostly level, treeless plain covered in grasses. Yurt is a tent-like structure used in Central Asia. Landlocked means it doesn’t have access to the ocean.

4. The former Soviet Stans lie south of Russia. The former Soviet Stans lie east of the Caspian Sea. The former Soviet Stans lie west of China. South of the Former Soviet Stans lie Iran… … and Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

5. Central Asia’s main physical features are highlands, deserts, and steppes. Desert covers much of the land in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 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.

6. Central Asia: Elevation Map Don’t mistake green on an elevation map for vegetation! Much of Central Asia’s population is in these valleys. Melt from ice and snow in the mountains makes these valleys fertile.

7. Kazakhstan

10. Kazakhstan is not, however, just a prairie wilderness. It is also a modern country.

11. Kazakhstan is the richest of the Central Asian countries.

12. The source of this wealth is wheat and oil.

14. Watch the first two minutes.

15. 15 This Central Asian dwelling is called a yurt.

17. The northern steppes have the least dense population in this area. The population of the former Soviet republics is concentrated in the mountain valleys. 73m 74m 173m 34m 5m 16m 28m 6m 5m Uzbekistan has the highest population of these countries.

18. They began using ALL of the water in the river. High mountains lie on its east. When this area was under control of the Soviets, they started using the river to irrigate cotton fields. Uzbekistan Most people live in this fertile valley.

19. For a tiny country, Uzbekistan is producing a lot of cotton. The cotton crop has brought wealth to this country. It has, however, come with a price.

20. 20 The Shrinking Aral Sea

21. 21 Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff Shrinking Aral Sea

24. Much of the unrest in this area come from this area of complicated borders. When the Russian dictator Stalin was in charge here, he carved up the fertile Fergana Valley amongst three republics.

28. Kyrgyzstan

31. Turkmenistan

32. Central Asia produces oil, but much less than Russia or the Middle East. What does this graph tell about oil production in Central Asia? What does this graph tell about gas production in Central Asia? Where is most of the gas being mined? Where is most of it going? Most of the gas is mined in Turkmenistan. Most of the gas is going to Russia.

33. Central Asia: Natural Resources

34. Please read “Central Asia: Physical Geography.” World Studies: Asia and the Pacific. Pearson- Prentice-Hall, 2005. Pg. 44-48. And Central Asia: Cultures and History.” World Studies: Asia and the Pacific. Pearson-Prentice- Hall, 2005. Pg. 112-116. And “Conflicts in other Central Asian Countries.” World Studies: Asia and the Pacific. Pearson- Prentice-Hall, 2005. Pg. 210-214.

35. Amu Darya a is a river whose water is being taken for agriculture.