the Central Asian world has. Central Asian countries

After the collapse of the USSR, the former republics entered into a voluntary agreement on the Commonwealth Independent States, abbreviated as the CIS, which regulated and simplified some of the relationships between the newly formed, independent countries.

It is customary to call Central Asia a number of countries in the south of the CIS, which includes such states as:

Among the countries of Central Asia, only Turkmenistan has access to the sea, this state washes the Caspian Sea from the western part. All other powers are considered inland.

The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran

The Central Asian countries are rich in natural resources: oil and gas are produced in Turkmenistan, there are large deposits of brown coal in Uzbekistan, there is natural gas, and there are also deposits of gold, Kyrgyzstan is rich in ore and coal, and sulfur is mined in Turkmenistan. Since Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are located in a mountainous area, as a result, they have a large energy potential due to the presence of mountain rivers.

Central square in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek is a clean and beautiful city with pleasant architecture and, unlike many other capitals, with clean mountain air. All attractions and entertainment centers are located in the city center.

Kyrgyzstan is located between mountain ranges, here are located ski resorts, and there are also thermal springs in the Chui valley. But Issyk-Kul Lake has become a favorite resort place, since Soviet times, residents from all regions of the country came here to relax and receive medical treatment in health resorts. The lake is very beautiful and clean, while it is so large that the opposite shore is not visible.

As for the economy of the state, it is based on industry and mining. And also developing tourism annually brings about half a billion dollars to the country. But the situation with the economy is complicated by external debt, which the power cannot pay in any way. The main economic partners for Kyrgyzstan are Russia, Kazakhstan and.

Kazakhstan

The territory of Kazakhstan is covered with deserts or semi-deserts, there are few forests here, therefore they are treated with care and the remaining forest belts are practically not cut down. This is the largest state among those that do not have access to the World Ocean, the state occupies the 7th place in the world in terms of area and 2 among the CIS countries, second only to Russia.

Kazakhstan has common borders:

• Russia (northern and western borders).
• China (eastern border).
• Kyrgyzstan (southern border).
• Uzbekistan (southern border).
• Turkmenistan (southern border).

In Kazakhstan, the official capital is Astana, which has a population of 700,000 inhabitants. This is the largest city in terms of area and its accomplishment amazes visitors and attracts more and more tourists every year. Enormous funds were invested in Astana, buildings and architectural monuments were rebuilt, striking in their beauty and scale. The city attracts not only tourists, but also investors. This country has the most stable and impressive economy in the post-Soviet space, second only to Russia.

But Astana is not the only major city in Kazakhstan. Alma-Ata is recognized as the unofficial capital of the country, but, despite the smaller area, the population is 1.7 million people, which is almost 2.5 times the population of the capital. There is a metro and developed infrastructure no worse than in the main city.

Kazakhstan cooperates with the states, the Arab states, as well as with China and Eurasia.

The population of the Republic is 30 million people, with the same ratio of city dwellers and village dwellers. The area of ​​Uzbekistan is 447.4 square meters. kilometers, which is much less than that of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but the population is higher here. The state borders with the following neighbors:

• Kyrgyzstan (eastern border).
• Kazakhstan (northeastern, northern and northwestern borders).
• Turkmenistan (southwestern and southern borders).
• Afghanistan (southern border).
• Tajikistan (southeastern border).

Tashkent is the capital and heart of the country, despite the fact that the city was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1966, it was restored. It is beautiful and attractive for tourists with its architectural delights, monuments and landscaping. The capital is recognized as the most beautiful city in Central Asia. Its population is more than 2 million people, there is a metro and developed infrastructure. The Charvak reservoir, which is surrounded by snow-covered mountains, has become a favorite vacation spot for the townspeople.

Complex Khast-Imam – Tashkent

In 2005, a resolution was adopted against the UN country, the reason was the unnecessarily brutal suppression of unrest in the city of Andijan by the local government, during which hundreds of people died.

Tajikistan

- a developing country whose economy is built on an agro-industrial basis. The state shows stable positive indicators of GDP growth, the main points of the development strategy are achieving energy independence, providing food for the country's population, as well as overcoming transport isolation, the state has no access to the oceans.

The area of ​​the country is small, it is 143 thousand square kilometers with a population of 8.5 million people. The Republic has common borders with the following states.

(Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, western Sichuan and northern Gansu), regions of Asian Russia south of the taiga zone, Kazakhstan and four (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan) former Soviet republics and Central Asia.

For the first time, Central Asia was singled out as a separate region of the world by the geographer Alexander Humboldt ().

Central Asia has historically been associated with the nomadic peoples inhabiting its expanses and the Great Silk Road. Central Asia acted as a region where people, goods and ideas converged from different parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe, the Middle East, South and East Asia.

In the USSR, there was a division into economic regions. Two economic regions (Central Asian and Kazakhstan) were usually mentioned together: " middle Asia and Kazakhstan.

From point of view physical geography and climatology, the concept of "Central Asia" covers not only the four indicated republics, but also central and southern Kazakhstan.

“It is noteworthy that all the peoples of Central Asia do not accept Chinese culture. Thus, the Turks had their own ideological system, which they distinctly opposed to the Chinese one. After the fall of the Uighur Khaganate, the Uyghurs adopted Manichaeism, the Karluks adopted Islam, the Basmals and Onguts adopted Nestorianism, the Tibetans adopted Buddhism in its Indian form, while the Chinese ideology never crossed the Great Wall”… "Returning to more early era and summing up some of the above, we note that, although the Huns, Turks and Mongols were very different from each other, all of them at one time turned out to be a barrier that kept the onslaught of China on the border of the steppes"

