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{{Infobox| bodyclass=geography
{{번역 확장 필요|es|Pedro de Valdivia}}
| above = Central Asia
{{인물 정보
| image =
| label1이름색 = Area
|이름글씨색 =
| data1 = {{convert|4003400|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}<ref>The area figure is based on the combined areas of five countries in Central Asia.</ref>
|이름 = 페드로 데 발디비아
| label2 = Population
|원어이름 = Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia
| data2 = 61,551,945<ref>The population figure is the combined populations of 5 countries in Central Asia (last updated Feb 22, 2010).</ref>
|그림 = Pedro de Valdivia.jpg
| label3 = Density
|그림설명 = [[페데리코 데 마드라조]]가 그린 사후 초상
| data3 = {{convert|15|/km2|abbr=on}}
|출생일 = {{출생일|1497|4|17}}
| label4 = Countries
|출생지 = 스페인, 에스트레마두라
| data4 = {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<br>{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}<br>{{flag|Tajikistan}}<br>{{flag|Turkmenistan}}<br>{{flag|Uzbekistan}}
|사망일 = {{사망일과 나이|1553|12|25|1497|4|17}}
| label5 = Nominal GDP (2009)
|사망지 = 칠레
| data5 = $ 166 Billion
|국적 =
| label6 = {{nowrap|GDP per capita}} (2009)
| data6 별칭 = $ 2,700
|학력 =
|경력 =
|직업 =
|병역 =
|소속 =
|종교 = 가톨릭
|배우자 = Marina Ortíz de Gaete
|상훈 =
|웹사이트 =
}}
 
'''페드로 데 발디비아'''(1497년 4월 17일~1553년 12월 25일<ref>Dates sometimes given as 1510 - 1569, i.e. Robert Chambers "Book of Days" (1868)</ref>)는 스페인의 [[콩키스타도르]]였고 칠레의 초대 총독을 지냈다. 그는 [[이탈리아]]와 [[플랑드르]]에서의 스페인 군 복무를 마치고 1534년 남아메리카로 보내져, 1537년 페루에서 [[프란시스코 피사로]]의 부관으로 근무하는 등, 그의 오른팔 역할을 하며 페루 정복에 참여했다.<ref>영어판 위키백과</ref> 1540년에는 150명의 스페인 군을 이끌고 칠레로 원정을 가, 큰 규모의 인디언 공격을 무산시키고 이듬해 [[산티아고]]의 전신인 산티아고 데 라 누에바 에스트레마두라를 건설하였으나 페루와의 연락이 끊겨 고전하였다.
'''Central Asia''' is a core region of the [[Asia]]n [[continent]] which stretches from the [[Caspian Sea]] in the west to [[People's Republic of China|China]] in the east, [[Afghanistan]] in the south, and [[Russia]] in the north. It is also sometimes referred to as '''[[Middle Asia]]''', and, colloquially, "the [[-stan|'stans]]" (as the five countries generally considered to be within the region all have names ending with that suffix)<ref>{{cite web|author=Paul McFedries |url=http://www.wordspy.com/words/stans.asp |title=stans |publisher=Word Spy |date=2001-10-25 |accessdate=2011-02-16}}</ref> and is within the scope of the wider [[Eurasia]]n continent.
 
== 같이 보기 ==
Various definitions of its exact composition exist, and no one definition is universally accepted. Despite this uncertainty in defining borders, it does have some important overall characteristics. For one, Central Asia has historically been closely tied to its [[nomad]]ic peoples and the [[Silk Road]].<ref>[http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=Central_Asia Steppe Nomads and Central Asia]</ref> As a result, it has acted as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between [[Europe]], [[West Asia]], [[South Asia]], and [[East Asia]].<ref>[http://www.silk-road.com/artl/srtravelmain.shtml Travelers on the Silk Road]</ref>
*[[마푸체]]
 
== 주석 ==
In modern contexts, all definitions of Central Asia include these five republics of the former [[Soviet Union]]: [[Kazakhstan]] (pop. 16.0 million), [[Kyrgyzstan]] (5.5 million), [[Tajikistan]] (7.3 million), [[Turkmenistan]] (5.1 million), and [[Uzbekistan]] (27.6 million), for a total population of 61.5 million as of 2009. Other areas often included are [[Mongolia]], Afghanistan, northern [[Pakistan]], [[Khorasan Province|northeastern Iran]], [[Kashmir]], and sometimes [[Xinjiang]] and [[Tibet]] in [[western China]] and southern [[Siberia]] in Russia.
<references/>
 
During pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, Central Asia was a predominantly [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]]<ref name="ReferenceA">Encyclopædia Iranica, "CENTRAL ASIA: The Islamic period up to the Mongols", C. Edmund Bosworth: "In early Islamic times Persians tended to identify all the lands to the northeast of Khorasan and lying beyond the Oxus with the region of Turan, which in the Shahnama of Ferdowsi is regarded as the land allotted to Fereydun's son Tur. The denizens of Turan were held to include the Turks, in the first four centuries of Islam essentially those nomadizing beyond the Jaxartes, and behind them the Chinese (see Kowalski; Minorsky, "Turan"). Turan thus became both an ethnic and a diareeah term, but always containing ambiguities and contradictions, arising from the fact that all through Islamic times the lands immediately beyond the Oxus and along its lower reaches were the homes not of Turks but of Iranian peoples, such as the Sogdians and Khwarezmians."</ref><ref>C.E. Bosworth, "The Appearance of the Arabs in Central Asia under the Umayyads and the establishment of Islam", in ''History of Civilizations of Central Asia'', Vol. IV: The Age of Achievement: AD 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century, Part One: The Historical, Social and Economic Setting, edited by M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth. Multiple History Series. Paris: Motilal Banarsidass Publ./UNESCO Publishing, 1999. excerpt from page 23: "Central Asia in the early seventh century, was ethnically, still largely an Iranian land whose people used various Middle Iranian languages.". [http://books.google.com/books?id=lodSckjlNuMC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=The+Appearance+of+the+Arabs+in+Central+Asia+under+the+Umayyads+and+the+establishment+of+Islam&source=bl&ots=OMseLQZtu0&sig=_K6knxMsp4dHH5_-rPayBlDXgDo&hl=en&ei=gZS7StbnJ8SQlAfI-dT-Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=The%20Appearance%20of%20the%20Arabs%20in%20Central%20Asia%20under%20the%20Umayyads%20and%20the%20establishment%20of%20Islam&f=false]</ref> region that included sedentary [[Sogdians]], [[Khwarezmian language|Chorasmians]], semi-nomadic [[Scythians]] and [[Alans]]. The ancient sedentary population played an important role in the history of Central Asia. After expansion by [[Turkic peoples]], Central Asia also became the homeland for many [[Turkic peoples]], including the [[Kazakhs]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]], [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] and [[Uyghur people|Uyghurs]]. Central Asia is sometimes referred to as [[Turkestan]].
 
==Definitions==
[[Image:Central Asia borders4.png|260px|thumb|Three sets of possible boundaries for the region]]
[[Image:Central Asia world region2.png|326px|thumb|Central Asia's location as a region of the world]]
 
The idea of Central Asia as a distinct region of the world was introduced in 1843 by the geographer [[Alexander von Humboldt]]. The borders of Central Asia are subject to multiple definitions.
 
The most limited definition was the official one of the [[Soviet Union]], which defined Middle Asia as consisting solely of [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Tajikistan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]]. This definition was also often used outside the USSR during this period.
 
However, the [[Russian culture]] has two distinct terms: ''Средняя Азия'' (''Srednjaja Azija'' or "[[Middle Asia]]", the narrower definition, which includes only those traditionally non-Slavic, Central Asian lands that were incorporated within those borders of historical Russia) and ''Центральная Азия'' (''Central'naja Azija'' or "Central Asia", the wider definition, which includes Central Asian lands that have never been part of historical Russia).
 
Soon after independence, the leaders of the four former [[Soviet Central Asia|Soviet Central Asian Republics]] met in [[Tashkent]] and declared that the definition of Central Asia should include Kazakhstan as well as the original four included by the Soviets. Since then, this has become the most common definition of Central Asia.
 
The [[UNESCO]] general history of Central Asia, written just before the collapse of the USSR, defines the region based on climate and uses far larger borders. According to it, Central Asia includes [[Mongolia]], [[Tibet]], northeast [[Iran]] ([[Golestan Province|Golestan]], [[North Khorasan Province|North Khorasan]] and [[Razavi Khorasan Province|Razavi]] provinces), Afghanistan, [[Northern Areas]], [[N.W.F.P.]], [[Azad Kashmir]] and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] provinces of [[Pakistan]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]] of [[India]], central-east Russia south of the [[Taiga]], and the former Central Asian Soviet republics (the five "Stans" of the former [[Soviet Union]]).
 
