Section 3- Central Asia

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Section 3- Central Asia
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Countries of Central Asia

• Kazakhstan
• Uzbekistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Turkmenistan
• Tajikistan
• Afghanistan
• All of these were once a part of the Soviet Union
  except Afghanistan.

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Baikonur

• Site of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, largest
  space-launch center in the world

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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

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• 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

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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.

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Video on Pastoralism
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vtYQFJVew26g
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Central Asia Physical Map
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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

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Climate Map
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Caspian Sea

• Actually a salt lake
• Largest lake in the world

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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

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Aral Sea
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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

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Natural Resources
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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

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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