In the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. the Steppe Way began to function, stretching from the Black Sea region to the banks of the Don, then to the lands of the Savromats in the Southern Urals, to the Irtysh and, further, to the Altai, to the country of the Agripei, who inhabited the Upper Irtysh region and about. Zaisan. Silk, furs and skins, Iranian carpets, products made of precious metals were distributed along this route. The nomadic tribes of the Saks and Scythians participated in the distribution of precious silks, through which the goods, outlandish for that time, got to Central Asia and the Mediterranean. In the middle of the II century. BC e. The Silk Road begins to function as a regular diplomatic and trade artery. In II-V centuries. The Silk Road, if followed from the east, began in Chang'an - the ancient capital of China and went to the crossing of the Yellow River in the Lanzhou region, then along the northern spurs of Nan Shan to the western outskirts of the Great Wall of China, to the Jasper Gate Gate. Here a single road forked, bordering the Takla-Makan desert from the north and south. The northern one went through the oases of Khami, Turfan, Beshbalyk, Shikho to the valley of the river. Or; the middle one from Chaochan to Karashar, Aksu and through the Bedel pass to the southern coast of Issyk-Kul - through Dunhuan, Khotan, Yarkand to Bactria, India and the Mediterranean - this is the so-called "Southern Way". The "Northern Route" went from Kashgar to Fergana and further through Samarkand, Bukhara, Merv and Hamadan to Syria. In the VI-VII centuries. the busiest is the route that runs from China to the west through Semirechye and Sogdiana. The Sogdian language became the most widespread in trade transactions. Moving the track north can be explained by several reasons. Firstly, in the Semirechye were the headquarters of the Turkic Khagans, who controlled the trade routes through Central Asia. Secondly, the road through Ferghana in the 7th century. became dangerous due to civil strife. Thirdly, the wealthy Turkic kagans and their entourage became major consumers of overseas goods, especially those from the Hellenistic states. The main number of embassy and trade caravans went through the Silk Road in the 7th-14th centuries. Over the centuries, it has undergone changes: some areas have acquired special significance, others, on the contrary, have died off, and the cities and trading stations on them have fallen into decay. So, in the VI-VIII centuries. the main route was Syria - Iran - Central Asia - South Kazakhstan - Talas Valley - Chui Valley - Issyk-Kul Basin - East Turkestan. An offshoot of this path, more precisely, another route went to the route from Byzantium through Derbent to the Caspian steppes - Mangyshlak - Aral Sea - South Kazakhstan. It was bypassing Sassanian Iran when, in opposition to it, a trade and diplomatic union of the Western Turkic Khaganate was concluded in Byzantium. In the IX-XII centuries. this route was used with less intensity than the one that went through Central Asia and the Middle East, Asia Minor to Syria, Egypt and Byzantium, and in the XIII-XIV centuries. revives again. The political situation on the continent determined the choice of routes by diplomats, merchants and other travelers."

Sciences and Arts

As the American historian Steven Starr points out, in Central Asia in the Middle Ages, that is, many centuries before the era of the same name in France, there was one of the centers of the Enlightenment. The sciences were developed, first of all, astronomy and medicine, as well as various arts. Due to frequent wars and political instability, there was a phenomenon of itinerant scholars. Unlike medieval Europe, where scientists usually lived permanently at monasteries or in large cities, in Central Asia, scientists had to constantly move from place to place in search of the safest place to live and work.

Researchers

Russian empire

19th century

• Iakinf Bichurin, whale. trad. 乙阿欽特, ex. 乙阿钦特, pinyin: Yǐāqīnte, pall.: Iacinte; in the world Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin (1777-1853) - archimandrite of the Orthodox Russian church(1802-1823); polyglot scientist, orientalist traveler, connoisseur of the Chinese language, history, geography and culture of China, the first professional Russian sinologist who gained pan-European fame. Author of the most valuable works on geography, history and culture of the peoples of Central Asia.
• Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tyan-Shansky(January 2 (14) - February 26 (March 11) - Russian geographer, botanist, statistician, statesman and public figure. Explored the Tien Shan and the area of ​​Lake Issyk-Kul .1

Austria-Hungary

19th century

• Arminium Vambury, aka German Bamberger (1832-1913) - Hungarian orientalist, traveler, polyglot; corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He came from a poor Jewish family. In 1861, taking the fictitious name of Reshid Efendi, under the guise of a dervish - a mendicant preacher, he made a research trip to Central Asia. In 1864 he returned to Hungary. The journey of Arminius Vamberi was one of the first European penetrations into the unexplored regions of the Pamirs. In 1864 he published a book about his journey.

• Vladimir Myasnikov, born in 1931, Soviet historian, orientalist, sinologist, specialist in Russian-Chinese relations, history of foreign policy, historical biography. Academician Russian Academy Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor. Lecturer at the Military Diplomatic Academy in Moscow. Author of about 500 published scientific papers, books, monographs in Russian and English.
• Alexey Postnikov, born in 1939, - Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, specialist in the history of geography, cartography and geopolitics in Asia. Author of about 300 published scientific papers, books, monographs in Russian and English.
• Okmir Agakhanyants- geographer, geobotanist, historian of science, political scientist and specialist in the field of geopolitical problems of Asia. Doctor of Geography, Professor of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University In Minsk. Author of about 400 published fiction, scientific and popular science works, books, monographs in a number of languages ​​of Europe and Asia. ENG

"Big game"

AT late XIX in. a struggle broke out between Britain and the Russian Empire for influence in Central Asia and India, which the British explorer and writer Arthur Conolly called "The Great Game". According to observers, at the end of the XX century. a new round has begun big game”, which was joined by many countries - the United States, Turkey, Iran and, later, China. Among the "players" are the former Central Asian republics of the USSR, balancing between the opposing forces in an effort to maintain independence.

see also

Notes

Literature

• Description of Zhungaria and Eastern Turkestan in the ancient and present state. Translated from Chinese by the monk Iakinf. Parts I and II. - St. Petersburg: 1829.
• Historical review of the Oirats or Kalmyks from the 15th century to the present. Composed by the monk Iakinf. - St. Petersburg: 1834. 2nd ed. / Foreword. V. P. Sanchirova. - Elista, 1991.
• China, its inhabitants, manners, customs, education. The work of the monk Iacinth. - St. Petersburg, 1840.
• Statistical description of the Chinese empire. Composition of the monk Iakinf. Volumes I and II. - St. Petersburg: 1842. 2nd ed. Sub-scientific ed. K. M. Tertitsky,  A. N. Khokhlova . - M., 2002.
• China in a civil and moral state. Composition of the monk Iakinf in four parts. St. Petersburg: 1848. 2nd ed. - Beijing, 1911-1912.