An alternative method is to define the region based on ethnicity, and in particular, areas populated by Eastern [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]], Eastern [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]], or [[Mongols|Mongolian]] peoples. These areas include [[Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]], the Turkic regions of southern [[Siberia]], the five republics, and [[Afghan Turkestan]]. Afghanistan as a whole, the Northern Areas of Pakistan and the [[Kashmir Valley]] may also be included. The [[Tibetans]] and [[Ladakhi]] are also included. Insofar, most of the mentioned peoples are considered the "indigenous" peoples of the vast region.
 
There are several places that claim to be the geographic center of Asia, for example [[Kyzyl]], the capital of [[Tuva]] in the [[Russian Federation]], and a village {{convert|200|mi|km}} north of [[Ürümqi]], the capital of the [[Xinjiang]] region of China.<ref>[http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=12710 43°40'52"N 87°19'52"E] Degree Confluence Project.</ref>
 
==Geography==
[[Image:Location-Asia-UNsubregions.png|thumb|225px|[[United Nations geoscheme for Asia]]:
{{legend|#0000E0|[[North Asia]]}}
{{legend|#E000E0|Central Asia}}
{{legend|#00E000|[[Southwest Asia]]}}
{{legend|#E00000|[[South Asia]]}}
{{legend|#FFFF20|[[East Asia]]}}
{{legend|#FFC000|[[Southeast Asia]]}}]]
 
Central Asia is an extremely large region of varied geography, including high passes and [[mountain ranges|mountains]] ([[Tian Shan]]), vast [[desert]]s ([[Kara Kum]], [[Kyzyl Kum]], [[Taklamakan]]), and especially treeless, grassy [[steppe]]s. The vast steppe areas of Central Asia are considered together with the steppes of [[Eastern Europe]] as a homogeneous geographical zone known as the [[Eurasian Steppe]].
 
Much of the land of Central Asia is too dry or too rugged for farming. The [[Gobi desert]] extends from the foot of the [[Pamir Mountains|Pamirs]], 77°&nbsp;E, to the [[Great Khingan]] (Da Hinggan) Mountains, 116°–118°&nbsp;E.
 
Central Asia has the following geographic extremes:
* The world's northernmost [[desert]] ([[dune|sand dunes]]), at Buurug Deliin Els, [[Mongolia]], 50°18′&nbsp;N.
* The [[Northern Hemisphere|Northern Hemisphere's]] southernmost [[permafrost]], at Erdenetsogt sum, [[Mongolia]], 46°17′&nbsp;N.
* The world's shortest distance between non-frozen [[desert]] and [[permafrost]]: {{convert|770|km|mi|abbr=on}}.
* The Eurasian [[pole of inaccessibility]].
 
A majority of the people earn a living by herding livestock. Industrial activity centers in the region's cities.
 
Major rivers of the region include the [[Amu Darya]], the [[Syr Darya]], the [[Hari River, Afghanistan|Hari River]] and the [[Morghab River (Afghanistan)|Murghab River]]. Major bodies of water include the [[Aral Sea]] and [[Lake Balkhash]], both of which are part of the huge west-central Asian [[endorheic]] basin that also includes the [[Caspian Sea]].
 
Both of these bodies of water have shrunk significantly in recent decades due to diversion of water from rivers that feed them for irrigation and industrial purposes. Water is an extremely valuable resource in arid Central Asia and can lead to rather significant international disputes.
 
==Divisions==
The northern belt is part of the Eurasian Steppe. In the northwest, north of the Caspian Sea, Central Asia merges into the Russian Steppe. To the northeast, [[Dzungaria]] and the [[Tarim Basin]] may sometimes be included in Central Asia. Just west of Dzungaria, [[Zhetysu]], or Semirechye, is south of [[Lake Balkhash]] and north of the [[Tian Shan]] Mountains. [[Khorezm]] is south of the [[Aral Sea]] along the [[Amu Darya]]. Southeast of the Aral Sea, Maveranahr is between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. [[Transoxiana]] is the land north of the middle and upper Amu Darya (Oxus). [[Bactria]] included northern Afghanistan and the upper Amu Darya. [[Sogdiana]] was north of Bactria and included the trading cities of Bukhara and Samarkhand. [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] and [[Margiana]] approximate northeastern Iran. The [[Kyzyl Kum]] Desert is northeast of the Amu Darya, and the [[Karakum Desert]] southwest of it.
 
