Ch10 Central Asia for CD

8/13/2019 Ch10 Central Asia for CD

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Central Asia

Expanded by

Joe Naumann,UMSL


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2Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

Chapter 10:

Central Asia

(Fig. 10.1)


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Learning Objectives Understand the significance of the landlocked

location of Central Asia

Learn about historical cohesion of Central Asia,

along with its pivotal role in evolution of Eurasia

This region has become more familiar to U.S.

citizens since September 11, 2001

Become familiar with the physical, demographic,

cultural, political, and economic characteristics of

South Asia Understand the following concepts and models:

-Loess

-Pastoralist

-Theocracy

-Transhumance

-Turkestan


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Introduction

Central Asia is a large, compact, landlockedregion within the Eurasian landmass

Until 1991, the region contained only twocountries, Mongolia and Afghanistan

Soviet Unions breakup added several moreindependent countries to the region

After September 11th, Central Asia became

more well-established on the map Historically, Central Asia has been weakly

integrated into international trade networks


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Steppes, Deserts, & Threatened

Lakes

Shrinking Aral Sea

Use of rivers feeding the sea for agricultural irrigation

60% of the seas total volume has disappeared

Economic and cultural damages

Major Environmental Issues Relatively clean environment due to low population

density

Desertification

The Gobi Desert has gradually spread southward

Desertification in northern Kazakstan

Much of the region has been deforested


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Shrinking Aral Sea(Fig. 10.2)


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Shrinking Aral Sea


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Environmental Issues in Central Asia(Fig. 10.4)


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Major Environmental Issues (cont.)

Shrinking and Expanding Lakes

Caspian Seaworlds largest lake; construction of

reservoirs on the Volga River diverted water

Aral Sea, Lake Balqash shrinking

Maintenance of their size is dependent on

precipitation

Central Asias Physical Regions

The Central Asian Highlands

Formed by the collision of Indian subcontinent into

Asian mainland Himalayas, Karakoram Range, Pamir Mountains

Pamir Knota tangle of mountains where Pakistan,

Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan converge


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Tibetan Highlands


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Roads

connecting

Tibet and

China


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Central Asias Physical Regions (cont.)

The Central Asian Highlands (cont.)

Hindu Kush, Kunlun Shan, Tien Shan: peaks top

20K ft.

Tibetan Plateausource area of many of Asias

large rivers

The Plains and Basins

Central Asias desert belt

Arid plains of the Caspian & Aral seas to the west

Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum Deserts

Several deserts in the eastern portion of the belt Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin

Steppe (grassland) and taiga (coniferous forest) in

the north


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Harvesting wheat on the plains

of Kazakhstan


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Mongolian

steppe (left)

and the Gobi

Desert after a

rain (below)

Ph i l R i f C t l A i


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Physical Regions of Central Asia(Fig. 10.5)

Cli t f C t l A i


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Climates of Central Asia (Fig. 10.7)


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Central Asian Winter


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Densely Settled Oases amid Vacant

Lands

Most of the region is sparsely inhabited Too arid or too high in elevation to support human life

Pastoralists:people who raise livestock for

subsistence purposes

Highlands Population and Subsistence Patterns

Only sparse vegetation can survive in this region

Yak pastoralism

Sedentary farming in Tibet

Isolated valleys in Pamir Range support agriculture andintensive human settlement

Transhumance:seasonal movement of flocks from

winter to summer pastures/meadows


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Milking a Yak in Mongolia


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Nomad dwelling in Kyrgystan

Population Density in Central Asia (Fi 10 8)


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Population Density in Central Asia (Fig. 10.8)

L l d P l ti d S b i t


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Lowland Population and Subsistence

Patterns Most Central Asias desert inhabitants live in narrow

belt where the mountains meet the basins and plains Ring-like settlement pattern in the Tarim Basin

Former Soviet Central Asia population concentrated

in zone where highlands meet the plains

Alluvial fans:fan-shaped deposits of sediments droppedby streams flowing out of the mountains; a fertile area

Long been devoted to intensive cultivation

Loess:silty soil deposited by the wind that provides fertile

agricultural soil Fergana Valley of upper Syr Darya River (shared by

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) and Azerbaijans

Kura River Basin have intensive agriculture


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Population Patterns in Xinjiangs

Tarim Basin(Fig. 10.9)

Lowland Population and Subsistence Patterns


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Lowland Population and Subsistence Patterns Gobi Desert has few sources of permanent water

Pastoralism a common way of life, but many havebeen forced to adopt a sedentary lifestyle

Kazakstan is major producer of spring wheat

Population Issues Some portions of the region are growing at a

moderate rate

Growth in western China from migration of HanChinese

Growth in former Soviet zone from high levels offertility

Higher fertility because of Islam? Low level ofurbanization?