Introduction

Central Asia, despite its relatively small area, is a significant part of the modern world. At present, the states of Central Asia, with greater or lesser success, participate in several multi-vector integration formations. It is also worth noting the cultural and natural features that the region is rich in. Objective:
- get acquainted with the political, economic, natural and social features of Central Asia;

Identify a number of problems in the region (demographic, economic) and identify ways to solve them.

Basic information about the Central Asia region

Central Asia today includes five republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. After the collapse Soviet Union the countries of the Central Asian region naturally reassessed their own role as subjects of geopolitical and international relations, which, among other things, affected their regional self-identification. There was a rejection of the self-designation of the region “Central Asia and Kazakhstan” fixed in the Soviet period in favor of the definition “Central Asia”. After 20 years, the definition of "Central Asia" has become commonly used, denoting the geopolitical space, which includes five states former USSR– Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. (For the first time, the proposal to rename the region was voiced by Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was supported by the leaders of other Central Asian countries). The total population of the region is 65 million people. The region of Central Asia belongs geopolitically to the Eurasian civilization, in confessional terms the Islamic component prevails, in ethnic terms the Turkic component prevails, in historical terms - Soviet identity, and in education Western roots still prevail.

Region Composition

The borders of Central Asia are defined in different ways (as defined by UNESCO, for example, the region includes Mongolia, Western China, Punjab, northern India and northern Pakistan, northeastern Iran, Afghanistan, areas of Asian Russia south of the taiga zone and five former Soviet republics of Central Asia) , however, the region is now considered to consist of the following countries: Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The area of ​​the region is 3,994,300 sq. km. Countries have many features of cultural and historical community. However, each country has its own specifics.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a state located in the center of Eurasia. The border of Kazakhstan passes through the waters of the Caspian Sea, then along the Volga steppes, rises north to the southern spurs of the Ural Mountains, then east along West Siberian Plain to Altai. In the east, the border runs along the Tarbagatay and Dzungaria ridges, in the south - along the Tan Shan mountains and the Turan lowland to the Caspian Sea. The territory of Kazakhstan is 2 million 724.9 thousand km² (ninth largest in the world). The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana.

The relief of Kazakhstan is represented by all high-altitude steps - from low plains to high mountains. The lowlands are located in the north, where they form southern part West Siberian Plain, in the northwest (Caspian) and in the south (Turan Plain). They account for about ⅓ of the territory of the republic. More than half of its area is occupied by plateaus - Poduralskoe, Turgai, Ustyurt, Betpak-Dala - and uplands - General Syrt, Kokchetavskaya with heights of 300-400 m, as well as the vast Kazakh hills with heights up to 400-600 m. The surface rises from the north and west to the east and southeast, where the plains give way to mountains. The mountain ranges of Altai, Dzhungarskiy Alatau, Tan-Shan rise up to 4000-5000 m and more. The highest point of Kazakhstan is located on the border with Kyrgyzstan - this is the Khan-Tengri peak (6995 m) in the mountains of the Central Tien Shan. Mountain systems are separated by intermontane depressions; the largest of them are Ili, Alakol, Zaisan. [??]
The bowels of Kazakhstan are rich in minerals. They are associated not only with the folded basement complex, but also with the loose sedimentary cover. Several structural-geological provinces are isolated with a specific set of minerals.

Large deposits of copper (Dzhezkazgan, Kounrad and other deposits), lead, zinc, rare metals, coal (Karaganda coal basin), iron and manganese ore are concentrated in Central Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan Altai is known for copper-lead-zinc ores, deposits of gold, tin, and rare metals. The main polymetallic deposits are Leninogorskoye, Zyryanovskoye, Belousovskoye. The Turgai trough is an area of ​​large reserves of iron ore. The Kacharskoye, Sokolovskoye, Sarbayskoye, Korzhunkulskoye deposits of magnetite ores are especially rich. The Ural regions of Kazakhstan are characterized by chromite, copper and asbestos mineralization. Cis-Urals near Aktobe is famous for its phosphorites and high-quality nickel ores. Lead-zinc ores are mined in the Mirgalimsai, Baizhansai and Achisai deposits. The Caspian depression and the Mangyshlak Peninsula are an oil and gas province. Emba oil has long been famous for its high quality. Huge reserves of table and potash salts are also associated with the Caspian depression. They are confined to salt dome structures that cut through the loose sedimentary cover.

The climate of Kazakhstan is continental, arid. The inland position causes the predominance of the anticyclonic type of atmospheric circulation and a very weak cyclonic activity. The predominance of clear weather increases the duration of sunshine (from 2000 to 3000 hours per year). Winter, except for the southernmost regions, is severe, usually with little snow, with strong snowstorms and snowstorms. The average January temperature is -19º, in the extreme south up to -3 - 5º. In summer, the weather is also not very mild. Average temperatures in July in the north are 19-20º, in the south 28-30º.

About six thousand species of plants grow in Kazakhstan, about 500 species of birds, 178 species of animals, 49 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, and about 100 species of fish in rivers and lakes can be found in its open spaces.

Forests occupy about 5.5% of the area of ​​Kazakhstan and are located in the northern forest-steppe, eastern and southern mountainous parts of the country. Most of the forests in the country are located in the northern Tien Shan and Altai mountains. There are juniper forests and alpine meadows, apple trees and walnut trees grow in the gorges. Among the mammals living in the northern Tien Shan, the snow leopard, brown bear, and Siberian mountain goat stand out. Taiga forests are found on the territory of Altai, where a natural reserve was created on the Kazakh territory on Lake Markakol. Here, in the taiga forests, such rare species of birds as capercaillie, hazel grouse, ptarmigan live.