===Climate===
 
Since Central Asia is not buffered by a large body of water, temperature fluctuations are more severe.
 
According to the [[Biome#WWF system|WWF Ecozones system]], Central Asia is part of the [[Palearctic]] [[ecozone]]. The largest [[biome]] in Central Asia is the [[temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] biome. Central Asia also contains the [[montane grasslands and shrublands]], [[deserts and xeric shrublands]] and [[temperate coniferous forests]] biomes.
 
==History==
{{Main|History of Central Asia}}
[[Image:Scythia-Parthia 100 BC.png|thumb|right|160px|Geographical extent of Iranian influence in the 1st century BC. [[Scythia]] (mostly [[Eastern Iranian languages|Eastern Iranian]]) is shown in orange.]]
 
The history of Central Asia is defined by the area's climate and geography. The aridness of the region made [[Agriculture in Central Asia|agriculture]] difficult, and its distance from the sea cut it off from much trade. Thus, few major cities developed in the region; instead, the area was for millennia dominated by the nomadic horse peoples of the [[steppe]].
 
Relations between the [[Eurasian nomads|steppe nomads]] and the settled people in and around Central Asia were long marked by conflict. The nomadic lifestyle was well suited to [[war]]fare, and the steppe [[Horses in warfare|horse riders]] became some of the most militarily potent peoples in the world, limited only by their lack of internal unity. Any internal unity that was achieved was most probably due to the influence of the [[Silk Road]], which traveled along Central Asia. Periodically, great leaders or changing conditions would organize several tribes into one force and create an almost unstoppable power. These included the [[Huns|Hun]] invasion of Europe, the [[Wu Hu]] attacks on China and most notably the [[Timeline of Mongol conquests|Mongol conquest]] of much of [[Eurasia]].<ref>[http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Ibn_Battuta/Battuta's_Trip_Three.html A Land Conquered by the Mongols]</ref>
[[File:Men from Khiva.JPG|thumb|left|154px|Uzbek men from [[Khiva]]]]
During pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, southern Central Asia was inhabited predominantly by speakers of [[Iranian languages]].<ref name="ReferenceA" /><ref>C.E. Bosworth, "The Appearance of the Arabs in Central Asia under the Umayyads and the establishment of Islam", in ''History of Civilizations of Central Asia'', Vol. IV: The Age of Achievement: AD 750 to the End of the Fifteenth Century, Part One: The Historical, Social and Economic Setting, edited by M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth. Multiple History Series. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 1998. excerpt from page 23: "Central Asia in the early seventh century, was ethnically, still largely an Iranian land whose people used various Middle Iranian languages.</ref> Among the ancient sedentary [[Iranian peoples]], the [[Sogdian people|Sogdian]]s and [[Khwarezmian language|Chorasmians]] played an important role, while Iranian peoples such as [[Scythians]] and the later on [[Alans]] lived a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. The well-preserved [[Tarim mummies]] with [[Caucasoid]] features have been found in the [[Tarim Basin]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Robert J. | last = Saiget | authorlink = | title = Caucasians preceded East Asians in basin | url = http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20050419-101056-2135r.htm | work = The Washington Times | publisher = News World Communications | date = 19 April 2005 | accessdate = 20 August 2007 | quote = A study last year by [[Jilin]] University also found that the mummies' DNA had Europoid genes.| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20050420224622/http://washingtontimes.com/world/20050419-101056-2135r.htm | archivedate = 20 April 2005}}</ref>
 
The main migration of [[Turkic peoples]] occurred between the 5th and 10th centuries, when they spread across most of Central Asia. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the [[Mongols]] conquered and ruled the largest contiguous empire in recorded history. Most of Central Asia fell under the control of the [[Chagatai Khanate]].
[[File:SB - Kazakh man on horse with golden eagle.jpg|thumb|190px|Kazakh man on a horse with golden eagle]]
The dominance of the nomads ended in the 16th century, as [[firearm]]s allowed settled peoples to gain control of the region. [[Russia]], [[China]], and other powers expanded into the region and had captured the bulk of Central Asia by the end of the 19th century. After the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], the Central Asian regions were incorporated into the Soviet Union. Mongolia remained independent but became a Soviet [[satellite state]]. However, Afghanistan remained independent of any influence by the Russian empire.
 
