Central Asia
Definition
Central Asia is a region in Asia stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to China in the east and from Afghanistan in south to Russia in north. It includes five republics of former Soviet Union - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Analogy
Imagine Central Asia as a large central hub or train station where different cultures (trains) meet up before heading off into different directions. This region has been historically significant due to its location at crossroads between Europe and Asia.
Related terms
Steppe Nomads: Nomadic people who lived on grasslands called steppes; many came from regions within Central Asia including Mongolia.
Transoxiana: A historical region in Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgyzstan and southwest Kazakhstan. It was a critical region for the Silk Road trade.
Great Game: A term used to describe the rivalry and strategic conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire before World War I for supremacy in Central Asia.
"Central Asia" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Practice Questions (3)
What language (emerging globally in the Post-Classical Period) spread from Central Asia?
How did the expansion of commerce in South and Southeast Asia from 1200-1450 compare with the Silk Road trade in Central Asia during a similar period?
How might political stability in Central Asia during Middle Ages potentially alter the nature & extent of interactions along the Silk Roads?
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