1. The Caucasus and Central Asia

2. The Caucasus

3. Made up of small independent countries and Russian dependent states.
Independent: Georgia, Armenia, & Azerbaijan
Russian Dependents: Chechnya, Dagestan & Ossetia (North & South)
All formerly part of the U.S.S.R.
Culturally diverse with over 50 ethnic groups
Caucasus Mountains are major landform/feature
All are still dominated by Russia
Long and rich history
Frequent conflicts
Great diversity in language, religion & politics

5. Central Asia

6. Made up of 5 independent countries.
Kazakhstan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
All formerly part of the U.S.S.R.
Dominated by Russia
Historically tied to nomadic peoples & the Silk Road, (once important trade routes).
A crossroad for the movement of people, goods, & ideas between Europe, South Asia, & East Asia.
Most common religion is Islam
Majority of languages are from the Turkic family