The Soviet areas of Central Asia saw much industrialization and construction of infrastructure, but also the suppression of local cultures, hundreds of thousands of deaths from failed collectivization programs, and a lasting legacy of ethnic tensions and environmental problems. Soviet authorities [[Population transfer in the Soviet Union|deported]] millions of people, including entire nationalities,<ref>[http://www.faqs.org/minorities/USSR/Deported-Nationalities.html Deported Nationalities]</ref> from western areas of the USSR to Central Asia and [[Siberia]].<ref>[http://www.anneapplebaum.com/gulag/intro.html Anne Applebaum – Gulag: A History Intro]</ref> According to Touraj Atabaki and Sanjyot Mehendale, "From 1959 to 1970, about two million people from various parts of the Soviet Union migrated to Central Asia, of which about one million moved to Kazakhstan."<ref>"''[http://books.google.com/books?id=zwKBZmpBo5YC&pg=PA66&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false Central Asia and the Caucasus: transnationalism and diaspora]''". Touraj Atabaki, Sanjyot Mehendale (2005). p.66. ISBN 0-415-33260-5</ref>
 
With the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]], five countries gained independence. In nearly all the new states, former Communist Party officials retained power as local strongmen. None of the new republics could be considered functional democracies in the early days of independence, although it appears [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Kazakhstan]] and [[Mongolia]] have made great strides, unlike [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Turkmenistan]].{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}
 
==Culture==
[[File:Ertugrul Gazi Mosque in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.jpg|thumb|The [[Ertugrul gazi|Ärtogrul Gazy Mosque]] in [[Ashgabat]] named after the father of [[Osman I|Osman Ghazi]], the founder of the [[Ottoman Empire]]]]
===Religions===<!-- This section is linked from [[Kashgar]] -->
{{see|Islam in Central Asia}}
[[Islam]] is the religion most common in the [[Central Asian Republics]], [[Afghanistan]], Xinjiang and the peripheral western regions, such as [[Bashkiria]]. Most Central Asian Muslims are [[Sunni]], although there are sizable [[Shia Islam|Shia]] minorities in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
 
[[Zoroastrianism]], a religion with origins in [[Zoroastrianism#Iran_and_Central_Asia|Afghanistan]], was a major faith in Central Asia prior to the arrival of Islam. It's influences is still felt today in such celebrations as [[Nowruz]], held in all five of the "core" Central Asian states.
 
[[Buddhism in Central Asia|Buddhism]] was a prominent religion in Central Asia prior to the arrival of Islam, and the [[Silk Road transmission of Buddhism|transmission of Buddhism along the Silk Road]] eventually brought the religion to China. Amongst the [[Turkic peoples]], [[Tengriism|Tengrianism]] was the popular religion before arrival of Islam. [[Tibetan Buddhism]] is most common in Tibet, Mongolia, [[Ladakh]] and the southern Russian regions of Siberia, where [[Shamanism]] is also popular (including forms of [[divination]], such as [[Kumalak]]). Contact and migration with [[Han Chinese|Han people]] from China has brought [[Confucianism]] and other beliefs into the region.
 
[[Nestorianism]] was the form of Christianity most practiced in the region in previous centuries, but now the largest denomination is the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], with many members in Kazakhstan. The [[Bukharan Jews]] were once a sizable community in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but nearly all have emigrated since the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]].
 
===Arts===
{{see|Music of Central Asia}}
[[Image:Yama the Lord of Death.jpg|thumb|left|100px|[[Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yama]], the Lord of Death. Note the human skulls and severed heads that festoon Yama's crown and necklace, which give some concept of the size that Yama was expected to be when one faced him at one's death. This particular [[Dharmapala]] is painted wood, four feet high in total.]]
At the crossroads of Asia, shamanistic practices live alongside [[Buddhism]]. Thus, [[Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yama]], Lord of Death, was revered in Tibet as a spiritual guardian and judge. Mongolian Buddhism, in particular, was influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. The [[Qianlong]] Emperor of China in the 18th century was Tibetan Buddhist and would sometimes travel from [[Beijing]] to other cities for personal religious worship.
 