Afghanistan has highest birthrate of the region; Tibetand Kazakstan have low birthrates

Population and Settlement: Densely


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Population and Settlement: Densely

Settled Oases amid Vacant Lands (cont.) Urbanization in Central Asia

River valleys and oases havebeen partially urbanized for

millennia (e.g., Samarkand

and Bukhara, Uzbekistan)

Conquest of the region by theRussian and Chinese empires

started a new period of

urbanization

Today, urbanizationincreasing northern

Kazakstan

In some areas, cities remain

few and far between

Astana, Kazakhstan

A M ti G d f Diff t


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A Meeting Ground of Different

Traditions Historical Overview: An Indo-European

Hearth?

River valleys and oases were early sites of

sedentary, agricultural communities (8000

B.C.)

Domestication of the horse spurred

nomadic pastoralism (4000 B.C.), provided

military advantages over sedentary

peoples

Earliest languages were Indo-European

Replaced by Altaic (Turkish and Mongolian)

Tibetan kingdom unified in 700 A.D., but

was short lived

Li i ti G h f C t l A i


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Linguistic Geography of Central Asia(Fig. 10.13)

Contemporary Linguistic and Ethnic Geography


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Contemporary Linguistic and Ethnic Geography

Turkish and Mongolian languages inhabit most of

Central Asia

Tibetan In Sino-Tibetan Family

1.5 million speakers in Tibet and 3 million more in

western China

Mongolian 5 million speakers

Other dialects: Buryat, Kalmyk

Turkish Languages

The most widely spoken language group in the region

Include Uygur, Kazak, Azeri, Uzbek, Turkmen, Kyrgyz

Uzbek is the most widely spoken of the Turkish

languages


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Contemporary Linguistic and Ethnic Geography(cont.)

Linguistic Complexity in the Tajikistan Indo-European Tajik spoken in the Tajikistan (related

to Persian)

Mountain Tajik spoken in remote mtns. ofeastern Tajikistan

Language and Ethnicity in Afghanistan Afghanistan never colonized by outside powers;

became a country in 1700s under Pashtun leadership

Pashtun ethnic group (40% to 60%)

Dari Speakers

Tajiks in west and north; Hazaras: in the centralmountains

11% speak Uzbek (Indo-European)

Afghanistans Ethnic Patchwork (Fig 10 15)


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Afghanistan s Ethnic Patchwork(Fig. 10.15)

Geography of Religion


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Geography of Religion

Islam in Central Asia

Pashtuns adopt a stricter interpretation of Islam

Kazaks are more lax in their interpretation of Islam

Most of the regions Muslims are Sunni

Shiism dominant among the Hazaras and the Azeris

Communists in China, Soviet Union and Mongolia

discouraged all religions (including Islam)

Islamic revival underway as people return to their

cultural roots (former Soviet republics)

Islamic fundamentalismis a powerful movement in

Afghanistan, parts of Tajikistan, and the Fergana

Valley

Taliban in Afghanistan

Extreme fundamentalist Islamic organization


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Islamic

Revival

Geography of Religion (cont )


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Geography of Religion (cont.)

Tibetan (Lamaist) Buddhism

Found in Mongolia and Tibet

A blending of Buddhism and the indigenouslanguage Bon

Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama

Theocracy:religious state

Tibet was theocracy with Dalai Lama both the

political and religious authority until China

conquered it

Persecution of Tibetan Buddhists by the Chinese

China invaded Tibet in 1959

Dalai Lama went into exilePanchen Lama a

puppet

6,000 monasteries destroyed, thousands of monks

killed


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Buddhist Temple in Tibet

C t l A i C lt i I t ti l d


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Central Asian Culture in International andGlobal Context

Western Central Asias closest external

cultural relations are with Russia Relations of eastern Central Asian

countries are with China

Migration of Han Chinese into the eastern partof the region is a major issue

Russian influence is diminishing in the West

Russian was once the lingua franca in

western Central Asia, but its use isdeclining

Increasing use of English and influence ofU.S. culture

Old C lt l


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Old Cultural

Elements

Persist

Partitioning of the Steppes


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Geopolitical

Framework:Political

Reawakening

Partitioning of the Steppes

Before 1500, Central Asia

was a power center

Mobile (horseback)armies threatened

sedentary states

Gunpowder and effective

hand weapons changed the

balance of power

Russia & China gained

control of the region

Manchu (Chinese)

conquest 1644

Russian Empire in 1700s

Concern over British

influence in the area

C l A i U d C i R l


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Central Asia Under Communist Rule

Soviet Central Asia

Soviets inherited Russian Empires domain United territories together into Soviet Union

Created a series of union republics (Kazakhstan,

Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Azerbaijan) Sowed the seeds of nationalism, nation-states

The Chinese Geopolitical Order

After China reemerged as a unified country in

1949, it reclaimed most of its old Central

Asian territories

Movement into Xinjiang and Tibet (Xijiang)


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Uzbekistan

monumentfrom the

Soviet periodSoviet

Realism

school of art

Political Reawakening ( t )


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Political Reawakening (cont.)

