The Five Countries of Central Asia 55°0'E 75°0'E Kostanai Petropavlovsk 1:10 000 000 200 100 0 200 Sergeevka Kokshetau N RUSSIAN Irtyshsk Kilometers Stepniak Pavlodar FEDERATION Rudnyi 50°0'N Makinsk Aksu Zhitikara Akkol Ereimentau Dzhetyghara Atbasar Oral Esil Ekibastuz 50°0'N Ak-Say Ishi m ASTANA Irty sh Oskemen U r a Zyrianovsk l Semey Derzhavinsk Aktobe N ura Temirtau Arkalyk Chromtau Alga Karaghandy Karkaralinsk Kandygash arysu S Ayakoz Lake Zaisan Emba KAZAKHSTAN Karazhal Atyrau Emba Shakhtinsk Shalkar Balkhash Ucharal Aral S ar Lake Balkhash Ushtobe y r D ya Baikonyr Ili Tekeli PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC Kazalinsk Taldykorgan OF CHINA Fort Shevchenko Zharkent Kyzyl Orda Chui Il i Aktau Aral Sea Kapchagay Almaty Kyzylsay Zhanatas Shu Muynak Kentau Talgar Karatau Taraz Balykchy Kungrad Chimbay Turkestan Caspian Sea BISHKEK Tokmok Karakol Shymkent Talas Lake Arys Issyk-Kul Naryn 40°0'N Nukus UZBEKISTAN Lenger KYRGYZ Dashoguz Uchkuduk Naryn Urgench Tash-Kumyr REPUBLIC TASHKENT 40°0'N Chardak Jalal Abad Khiva Zarafshan Lebap Namangan Kyzyl-Kaya Akhangaran Andizhan AZERBAIJAN Turkmenbashi Nurata Gulistan Osh Khudzand Kokand Kyzyl-Kiya Ghizhduvan Djizzak Fergana Hazar Balkanabat Gazli Navoi National capital Isfara Bereket Zhuma TURKMENISTAN Bukhara Ura-Tyube Provincial/oblast capital Aktash Samarkand Kagan Ayni Kum Dag Seydi Serdar Karakul Pendzhekent Dzhirgital City Mubarek Kasan Rogun Sumb ar Shahrizabz Rivers and canals Baharly Turkmenabad Karshi TAJIKISTAN DUSHANBE Guzar Denau Airport (international) Etrek ASHGABAT Karabekevul Kulyab Murgab K Baisun Atrek ar Talimardzhan ak International boundaries um Mary Shurchi Khorog C Kerki an Tedzhen al Bairam-Ali Gaurdak Kurgan-Tyube Boundaries are not necessarily authoritative. zh ya an d A ar Pi Iolotan Termez m u D Pyandzh IRAN Ishkashim Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic Datum: WGS 1984 GIS/Cartography: AFGHANISTAN V. Sibagatulin, GIS-Service Ltd. Serhetabat Kyrgyz Republic, 2009 55°0'E 75°0'E 24 Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources 55°0'E 75°0'E Kostanai Petropavlovsk 1:10 000 000 200 100 0 200 Sergeevka Kokshetau N RUSSIAN Irtyshsk Kilometers Stepniak Pavlodar FEDERATION Rudnyi 50°0'N Makinsk Aksu Zhitikara Akkol Ereimentau Dzhetyghara Atbasar Oral Esil Ekibastuz 50°0'N Ak-Say Ishi m ASTANA Irty sh Oskemen U r a Zyrianovsk l Semey Derzhavinsk Aktobe N ura Temirtau Arkalyk Chromtau Alga Karaghandy Karkaralinsk Kandygash arysu S Ayakoz Lake Zaisan Emba KAZAKHSTAN Karazhal Atyrau Emba Shakhtinsk Shalkar Balkhash Ucharal Aral S ar Lake Balkhash Ushtobe y r D ya Baikonyr Ili Tekeli PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC Kazalinsk Taldykorgan OF CHINA Fort Shevchenko Zharkent Kyzyl Orda Chui Il i Aktau Aral Sea Kapchagay Almaty Kyzylsay Zhanatas Shu Muynak Kentau Talgar Karatau Taraz Balykchy Kungrad Chimbay Turkestan Caspian Sea BISHKEK Tokmok Karakol Shymkent Talas Lake Arys Issyk-Kul Naryn 40°0'N Nukus UZBEKISTAN Lenger KYRGYZ Dashoguz Uchkuduk Naryn Urgench Tash-Kumyr REPUBLIC TASHKENT 40°0'N Chardak Jalal Abad Khiva Zarafshan Lebap Namangan Kyzyl-Kaya Akhangaran Andizhan AZERBAIJAN Turkmenbashi Nurata Gulistan Osh Khudzand Kokand Kyzyl-Kiya Ghizhduvan Djizzak