Central Asia also has an indigenous form of improvisational [[oral poetry]] that is over 1000 years old. It is principally practiced in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan by ''akyns'', lyrical improvisationists. They engage in [[Freestyle battle|lyrical battles]], the ''aitysh'' or the ''alym sabak''. The tradition arose out of early bardic [[Oral history|oral historians]]. They are usually accompanied by a [[String instrument|stringed instrument]]—in Kyrgyzstan, a three-stringed ''[[komuz]]'', and in Kazakhstan, a similar two-stringed instrument.
 
Photography in Central Asia began to develop after 1882, when a [[Russian Mennonite]] [[photographer]] named Wilhelm Penner moved to the [[Khanate of Khiva]] during the Mennonite migration to Central Asia led by [[Claas Epp, Jr.]]. Upon his arrival to [[Khanate of Khiva]], Penner shared his photography skills with a local student Khudaybergen Divanov, who later became the founder of the [[Uzbek photography]].<ref>Walter Ratliff, "Pilgrims on the Silk Road: A Muslim-Christian Encounter in Khiva", Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010</ref>
 
Some also learn to sing the ''[[Manas (epic)|Manas]]'', Kyrgyzstan's epic poem (those who learn the ''Manas'' exclusively but do not improvise are called ''manaschis''). During Soviet rule, ''akyn'' performance was co-opted by the authorities and subsequently declined in popularity. With the fall of the Soviet Union, it has enjoyed a resurgence, although ''akyns'' still do use their art to campaign for political candidates. A 2005 ''[[Washington Post]]'' article proposed a similarity between the improvisational art of ''akyns'' and modern [[freestyle rap]] performed in the West.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10646-2005Mar5.html «In Central Asia, a Revival of an Ancient Form of Rap - Art of Ad-Libbing Oral History Draws New Devotees in Post-Communist Era» by Peter Finn, Washington Post Foreign Service, Sunday, March 6, 2005, p. A20.]</ref>
 
As a consequence of Russian colonization, European fine arts - painting, sculpture and graphics - have developed in Central Asia. The first years of the Soviet regime saw the appearance of modernism, which took inspiration from the Russian avant-garde movement. Until the 80's Central Asian arts had developed along with general tendencies of Soviet arts. In the 90's, arts of the region underwent some significant changes. Institutionally speaking, some fields of arts were regulated by the birth of the art market, some stayed as representatives of official views, while many were sponsored by international organizations. The years of 1990 - 2000 were times for the establishment of contemporary arts. In the region, many important international exhibitions are taking place, Central Asian art is represented in European and American museums, and the Central Asian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale has been organized since 2005.
 
==Territory and region data==
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#ececec;"
! [[Country]]
! [[List of countries by area|Area]]<br />km²
! [[List of countries by population|Population]]<br />(2009)
! [[List of countries by population density|Population density]]<br />per km²
! [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|Nominal GDP]]<br />millions of USD (2009)
! [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|GDP per capita]]<br />(2009)
! [[Capital (political)|Capital]]
! [[Official languages]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,724,900
| style="text-align:center;"| 16,004,800
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
| style="text-align:center;"| 109,273
| style="text-align:center;"| $6,823
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Astana]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], [[Russian language|Russian]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 199,900
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,482,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,570
| style="text-align:center;"| $850
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Bishkek]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]], [[Russian language|Russian]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Tajikistan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 143,100
| style="text-align:center;"| 7,349,145
| style="text-align:center;"| 51
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,982
| style="text-align:center;"| $766
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Dushanbe]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Tajik language|Tajik (Persian)]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Turkmenistan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 488,100
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,110,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| style="text-align:center;"| 16,197
| style="text-align:center;"| $3,242
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Ashgabat]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 447,400
| style="text-align:center;"| 27,606,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 62
| style="text-align:center;"| 32,816
| style="text-align:center;"| $1,175
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Tashkent]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]]
|}
 
