Chapter 19 Section 3

Central Asia

Physical Geography

• The Baikonur Cosmodrome is where all Russian space launches take place.

• Located in Kazakhstan, the largest and northernmost country in Central Asia.

• To the South, are Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan.

• All were once part of the Soviet Union.

Main Physical Features

• These include highlands, deserts, and steppes.

• Steppes are vast mostly level, treeless plains covered with grass.

• Central Asia’s two mountain chains are the Tian Shan + the Pamir.

Deserts

• The Kara Kum Desert covers most land in Turkmenistan.

• The Kyzyl Kum desert covers most of Uzbekistan.

• Climate is dry, semi arid, and arid.

Caspian Sea

• Two main bodies of water include the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea.

• The Caspian Sea is actually the largest salt lake in the world.

Aral Sea, once the world’s 4th largest salt lake - drying up.

Natural Resources

• Oil and natural gas

• Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have large oil and gas reserves.

• Lesser - coal, gold,copper, iron ore, lead, and uranium.

Land Use in Central Asia

• Most land is used for agriculture, livestock, and commercial fishing.

• People here have raised sheep, horses, goats, and camels 1,000(s) of years

• Cotton is a major crop in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

• Central Asian agriculture depends on irrigation.

• In the 1960s, the Soviet Union built a huge irrigation project to increase cotton production.

• The project damaged the Aral Sea, along with pesticides.

• The Aral Sea is one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.