Fergana Hazar Balkanabat Gazli Navoi National capital Isfara Bereket Zhuma TURKMENISTAN Bukhara Ura-Tyube Provincial/oblast capital Aktash Samarkand Kagan Ayni Kum Dag Seydi Serdar Karakul Pendzhekent Dzhirgital City Mubarek Kasan Rogun Sumb ar Shahrizabz Rivers and canals Baharly Turkmenabad Karshi TAJIKISTAN DUSHANBE Guzar Denau Airport (international) Etrek ASHGABAT Karabekevul Kulyab Murgab K Baisun Atrek ar Talimardzhan ak International boundaries um Mary Shurchi Khorog C Kerki an Tedzhen al Bairam-Ali Gaurdak Kurgan-Tyube Boundaries are not necessarily authoritative. zh ya an d A ar Pi Iolotan Termez m u D Pyandzh IRAN Ishkashim Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic Datum: WGS 1984 GIS/Cartography: AFGHANISTAN V. Sibagatulin, GIS-Service Ltd. Serhetabat Kyrgyz Republic, 2009 55°0'E 75°0'E Kazakhstan 25 Facts and Figures About the Countries of Central Asia Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Local long form Qazaqstan Respublikasy Kyrgyz Respublikasy Jumhurii Tojikiston Turkmenistan Ozbekiston Respublikasi Geography Capital Astana Bishkek Dushanbe Ashgabat Tashkent Location Located in the center of Located along the eastern Located on the southern The farthest southwest Located east of the Caspian the continent of Asia, with border of the Central edge of Central Asia, country of Central Asia. Sea, directly south of a coastline only on the Asian region, southeast of bordering Afghanistan to the Located on the eastern shore Kazakhstan, north of landlocked Caspian Sea. The Kazakhstan, west of the south, the People’s Republic of the Caspian Sea. To the Turkmenistan, and on the Russian Federation forms its People’s Republic of China, of China to the east, the south is Iran, to the south and western borders of Tajikistan entire northern border. east of Uzbekistan, and north Kyrgyz Republic to the north, east is Afghanistan, and to and the Kyrgyz Republic. of Tajikistan. and Uzbekistan to the west. the north are Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Total area, thousand 2,725 199.9 142.6 488.1 447.4 square kilometers Climate Continental climate. Rainfall Continental climate Continental climate, with Mostly a subtropical desert Continental climate varies from 100 to 200 drastic differences according climate that is severely millimeters/year; generally to elevation; very dry in continental. heaviest in the south and in subtropical southwestern the eastern mountains. lowlands. Terrain In the east and northeast, Dominated by sharp Highly mountainous Highly mountainous, Diverse: 80% is desert, about 12% of territory mountain peaks and valleys, dominated by the Alay Range dominated by Kyzylkum occupied by parts of considerable areas are in the north and the Pamir Desert in north–central part the Altay and Tien Shan covered by glaciers. Relatively Mountains to the southeast. of the country and mountains mountain ranges. More flat regions include Fergana Lowest elevations are in the in the far southeast and far than three-quarters of the Valley in the southwest, and northwest, the southwest, northeast. In the northeast, country are desert or semi- the Chui and Talas valleys and Fergana Valley. Fergana Valley is surrounded desert. Along the Caspian along the northern