Chapter 22

The Caucasus and Central Asia

Section 1 - Caucasus Nations

• Nations between the Black and Caspian Sea - Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan

• Ethnically diverse• Former Soviet Republics• Many of the problems they have today are directly linked to past Soviet actions

Georgia (Tbilisi)

• Caucasus mountains to the N and S• Eastern shore of the black sea• Climate - subtropical - warm winter, heavy rainfall at times

• Crops - grapes, fruit, tobacco, and tea• Wine and cognac production• Eastern climate - more continental

• Grains and vegetables

Georgia• Problems in economic development after the fall of USSR GDP dropped 3/4

• Rely on ag., some machine manufacturing, coal, petroleum and nat. gas

• 5 million people - 70% ethnic Georgian• Northern Georgia - small groups pushing for autonomy - independence

• Currency - Lari - replaced the Ruble in 1993

Armenia (Yerevan)• Landlocked size of Maryland• Mt. and rocky• Crops in the valleys• Culture Indo-European people - 2,000 yrs. WWI conflict with Turks (Turks tried to cleanse the country of Armenians)– Christianity in conflict with Islam people

• Mount Ararat - peak Noah’s Ark (in Turkey seen from Armenia)

Azerbaijan (Baku)

• Petroleum - main source of wealth• Rural areas and Mt. - herding goats, sheep and cattle

• Rivers flow into the Caspian crops in the valleys - fruit, cotton, tea and silk

• 90% Azeri• Many conflicts with Armenia: Nagorno - Karabakh region - became a part of Armenia after a war in 1994, the region is rich in oil

• Many conflicts with Russia on oil control and shipping through the Med. And Black Sea

• Pollution is a problem• Muslim Religion

Section 2 - Central Asian Nations

• The Stans - first part of the name is the ethnic group and the “Stan” means Land Of

• Physical characteristics - Tien Shan and Pamir - Alai Mt. Ranges in the SE

• Tajikistan Fedchenko Alpine Glacier 40 miles

• Climate - mostly arid and semi-arid• 2 Deserts Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum - less than 3 inches of precipitation a year

Section 2 continued• N. Kazakhstan - steppes with top soil - Chernozem (very fertile soil)

• Some oil and natural gas• Different ethnic groups - 4 languages related to Turkish

• Islamic faith but not as fundamental as Iran

• Fundamentalism - strict interpretation of the Koran

End of section 2• Nomadic herders -- lived in yurts (large portable tents)

• Irrigation from 2 main rivers to farm• Some industry - more urban today• Silk road - traders moved fine silks to China, big tourist area

• Aral Sea has lost volume because of irrigation

• Desertification - extension of the desert landscape because of peoples activities