The steppes of Kazakhstan are an exciting and exciting sight. Here you can meet several hundred species of birds that live in the area of ​​numerous fresh and salt lakes. One of the rarest and most beautiful bird species in the world, pink flamingos, lives on Lake Tengiz in Central Kazakhstan. For their protection, the government of Kazakhstan created the Kurgaldzhinsky Reserve.

Among the deserts of Kazakhstan, one can single out the Betpak-Dala desert, the desert of the Ustyurt plateau, the sandy Kyzylkum desert, the Moyunkum desert, as well as the Aral Karakum desert. Goitered gazelles and jerboas live here, as well as the storm of all deserts - the viper. In addition to it, 16 more species of snakes were identified on the territory of Kazakhstan. Of course, we should not forget about the largest lizard that lives only in the sands of Kyzylkum - the gray monitor lizard.

Aquatic vegetation in terms of species is the poorest (63 species) in the flora of the republic, but the most ancient. Rare and endangered plants of Kazakhstan are subject to special protection, there are about 600 species of them, a significant part of them is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.

The population of Kazakhstan has been multinational since ancient times, its number is 17,670,957 people as of January 1, 2016 [Wikipedia].

Uzbekistan

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a state located in the central part of Central Asia, which borders on Kyrgyzstan in the east, Kazakhstan in the north, Turkmenistan in the southwest, Afghanistan in the south and Tajikistan in the southeast. Uzbekistan covers an area of ​​447,400 sq. km. The capital of Uzbekistan is Tashkent.

The territory of present-day Uzbekistan arose as a result of the Paleozoic (about 300 million years ago) orogeny. It was then that the Turan plate and land were formed, which later became the mountains of the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay. The territory of Uzbekistan has mostly flat terrain. Only where the Paleozoic basement protrudes above late deposits (for example, in Kyzylkum), island mountains (Sultanuizdag, Tamdytau, Kuldzhuktau, Bukantau, etc.) rose to a height of almost 900 m. Only the folded regions of the Tien Shan turned out to be truly high. and Pamir-Alai.
Each large natural region of the republic is distinguished by its combination of relief forms. The Ustyurt Plateau (height up to 300 m) has a slightly undulating relief and steep (height 150 m) cliffs (chinks) to the coast of the Amu Darya and the Aral Sea. The alluvial-deltaic plain in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya is characterized by a flat relief, which is diversified only by low (from 60 to 80 m) laggards. In Kyzylkum, along with the mentioned remnant mountains, there are various forms of accumulation - ridges, mounds, dunes, oriented in accordance with the direction of the prevailing winds. In the east, mid-mountain and high-mountain relief forms predominate: the slopes or ends of the Western Tien Shan ranges (Ugasky, Pskemsky, Chatkalsky, Kuraminsky ranges) and Pamir-Alay (Zerafshansky, Gissarsky, Kugitang, Baysuntau ranges) are within the republic. The mid-mountain (up to 2169 m) Nuratinsky ridge is somewhat isolated. The mountains are characterized by great contrasts in heights and a strip of hilly foothills - adyrs, steep ridges with narrow, picturesque gorges and often sharp watersheds. But there are also low mountains (Aktau, Karakchitau, Gobduntau, the western end of the Zeravshan Range) with smooth outlines of ridges.
With geological structure and relief are associated with minerals. On the plains with their sedimentary rocks, there are deposits of oil and gas (Gazlinskoye, Shakhpatinskoye, etc.), self-planted salt (Barsakelmes), building materials. Deposits are associated with more ancient mountain rocks. hard coal(Angren, Shargun, Baysun, etc.), noble, non-ferrous and rare metals, fluorite, building materials.

Uzbekistan has a hot, continental, arid climate. Winter temperatures change from north to south: the average for January is from -10º to +2-3º, the absolute minimum is from -25º to -38º. But in summer, on the territory of the plains of Uzbekistan, the average temperature remains at the level of 30º, with absolute maximums above 42º. In the mountains (above 3000 m), the average summer temperatures drop to 22-30º.

The territory of Uzbekistan is diverse, but large areas of this country are partly unsuitable for life: these are deserts, steppes and mountains. The cities of Uzbekistan, around which the life of the people of this country is concentrated, are located in the river valleys.

Flora of Uzbekistan includes over 3700 species of plants. 20% of the species are endemic, most of which grow in the mountains. The flora of the steppes and deserts consists of peculiar shrubs. Woody, shrubby, herbaceous vegetation is developed on the low plains. The tugai are characterized by thickets of reeds and kendyrs. In the landscape of the piedmont plains - grass, no trees, shrubs are found along watercourses. Various types of onions, tulips, rhubarb, irises grow here. The high foothills are a dry, herbaceous steppe on dark gray soils. Shrubs grow on rocky areas - almonds, curly, visharnik. In the low mountains, the most valuable tree species, the Zarafshan juniper, mainly grows. Hardwoods are also common - maple, hawthorn, different forms wild apple tree, pistachios, walnut, birch, willow, poplar, Magalebka cherry. The lowlands are very rich in shrubs: honeysuckle, barberry, wild rose, meadowsweet, thickets of wild vineyards. The set of herbs is very diverse: clary sage, ziziphora, rhubarb, sorrel, tulip, Pskem onion (the most valuable medicinal plant). Rose hips and other shrubs grow in the middle mountains. In the highlands, only 30% of the soil is covered with vegetation. Mostly fescue grows here.

As well as flora and fauna of Uzbekistan is diverse. Many representatives of the Asian fauna are found here. Among them: mammals (wolf, eared hedgehog, fox, corsac, toloi hare, turtle, goitered gazelle, saiga antelope, wild boar, markhor goat, mountain sheep, badger, stone marten, bear, leopard, ermine, Siberian mountain goat, plate-toothed rat, jackal, Bukhara deer, Bukhara horseshoe bat, pointed-eared night bat gopher, jerboa), reptiles (geckos, agama, sand boa, arrow-snake, Central Asian cobra, muzzle, four-stripe snake, Alai bald eye), birds (beautiful bustard, Avdotka, sand grouse, saja, dunce nightjar, steppe buzzard, jay, shrike, warbler, finches, bunting, lentil, large turtledove, black vulture, griffon vulture, lamb vulture, Himalayan snowcock, bearded vulture, hawker, jackdaw, pheasant, cuckoo, yellow wagtail, magpie, black crow, southern nightingale, whiskered tit, reed bunting, thrush warbler), insects, etc.