border. by mountain ranges and Sea, elevations are below intersected by the Syr Darya sea level. River. Far west is dominated by the Turan Lowland, the Amu Darya valley, and the southern half of the Aral Sea. Lowest point Vpadina Kaundy: 132 meters Kara Darya: 132 m Syr Darya: 300 m Vpadina Akchanaya: 81 Sariqarnish Kuli: 12 m (m) m (Note: Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northeastern Turkmenistan whose water levels fluctuate widely; at its shallowest, its level is –110 m; it is presently at –60 m, 20 m above Vpadina Akchanaya) Highest point Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pik Imeni Ismail Samani: Ayrybaba: 3,137 m Adelunga Toghi: 4,301 m Khan-Tengri): 7,010 m Pobedy): 7,439 m 7,495 m Natural resources Oil and natural gas, Gold, antimony and coal, Gold, silver, and antimony Natural gas and oil, small Natural gas and oil; gold, (nonliving) chromium, coal, copper, gold, mercury, tin, tungsten, and amounts of salt and gypsum copper, lead, silver, tungsten, lead, tungsten, and zinc uranium oxide uranium, and zinc Natural hazards Land degradation and Avalanches, floods, and Dust and sand from the Sandstorms, droughts, and Severe earthquakes desertification landslides attributed to the deserts that cause air earthquakes melting of glaciers pollution People Population, total, million 15.48 5.23 6.74 4.96 26.87 Average annual population 1.14 0.82 1.50 1.30 1.43 growth rate, % Population density, persons/ 6 27 48 11 63 square kilometer Major ethnic groups Kazakh (53%), Russian (30%), Kyrgyz (65%), Uzbek (14%), Tajik (80%), Uzbek (15%), Turk (72%), Uzbek (9%), Uzbek (76%), Russian (6%), Others: Ukrainian, Uzbek, Russian (12%), Others: Russian (1%), Kyrgyz (1%). Russian (10%). Others: Tatar, Tajik (5%), Kazakh (4%), Tatar German, and Uyghur Dungan (ethnic Chinese Others: German, Korean, Turk, Kazakh, Ukrainian, Azeri, and (2%), and Kyrgyz (1%) (1998 Muslim), Tartar, Uyghur, and and Ukrainian (2000 Census) Armenian Census) Ukrainian (1999 Census) Religions Muslim, primarily Sunni Muslim, primarily Sunni Sunni Muslim (85%), Shia Sunni Muslim (89%), Christian Muslim (88%), and Russian (47%), Russian Orthodox (80%), Christian, primarily Muslim (5%), Christian, - Russian Orthodox (9%) Orthodox (9%) (44%), and Protestant (2%) Russian Orthodox (16%) mainly Russian Orthodox (3%) Others: other Christian denominations, and Jewish Languages Kazakh, official "state" Kyrgyz, official; Russian, Tajik, official state language; Turkmen, official state Uzbek (74%), Russian (14%), language (64%); Russian, second language and Russian, widely used in language (72%); Russian and Tajik (4%) official "language of language of business government and business; (12%), and Uzbek (9%) interethnic communication” and Uzbek (25%) (95%) * 2007 data are presented unless otherwise stated. 26 Central Asia Atlas of Natural Resources Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Poverty Human Development Index/ 0.807, 71st of 179 countries 0.694, 122nd of 179 countries 0.684, 124th of 179 countries 0.728, 108th of 179 countries 0.701, 119th of 179 countries Rank (2006) (2006) (2006) (2006) (2006) Population in poverty, below 15.4 (2002) 43.1 (2005) 44.4 (2003) 58.0 (2000) 27.5 (2000) national poverty