===Nations with territories sometimes included===
 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#ececec;"
! [[Country]] or [[Territory (administrative division)|Territory]]
! [[List of countries by area|Area]]<br />km²
! [[List of countries by population|Population]]<br />(2009)
! [[List of countries by population density|Population density]]<br />per km²
! [[Capital (political)|Capital]]
! [[Official languages]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 647,500
| style="text-align:center;"| 31,889,923
| style="text-align:center;"| 49
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Kabul]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Pashto]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|China}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 9,640,821
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,338,612,968
| style="text-align:center;"| 139.6
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Beijing]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Chinese language|Chinese]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Iran}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,648,195
| style="text-align:center;"| 76,923,300
| style="text-align:center;"| 45
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Tehran]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Persian language|Persian]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Mongolia}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,564,116
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,736,800
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Ulan Bator]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]
|-
| style="text-align:left," | {{flag|Pakistan}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 803,940
| style="text-align:center;"| 168,925,500
| style="text-align:center;"| 210
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Islamabad]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Urdu]], [[English language|English]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{flag|Russia}}
| style="text-align:center;"| 13,000,000
| style="text-align:center;"| 141,945,966
| style="text-align:center;"| 8.3
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Moscow]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Russian language|Russian]]
|}
 
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demography of Central Asia}}
 
By a broad definition including Mongolia and Afghanistan, but excluding Pakistan, more than 90 million people live in Central Asia, about 2% of Asia's total population. Of the regions of Asia, only [[North Asia]] has fewer people. It has a population density of 9 people per km², vastly less than the 80.5 people per km² of the continent as a whole.
 
===Languages===
<!-- ''[[Central Asian Languages|Main Article]]'' -->
 
[[Russian language|Russian]], as well as being spoken by around six million ethnic [[Russians]] and [[Ukrainians]] of Central Asia,<ref>Robert Greenall, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4420922.stm Russians left behind in Central Asia], [[BBC News]], 23 November 2005.</ref> is the defacto [[lingua franca]] throughout the former Soviet Central Asian Republics. [[Chinese language|Mandarin Chinese]] has an equally dominant presence in [[Inner Mongolia]], [[Qinghai]] and [[Xinjiang]].
 
The languages of the majority of the inhabitants of the former Soviet [[Central Asian Republics]] come from the [[Turkic languages|Turkic language group]].<ref>[http://www.hunmagyar.org/turan/ethno.html Ethnographic maps]</ref> [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]], is mainly spoken in [[Turkmenistan]], and as a minority language in [[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]] and [[Turkey]]. [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] and [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] are related languages of the [[Kipchaks|Kypchak]] group of Turkic languages and are spoken throughout [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and as a minority language in [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Xinjiang]]. [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] and [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] are spoken in [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Xinjiang]].
 
The [[Turkic language]]s may belong to a larger, but controversial, [[Altaic language]] family, which includes [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]. Mongolian is spoken throughout Mongolia and into Buryatia, Kalmyk, Tuva, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang.
 
[[Iranian languages]] were once spoken throughout Central Asia, such as the once prominent [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]], [[Khwarezmian language|Khwarezmian]], [[Bactrian language|Bactrian]] and [[Scythian language|Scythian]] languages are now extinct. The Eastern Iranian language of [[Pashto language|Pashto]] is still spoken in [[Afghanistan]] and northwestern [[Pakistan]], and other minor East Iranian languages, such as [[Shughni language|Shughni]], [[Munji language|Munji]], [[Ishkashimi language|Ishkashimi]], [[Sarikoli language|Sarikoli]], [[Wakhi language|Wakhi]], [[Yaghnobi language|Yaghnobi]] and [[Ossetic language|Ossetian]], are also spoken in various places in Central Asia. Varieties of [[Persian language|Persian]] are also spoken as a major language in the region. Locally known as [[Dari (Eastern Persian)|Darī]] (in Afghanistan), [[Tajik language|Tojikī]] (by Tajiks in Tajikistan), and [[Bukhori language|Bukhori]] (by the [[Bukharan Jews]] all over Central Asia).
 
Other languages and language groups include the [[Tibetan language]], spoken by around six million people across the [[Tibetan Plateau]] and into [[Qinghai]], [[Sichuan]] and Ladakh. [[Dardic languages]], such as [[Shina language|Shina]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] and [[Khowar]], are predominant in the northern areas of Pakistan, as well as in Ladakh of [[India]] and NWFP of [[Pakistan]].
 
As a note, [[Tocharian languages|Tocharian]], an [[Indo-European]] language, was once spoken in [[Xinjiang]] and parts of [[Tokharistan|Afghanistan]], but is now extinct.
 