There are about 70 species of fish in the reservoirs: Aral salmon, Amu Darya trout, pike, Aral roach, Aral barbel, carp, silver carp, catfish, pike perch, snakehead, silver carp, grass carp.

The population of Uzbekistan was 31,025,500 people (at the time of 2015).

Tajikistan

Tajikistan is located in the southeastern part of Central Asia. The territory of the republic stretches for 700 km from west to east and for 350 km from north to south. The area of ​​Tajikistan is 142,000 km². The republic has complex outlines of borders, reflecting the historical and geographical features of the settlement of the Tajik people. In the west and north, Tajikistan borders on Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and in the south and east, on China and Afghanistan. The capital of Tajikistan is Dushanbe.

Tajikistan is located within the borders of the Pamir-Alay mountain system and adjacent areas of the Ferghana Basin. In the north-east of the republic, the peak of Ismoil Somoni and the peak of Communism rise. One of the most powerful continental glaciers in the world, the Fedchenko mountain-valley glacier, is also located here. Mountains occupy 90% of the territory of Tajikistan; the nature of the high-mountainous republic is peculiar, full of contrasts. The complexity of the relief, the variety of heights, and the pronounced vertical zonality determine the great differences in landscapes in individual regions. On the plains, which occupy only 7% of the territory of the republic, most of its population, almost all cities and the main branches of the national economy are concentrated.

Natural resources Tajikistan are very diverse. Many deposits of polychemical, rare and noble metals have been discovered on the territory of the republic: zinc, lead, molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold, silver, antimony, mercury, fluorspar, tin, uranium, bismuth, iron, manganese, salt, magnesium and others of export importance. There are deposits of coal, gas, oil, marble, building materials. 80% of coal is coking.

The climate in Tajikistan is subtropical with significant daily and seasonal fluctuations in air temperature, low rainfall, dry air and low cloudiness. The contrast of climatic conditions is associated with a three-dimensional placement of indicators: in terms of thermal conditions, climates change from bottom to top - from subtropical (hot summer, warm, humid vegetative winter in the valleys) to moderate (hot summer and cold winter in the mountains) and cold (warm summer, very cold winter in the highlands). Solar heating also changes from north to south.

The flora and fauna of Tajikistan is diverse. There are more than 4.5 thousand plant species in Tajikistan. Such floristic richness in a relatively small area is the result of intensive speciation with the preservation of many relics (species preserved from ancient eras). At least a quarter of the species are endemic. The flora of Tajikistan is genetically related to the flora of the Mediterranean, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the northern regions of Eurasia. On the territory of Tajikistan there are one of the ancient centers of formation cultivated plants: non-ligul wheat and various forms of barley, different varieties of peas, chiny, chickpeas, beans. There are a lot here original varieties fruit - apricots, almonds, grapes. In all high-altitude zones there are medicinal, food, fodder, oil-containing, fibrous, tanning, dyeing and other plants. The fauna of Tajikistan is also diverse: 84 species of mammals, 346 species of birds, 44 species of reptiles, several species of fish and more than 10 thousand species of insects and other arthropods. In deserts and ephemeral herbage there are goitered gazelle, wolf, hyena, fox, ground squirrel, porcupine, hare, bustard, lizards - monitor lizard and yellow-bellied tortoise, snakes - efa, cobra, muzzle.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is located in the northeastern part of Central Asia. In the south-west it is adjacent to Tajikistan, in the west - with Uzbekistan, in the north - with Kazakhstan. In the east and in the south there is a border with China. The area of ​​Kyrgyzstan is 199,951 km², the capital is Bishkek.

The main mountain ranges of Kyrgyzstan belong to the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai systems. They stretch in huge arcs, mainly in the latitudinal direction, gathering in the east into the mighty Khan-Tengri mountain junction. The combination of destruction and demolition processes leads to a wide variety of landforms, characterized by a tiered structure and, at the same time, massive manifestations of asymmetry.

In the Northern Tien Shan, metamorphic and igneous sedimentary strata are widely developed, which are accompanied by deposits of non-ferrous metals. Deposits of gold, molybdenum, vanadium, iron ore are associated with gneisses, crystalline schists, amphibolites and marbles of the Inner Tien Shan, deposits of mercury, antimony, tin and others are associated with carbonate rocks of the Pamir-Alay. Hot minerals (coal, oil, gas) occur in intermountain depressions. The richest are the Jurassic coal deposits of the Northern and Inner Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay. Oil and gas fields are located in the Ferghana Basin in the Jurassic, Cretaceous and Paleogene deposits. Kyrgyzstan is rich in mineral non-metallic resources, groundwater and healing mud. All this is widely used in the national economy of the republic.

The climate in Kyrgyzstan is mostly dry, sharply continental, formed under the influence of such factors as the comparative southern position, remoteness from the oceans, great contrasts in altitude, the proximity of the Pamir mountains, the plains of Siberia, Kazakhstan and Dzungaria. This is the reason for hot summers and rather cold winters, large contrasts of seasonal and daily temperature norms. The duration of sunshine is great in Kyrgyzstan.

