Transcript Section 3- Central Asia

Section 3- Central Asia
Countries of Central Asia
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Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Afghanistan
All of these were once a part of the Soviet Union
except Afghanistan.
Baikonur
• Site of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, largest
space-launch center in the world
Physical Features
• Main features are highlands, deserts, and
steppes
• Steppes- vast, mostly level, treeless plains
covered with grassland vegetation
• Mountains in southeastern part of the
region
• Tian Shan and Pamir mountains cover
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
• Tian Shan also extends into China
• Pamir extends into Afghanistan where they
meet the Hindu Kush mountains
• Kara Kum desert covers most of
Turkmenistan
• Kyzyl Kum desert covers Uzbekistan
• Kirghiz Steppe in Kazakhstan
How can you make a living in arid
and semiarid areas?
• Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the
branch of agriculture concerned with the
raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry:
the care, tending and use of animals such
as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, and
sheep. It may have a mobile aspect,
moving the herds in search of fresh
pasture and water.
Video on Pastoralism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYQFJVe
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Central Asia: Physical Map
Climate
• Most is a dry climate
• Semiarid land surrounds the arid region
• Arid areas receive less precipitation than
semiarid areas
• Two bodies of water: Caspian Sea and
Aral Sea
Climate Map
Caspian Sea
• Actually a salt lake
• Largest lake in the
world
Aral Sea
• Also a salt lake
• Located in the interior
• Was once the 4th
largest inland lake
• Former Soviet Union
used it to irrigate
crops, began to dry
up
Aral Sea
Natural Resources
• Petroleum- major resource
• Natural gas- major resource
• Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
have large oil and gas reserves
• Other resources- coal, gold, copper, iron
ore, lead, and uranium
Natural Resources
Land Use
• Most used for
agriculture- livestock
raising and
commercial farming
• Sheep, horses, goats,
and camels raised
here for thousands of
years
• Cotton is a major crop
Agriculture
• Central Asia depends
on irrigation
• Canals were built to
carry fresh water from
rivers to irrigate fields
• Result: Central Asia is
a leading cotton
producer
• Effect:
– caused major damage
to the Aral Sea
– polluted the soil