Current Geopolitical Tension

Independence in Former Soviet Lands It has been difficult for the 6 former Soviet Republics

to become truly independent

Cooperation with Russia on security issues

necessary Authoritarian leadersin these nations has made

the transition to democracy more difficult

These countries have opted to remain part of the

commonwealth of independent states Ethnic strife is common in these areas

War in Tajikistan in 1991 over ethnic conflicts

Invasion of Azerbaijan by Armenia


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Current Geopolitical Tension (cont.)

Strife in Western China Repression of Tibet, and local opposition to Chinese

rule

Border of China and India still contested

Chinese control of Xinjiang

Uygur opposition

War in Afghanistan before September 11, 2001 1978: Soviet-supported military revolutionary

council seized power

Marxist government began to suppress religion

Russian invasion

U.S. and Saudi support rebels

Soviets withdrew in 1989



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War in Afghanistan before September 11, 2002 19951996 rise of the Taliban

Taliban founded by young Muslim religiousstudents

Closely associated with the Pashtun ethnic group

Imposed an extreme interpretation of Islamiclaw consistent with Pashtun culture

Other Afghan ethnic groups opposed the Taliban

The Roles of Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey Russia has armed forces in Tajikistan, and

transportation routes cross Kazakhstan

Iran is a major trading partner, and offers access toports

Pakistan supported Taliban; now supports the U.S.

Turkey has close cultural and linguistic connections


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Russian

spaceprogram

launchingsite is in

Kazakhstan

International Dimensions of Central Asian


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International Dimensions of Central Asian

Tension

Islamic Fundamentalism?

Many other Central Nations were concerned thatIslamic fundamentalism could affect their nations

Islamic movement rose in Uzbekistan (IMU)

After September 11thbalance of power shifted

U.S. with British assistance launched a war against

al-Qaeda and the Taliban government

Bombing campaign and support of Northern

Alliance

Defeated the Taliban and began a process of

forming a new Afghan government

Fighting continues, and U.S. forces remain in

Afghanistan

Central Asian Geopolitics(Fig. 10.18)


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Central Asian Geopolitics ( g )

Abundant Resources Devastated Economies


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Abundant Resources, Devastated Economies

The Post-Communist Economies

Many Central Asian industries relied heavily on

subsidies and oil from the Soviet Union

Today, no Central Asian country could be

considered prosperous

Kazakstan is most developed Uzbekistan has second-largest economy

Kyrgyzstan is aggressively privatizing former state-

run industries

Turkmenistan has a large agricultural base Tajikistan most troubled of former Soviet republics

Mongolia, industries not competitive enough in the

global market, and it has a meager agricultural base


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Uzbekistan Oil Production

Uzbekistan Railroad Bridge


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UzbekistanRailroad Bridge

over the Amu Darya River

The Post-Communist Economies (cont.)


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( )

The Economy of Tibet and Xinjiang in Western

China

Chinese portions of Central Asia have fared betterthan the rest of the region

Tibet is one of the worlds poorest places

Tibetans provide for most of their basic needs

Xinjiang has large mineral wealth and oil reserves Productive agriculture sector as well

Economic Misery in Afghanistan

Is the poorest country in the region and has one of

the weakest economies in the world, with almost noeconomic development

Suffered nearly continuous war starting in late 1970s

By 1999, it was the worlds largest producer of opium

The Post-Communist Economies (cont.)


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The Post Communist Economies (cont.)

Central Asian Economies in Global Context

Overall, Central Asia is not well connected,

but

Afghanistan is tied to the global economy

through its export of illegal drugs

In former Soviet areas, most of theconnections remain with Russia

Former Soviet republics are developing ties with

Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and China

U.S. and other Western countries are drawnto the region by oil and natural gas deposits,

but construction of pipelines is necessary

Social Development in Central Asia


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Social Conditions and the Status of

Women in Afghanistan

Average life expectancy is 45

High infant and child mortality rates

High illiteracy (only 15% of women can read)

Women in traditional Afghani society

(especially Pashtun) lead constrained lives

Fall of the Taliban improved their situation

Many are nervous about their newgovernments willingness and ability to

uphold their rights

S i l D l t i C t l A i


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Social Conditions in the Former Soviet

Republics

More autonomy among women of the northern

pastoral peoples

In former Soviet republics, women have educational

rates comparable to men

Tajikistan has been relatively socially successful

Social Conditions in Western China

The conditions in this region of China tend to be

worse off socially as compared to China as a whole Around 60% of the non-Han people of Xinjiang are

illiterate

Conclusions


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Conclusions

Central Asia was dominated for many years

by Russia and China This region is now emerging as a separate

entity

It has a rugged terrain, and was historicallypastoral

Today, presence of fossil fuels is generatinginterest, but construction of pipelines isneeded


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Conclusions Cont.

Experiencing tough times

Collapse of political and economicsystems in early 1990s

Warfare, armed conflict have damaged

economies and infrastructure Afghanistan is especially troubled, and

emerged as a focus of world interest inSeptember 2001

It will take time to bring stability to CentralAsia

End of Chapter 10: Central Asia

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