The diversity of the flora of Kyrgyzstan is determined by the location of the country in the altitudinal zone. On slopes with different humidity, various types of vegetation grow. Steppes, meadow steppes, meadows, thickets of shrubs are common on the northern slopes. While due to the dry climate, the southern slopes are covered mainly with semi-deserts and deserts. Flora of Kyrgyzstan represented by 3676 lower plants and 3786 higher plants. On the territory of the republic, there are about 600 species of useful wild-growing species of herbs, of which 200 are officially recognized as medicinal: cornflower, Karakol aconite, drevyasil, Turkestan motherwort, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, oregano, sea buckthorn, etc. Among wild plants with economic importance can be noted: salt marsh, barberry, rhubarb, Fergana spurge, different types thyme, etc. In the south of Kyrgyzstan there are unique natural formations - walnut forests. The valuable genetic material of these forests is represented by walnut trees, Siver apple trees, Sogdian cherry plums, pear trees, Korzhinskaya pear, Tien-

Shan cherry, barberry bushes, almond and pistachio trees, Dzungarian and Turkestan hawthorn and many other species.

101 species of protozoan unicellular animal organisms, 10242 species of insects and arthropods represent the fauna of Kyrgyzstan. In addition, the country is home to more than 1.5 thousand invertebrates, 75 fish species, 4 amphibian species, 33 reptile species, 368 bird species and 83 mammal species. At an altitude of 3400-3800 meters, gray marmots, silver and narrow-skulled voles are common inhabitants. In the summer, a brown bear is found in alpine meadows. In addition to him, the inhabitants of the alpine meadows are sheep, marmots, hares, mountain goats and wolves. Mammals do not live at altitudes of 3800-4000 meters, however, gray marmots and narrow-skulled voles are frequent guests. Above the snow line, on the ledges of rocks (height 4.4 kilometers), the red-breasted redstart and the alpine mountain chaffinch nest. At this altitude, you can also meet mountain goose, rock dove, partridge, alpine jackdaw and large bullfinch. And at an altitude of 4500 meters, snow goats and predatory leopards live. Many endangered species of animals living on the territory of Kyrgyzstan were listed in the Red Book: wild sheep, snow goat, roe deer, red deer, bear, deer, fallow deer, lynx and snow leopard.

The population of Kyrgyzstan is about 6 million people.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country that borders Afghanistan and Iran in the south, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the north. In the west, the republic is washed by the Caspian Sea. The territory of the republic is 491,200 sq. km. The capital of Turkmenistan is Ashgabat.

Turkmenistan is often called the country of deserts and oases. This definition reflects the main landscape of the republic: deserts occupy more than 80% of its territory. This is the Karakum desert (“black sands”, which is equivalent to the concept of “overgrown sands”), as well as part of the deserts of the Ustyurt plateau, the Krasnovodsk and Mangyshlak plateaus and the coastal strip along the Caspian coast. Plateaus drop steeply to the plains, and these steep ledges are called “chinks”. The population lives mainly on the periphery of the republic, in oases. By the nature of the relief, the territory of Turkmenistan is divided into two unequal parts - flat and mountainous. The plains account for more than 80% of the territory of the republic. In the mountainous part, the Kopetdag ridge (the highest point is 2942 m), belonging to the system of the Turkmen-Khoran mountains, as well as the western spurs of the Pamir-Alay, entering the territory of Turkmenistan by the Kugitang ridge (up to 3137 m), stand out.

Minerals of sedimentary origin predominate in Turkmenistan - oil, gas, sulfur, table salt, mirabilite, quartz sands, limestones, etc. All of them are being developed. Combustible gas is supplied through powerful gas pipelines to the Central Industrial Region of the country.

Turkmenistan is characterized by a sharply continental dry climate with its typical features - significant daily and annual fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, dry air, low cloudiness, and negligible amounts of precipitation. The continentality and aridity of the climate are associated with the considerable remoteness of the territory from the oceans, with its southern inland position and the nature of the atmospheric circulation.

As expected in a continental climate, air temperatures vary widely: on the plains - from 11º in the north to 17º in the south (on an annual average), and in the mountains at an altitude of 1500 m - from 6º to 10º.

The nature of Turkmenistan has thousands of plant species, ranging from desert grasses and saxaul to mountain forests. The fauna is represented by 91 species of mammals, 372 species of birds, 74 species of reptiles and 60 species of fish. A special distribution of flora and fauna is observed in mountain valleys. There are several reserves on the territory of Turkmenistan: Badkhyz, Krasnodar, Repetek, Kopetdag, Amudarya.

The population of Turkmenistan is 5,240,502 people.

Here one should try to write some problems of relations between the Central Asian states, based on the composition of the region. But these have not yet been identified.

Population

The history of Central Asia is extremely complex, the territory of which lay on the path of invasions by many conquerors and powerful migrations that influenced the composition of the population, the formation of languages, and culture. Large states were formed that left a deep mark on history, and collapsed under the blows of the conquerors. The periods of prosperity of cities, agricultural oases were replaced by their death and desolation, high achievements sciences and arts alternated with times of cultural decline and stagnation. On the ruins of the collapsed states, new ones arose, there were endless feudal wars.

Under these conditions, the process of ethnic formation of the peoples of Central Asia was going on. The initial elements of the ethnic community of today's nations were formed back in the 9th-12th centuries. The peoples of Central Asia are linked by ethnic kinship. In addition, the ancestors of many of them for a long time were part of the same states, fought together against foreign invaders. They were also brought together by their joint participation in uprisings against feudal rulers, as well as constant economic and cultural communication.

Demographic Issues

Among the demographic problems specific to Central Asia, it is worth noting some very important and significant ones. First of all, these are inter-ethnic and inter-confessional contradictions. It is worth recalling the facts of nine years ago to understand that Central Asia is not a stable region in terms of conflicts. The main lines of interethnic tension were conflicts between the titular ethnic groups, as well as between them and the non-indigenous population, which was no longer Russian, but Asian peoples deported to the region during the Soviet period or appeared here relatively recently as a result of labor migrations. As an example, one can recall the events of November 2006, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Alma-Ata events, when mass protests of Kazakhs took place against the appointment of the first secretary of the Republican Communist Party of a Russian by nationality G. Kolbin, there were clashes between Kazakhs and Uighurs in the village of Shelek, Alma-Ata areas. The riots began on November 18 with a domestic fight in the Old Castle cafe, in which three Uyghurs beat a Kazakh. The fight escalated into mass clashes between Kazakh and Uyghur youth, in which the Uyghurs were outnumbered. The next day, Kazakh youth decided to take revenge and started a fight in three cafes, which were visited by Uyghurs. The clashes, one of which involved up to 300 people on both sides, moved to the street and were only stopped thanks to the intervention of the elders. To prevent further clashes in the village, a kind of curfew was introduced, and the elders established control over entertainment establishments.

