THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

Chapter 18

I. The Countries of the Caucasus

AfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistan

Caucasus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains- crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, “mountains of a thousand languages”

Diverse groups of people due to isolated valleys, fiercely independent and constantly fighting

Foreign powers have tried to subdue them, get to oil deposits in Caspian Sea, hasn’t worked

Georgia

Language is unrelated to other languages, uses own unique alphabet

Been trampled in many wars, joined with the Soviets, but declared independence in 1990

Tbilisi- capital, been capital for 1500 years!Officially helping US in war against terror,

but the highlands in the North and South are suspected for hiding Muslim soldiers who fled Afghanistan

Many Chechen rebels also live in the highlands

Armenia

Was an independent kingdom for 200 years, then defeated by the Ottoman Turks and Persian Empire

Russia annexed Armenia during WWIIn 1915, Turkey tried to exterminate the

Armenians, killed 1.5 million people– Turks got away with it, emboldened Hitler later on

Most densely populated country in Caucasus Orthodox in religion; First nation in the world to

adopt Christianity as its official religion Most threatened by Muslim neighbors- Azerbaijan

Capital: Yerevan

Azerbaijan

Iran has been the greatest influence over Azerbaijan

Speak Persian and practices Islam (Shiite majority)

Baku, capital sits on the shore of the Caspian Sea

Many believe the oil reserves in the Caspian Sea are greater than the Middle East, region has become a battleground

II. Central Asia

Central Asia- broad term, refers to all of the dry steppes between the Caspian Sea and China

Home to many fierce nomads who launched raids into neighboring lands- Huns, Turks, Mongols

The Silk Road through Central Asia linked East and the West

Nations struggling to find place in modern world Shortage of water Landlocked Communist rulers

Kazakhstan

“giant” of Central AsiaOnly one to border RussiaCapital: Astana pg. 456, capital was Almaty

when under Soviet rule- still the largest city and the cultural hub

Developed economy, most industrialized of the “stans”, large well-trained Russian minority supplies labor force

Aral Sea in the middle- salt lake with no outlet to the ocean, over use for irrigation has shrunk the lake in just 30 years

Turkmenistan

Settled by Turks, speak Turkic languages, follow Islam

Capital: Ashgabatdesert covers 80% of the countryOil and natural gas make Turkmenistan the

richest of the Central Asian countries

Uzbekistan

Capital: TashkentLarge population, but lacks wealth and

resources, wanted all Central Asian countries to join as one after fall of Soviet Union and be Turkistan

desert covers 80% of UzbekistanMain crop is cotton- must use a lot of

irrigationAral Sea pg. 458

Kyrgyzstan

Capital: BishkekMajor problem: ethnic groups are divided,

dissimilar groups are put together, situation is ripe for conflict

Dominated by the Tien Shan “celestial mountains” Runs 1000 miles from Tashkent to China

Tajikistan

Language and religion most like Iran, do not even share a border, natural inroad for Iran to influence Central Asia

Capital: DushanbePamir Mountains cover the eastern half

Sometimes called the Pamir Knot, because it ties together the Tien Shan, Hindu Kush and the Himalayas

Afghanistan

Capital: KabulBuffer State: Afghanistan was a neutral state btw 2 rivals

(Britain and Russia) who agreed to keep armies out until it became a nation

Russia tried to set up communist dictatorship in 1989, after Soviets gave up, country broke up into warring factions

Taliban (“students”)- Islamic extremists finally restored order

After 9-11, US invaded and overthrew the TalibanMajor export: Opium, 87% of world’s amountHindu Kush- mountain barrier across central AfghanistanKhyber Pass: allows easy passage through the Hindu Kush-

great armies used this pass (Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great)