Another issue related to the demographics of Central Asia is migration. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, external migration processes in the states of Central Asia underwent fundamental changes twice. In the first half of the 1990s, powerful flows of forced migration from this region were observed. As the potential for forced migration (which was based on the migration of the Russian-speaking population) was exhausted, the scale of legal and illegal labor migration of the indigenous population of Central Asian countries began to grow. At present, labor migration of the indigenous population of the countries of Central Asia has assumed a large-scale character.

The main sources of labor migration flows from the region are three states: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. According to various estimates, at the end of 2005 there were from 1.8 to 3.5 million labor migrants from the countries of Central Asia in Russia, 9/10 of whom came from the above-mentioned countries. (from bibliography)

Due to the fact that labor migration is predominantly illegal, it is difficult to determine the real number of labor migrants. Statistical authorities of the countries of Central Asia and their migration partners cannot give the exact scale of labor migration from the region. Information from authorities often requires certain adjustments to be made. Thus, according to the materials of the Department for External Migration of the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Population of Tajikistan, there are more than 250 thousand labor migrants from this country in the CIS countries. According to the State Migration Service of the Republic of Tajikistan, the volume of labor migration exceeds 0.5 million people. According to the experts of the Security Council under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the number of labor migrants from Tajikistan is about 800 thousand people. According to the Committee for the Protection of the State Border of the Republic of Tajikistan, in 2001 alone, more than 1.2 million people left the country to earn money. This variation in estimates can be partially explained by the fact that the total number of migrants, in addition to citizens of Tajikistan, may include transit migrants (for example, from Afghanistan), the fact that many migrants cross the border several times during the year, etc.

Ecological problems. The most serious problem is the rational use of labor resources. The rivers are transboundary, the ecosystems of the basins are under threat. The solution of this issue is important both today and in the future. If the states located in the lower reaches of the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan) are constantly experiencing water shortages, then the states of the upper reaches (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) are faced with the problem of providing fuel resources from neighboring countries to load power plants in the winter, which leads to the additional use of hydroelectric facilities. However, the operation of hydroelectric power plants at full capacity in winter is fraught with a number of negative consequences: a decrease in the volume of reservoirs, an excess of water discharges to the border areas of neighboring states. Thus, the problem of rational use of water and energy resources in Central Asia has long reached the level of interstate relations.

Central Asia is a continental zone, as far as possible from ocean routes. Its land communications are closed to Russia, while its air communications are underdeveloped. The region occupies a peripheral position in relation to many large blocks of the world geopolitical space: Western Europe, the USA, South and Southeast Asia. It is directly adjacent only to Russia, China and Middle East. This is partly the reason for the choice of Central Asia by Russia and China as subjects of regional policy.

It is also worth noting the managerial problems associated with political and economic processes:

Lack of a mechanism for the implementation of decisions. In Central Asia, there is a discrepancy between the positions of the participating states on many issues. Completion remains low decisions taken, and the documents themselves are of a general, advisory nature. In particular, the issue of rational use of water and energy resources of the countries of the Central Asian region remains problematic. The existence of many unresolved problems and the lack of concerted action by all parties to overcome them hinder the development of integration processes in the transport sector. In particular, the project to create an International Transport Consortium has not yet been implemented, the functioning of which would contribute to the formation of a common transport policy of the Central Asian states, the effective development of their transit potential.

Different levels of economic development in Central Asia. The states of the Central Asian region have a multi-level and multi-speed economy, which is a deterrent in deepening the integration interaction of the countries of Central Asia.

3. Inefficient development of mutual trade between the states of Central Asia. Differences in the pace and scale of economic liberalization, the low level of economic interaction between the states of Central Asia have become the main factors in the inefficient development of mutual trade between them. It should be noted that the economies of the Central Asian countries complement each other in many respects, which creates an opportunity to expand the range of goods in the mutual trade of the Central Asian states. The current situation indicates the presence of many unresolved problems in the regional cooperation of the countries of Central Asia, the level of implementation of the decisions being made remains low. Restraining factors in the development of regional cooperation are not only the different rates of economic transformation in the countries of Central Asia, but also the introduction of all kinds of restrictions in mutual trade, the presence of high political and economic risks of investment.

Ways to solve the environmental problems of the region:

1. Prevention of artificial reduction in the volume and regime of flows of transboundary rivers into the Aral Sea, which may lead to deterioration environmental situation in the zone of the Aral Sea region, the health of the population, the living conditions of millions of people living in this region;

2. Implementation of measures to curb the spread of desertification and soil salinization through forest planting and other agrotechnical and special measures in the ecological disaster zone;

Creation of conditions for the expansion of employment and growth of incomes of the population in the zone of ecological disaster through the development of small businesses, primarily low-water-intensive industrial and agricultural industries, and the service sector.

To achieve the goal of deepening integration processes in the region, it is necessary to focus on the most priority areas economic interaction. There are four such areas.

First, joint rational use water and energy resources. The priority of this area of ​​cooperation is explained by the fact that the Central Asian states are connected by common river basins of the Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers, a single ecological system, a common line of gas pipelines Gazli-Bukhara-Tashkent-Shymkent-Almaty.

The following problems have arisen in the water management sphere of the region today:

1. general shortage of water resources;

2. lack of a unified legal framework;

3. frequent disregard for the interests of neighboring countries;

4. Violations of existing principles of water distribution in transboundary rivers;

5. non-fulfillment of compensatory supplies (meaning compensation to Kyrgyzstan for water from the Toktagul reservoir in the form of supplies of heat and energy resources in the winter period).

All these problems can be solved only if there is sufficient political will of the Central Asian states. All issues should be resolved through constructive negotiations. The main thing is not to turn water into an instrument of political and economic pressure. It is necessary to give water the status of a common value. Water for Central Asia should become a unifying, not dividing principle. The interaction of the states of the region in this direction should be carried out on the basis of such generally accepted principles as respect for sovereignty, equal partnership, consideration of national interests and conscientious fulfillment of mutual obligations.

The main tasks to be addressed by the efforts of the countries of the region in this area are:

The list of Central Asian countries is not too extensive, but the regions themselves occupy a sufficient part of the land in their territory. These regions have their own economy, rich history, and unique cultural heritage. Before traveling for a holiday in these regions, you should familiarize yourself with the basic geographical information, superficially study the culture, economic nuances, and many other useful aspects.

Asia is conditionally divided into the following regions: the southern part, Northern part, East Asia, South-Eastern part, Western part, Central Asia, Central part, South-Western part.

The composition of South Asia: Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The central part includes: Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and the eastern Russian part.

Countries of Central-East Asia: the same as in the central part, but all of Korea, China, Japan and Mongolia are additionally joined from the east.

Western part: Armenia, Palestine, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Turkey, Bahrain, Syria, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Cyprus, Lebanon and Iraq.

The southeastern part consists of: Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Singapore, Laos, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos.

The central part of Asia is the middle territory of the region, familiar to most people who previously lived on the former borders of the USSR, in which Kazakhstan did not fit earlier. Based on ethnic and cultural characteristics, the territorial composition of the Asian middle part may also include eastern Turkic peoples, such as the inhabitants of Tibet and the Mongols. Central Asia is surrounded by land on all sides, there is no access to large bodies of water. The Caspian Sea does not flow anywhere, the reservoir has no outlet. The geographical center of Asia is the Republic of Tuva, located on the territory Russian Federation.

The central part of Asia will in any case consist of the Central Asian republics of the previously known USSR and Kazakhstan. Also, this conditionally divided territorial marking includes, in part or in full, other states. List of Central Asian countries:

• - depending on various geographical sources, this country can be fully or partially included in other centers, for example, in the front or southern part of Asia;
• Indian region Ladakh;
• It enters the central part only partially, but still most of it belongs to the western region;
• - partially;
• - fully;
• is part of the territorial composition of Central Asia, but if we consider the political aspect, then this site belongs to the eastern side;
• - closer to the eastern center than to the middle;
• geographically - central, but the political aspect refers it to the eastern territories;
• Part of the Russian Federation;

Historical and cultural heritage in the central countries

Today, the central part of Asia consists of five full-fledged states: Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Previously, according to the Soviet state, Kazakhstan was not included in the list of the above Islamic states, it was equated closer to the Siberian region in Russia. However, the modern world thinks otherwise, that Kazakhstan is the middle part of Asia, and not otherwise. The total territorial area of ​​the Central Asian region is 3 million 994 thousand 300 square kilometers.

The region also includes some of the world's smallest countries. In general, the population does not exceed 51 million inhabitants, and this number includes more than a hundred nationalities known to the world. Among them there are also residents of Tibet, Koreans, Germans and Austrians. The largest nation in the central region is the Uzbeks. The number of Uzbekistan today exceeds 30 million inhabitants, and in neighboring countries they are also found as national minorities, therefore this nation is recognized as the most numerous.

For the period of 1992, more than 10 million Russian inhabitants lived in the territory of the Central Asian region, but after the collapse of the USSR, large-scale migration began, as a result of which the number of Russians greatly decreased in the territories of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

In the most populous country - Uzbekistan - there are famous ancient historical cities that carry all the preservation of the culture of the country. In the past, these were great states with a rich history - imperial nomadic civilizations and centers of the development of Islam in the Central Asian part.

For many centuries, students came from all over the continent to receive better education as this region was famous for its good Islamic colleges. Also in the center of Asia, Sufism, a widespread Islamic movement of the 7-8th century AD, was born. In addition to all this, the central part was famous for its pilgrimage sites, and the development of countries was successful compared to neighboring regions.

The Dervish Dance is a ritual to achieve unity with God. This is the main goal of Sufism, classical Muslim philosophy.

Basic information about the countries of the Central Asian region

Uzbekistan is representative in the very center. Historically, Uzbekistan is known for the fact that many trade routes passed through its territories. The Great Silk Road known to the world belongs territorially to the Uzbek lands. Lovers of history and tourist trips will love the country, as its history and terrain abound with interesting finds.

Ancient historical cities are concentrated in Uzbekistan. The best representatives of Eastern culture: Tashkent, Samarkand, Khiva, Bukhara, Kokand, Shakhrisabz. In these places, the most valuable representatives of oriental culture are concentrated - ancient monuments, architectural buildings, in general, a godsend for an inquisitive mind.

Kazakhstan in the Central Asian part is economically and territorially the most developed state. It is convenient for residents of the Russian Federation to get to this place, since Kazakhstan closely borders on the lands of Russia, and this has greatly influenced the cultural and historical heritage of the Kazakh homeland.

The traditions and national values ​​of the Kazakh people are closely intertwined with the events of the past - earlier this people was nomadic, the tribes constantly changed their place of residence, wandering through the steppes. Modern Kazakhstan looks different - the current culture resembles a symbiosis of the Islamic world with Russian traditions, the eastern mentality is tightly connected with the bordering people.

Kyrgyzstan is rightfully recognized as the most picturesque corner among all the bordering states on the territory of the Central Asian border. First of all, natural places look good, the Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai mountains, where many tourists want to go on an excursion. The landscape of the highlands is picturesquely replaced by green flat pastures, where nomadic peoples lived for centuries, and thinness was also fed.

Kyrgyzstan will also be interesting for rock climbers, as there are gorges and caves near crystal clear lakes that can be explored. Traditional values ​​in Kyrgyzstan have been formed for centuries, so their customs are closely connected with nomadic peoples, although the inhabitants of the country have long settled in their comfortable homes.