==Geostrategy==
{{Main|Geostrategy in Central Asia}}
 
Central Asia has long been a strategic location merely because of its proximity to several great powers on the Eurasian landmass. The region itself never held a dominant stationary population nor was able to make use of natural resources. Thus, it has rarely throughout history become the seat of power for an empire or influential state. Central Asia has been divided, redivided, conquered out of existence, and fragmented time and time again. Central Asia has served more as the battleground for outside powers than as a power in its own right.
 
Central Asia had both the advantage and disadvantage of a central location between four historical seats of power. From its central location, it has access to trade routes to and from all the regional powers. On the other hand, it has been continuously vulnerable to attack from all sides throughout its history, resulting in political fragmentation or outright power vacuum, as it is successively dominated.
[[Image:Great Game cartoon from 1878.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Political cartoon from the period of the [[The Great Game|Great Game]] showing the Afghan Amir Sher Ali with his "friends" Imperial Russia and the United Kingdom (1878)]]
* To the North, the steppe allowed for rapid mobility, first for nomadic horseback warriors like the Huns and Mongols, and later for Russian traders, eventually supported by railroads. As the Russian Empire expanded to the East, it would also push down into Central Asia towards the sea, in a search for warm water ports. The Soviet bloc would reinforce dominance from the North and attempt to project power as far south as Afghanistan.
* To the East, the demographic and cultural weight of Chinese empires continually pushed outward into Central Asia. The Manchu Qing dynasty would conquer Xinjiang and Tibet. However, with the Sino-Soviet split, China would project power into Central Asia, most notably in the case of Afghanistan, to counter Russian dominance of the region.
* To the Southeast, the demographic and cultural influence of India was felt in Central Asia, notably in Tibet, the [[Hindu Kush]], and slightly beyond. Several historical Indian dynasties, especially those seated along the Indus River, would expand into Central Asia. India's ability to project power into Central Asia has been limited due to the mountain ranges in Pakistan, as well as the cultural differences between Hindu India and what would become a mostly Muslim Central Asia. From its base in India, the [[British Empire]] competed with the Russian Empire for influence in the region in the 19th and 20th centuries.
* To the Southwest, Western Asian powers have expanded into the southern areas of Central Asia (usually Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan). Several Persian empires would conquer and reconquer parts of Central Asia; Alexander the Great's Hellenic empire would extend into Central Asia; two Islamic empires would exert substantial influence throughout the region; and the modern state of Iran has projected influence throughout the region as well.
 
In the post–Cold War era, Central Asia is an ethnic cauldron, prone to instability and conflicts, without a sense of national identity, but rather a mess of historical cultural influences, tribal and clan loyalties, and religious fervor. Projecting influence into the area is no longer just Russia, but also Turkey, Iran, China, Pakistan, India and the United States:
* Russia continues to dominate political decision-making throughout the former SSRs; although, as other countries move into the area, Russia's influence has begun to wane.
* The United States, with its military involvement in the region and oil diplomacy, is also significantly involved in the region's politics. The United States and other NATO members are the main contributors to the [[International Security Assistance Force]] in Afghanistan and also exert considerable influence in other Central Asian nations.
* China has security ties with Central Asian states through the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization]], and conducts energy trade [[bilaterally]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/10883/shanghai_cooperation_organization.html|title=The Shanghai Cooperation Organization|first=Andrew|last=Scheineson|date=2009-03-24|accessdate=2010-09-24|work=Backgrounder|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]}}</ref>
* India has geographic proximity to the Central Asian region and, in addition, enjoys considerable influence on Afghanistan.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7492982.stm India: Afghanistan's influential ally]</ref><ref>[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1945666,00.html India, Pakistan and the Battle for Afghanista]</ref> India maintains a military base at [[Farkhor Air Base|Farkhor]], Tajikistan, and also has extensive military relations with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.<ref name=Reiter>{{cite book
|last = Reiter
|first = Erich
|title = The Impact of Asian Powers on Global Developments
|publisher = Springer, 2004
|isbn = 3790800929, 9783790800920}}</ref>
* Turkey also exerts considerable influence in the region on account of its ethnic and linguistic ties with the Turkic peoples of Central Asia and its involvement in the [[Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline|Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline]]. Political and economic relations are growing rapidly (e.g., Turkey recently eliminated visa requirements for citizens of the Central Asian Turkic republics).
* Iran, the seat of historical empires that controlled parts of Central Asia, has historical and cultural links to the region and is vying to construct an oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.
* [[Pakistan]], a nuclear-armed Islamic state, has a history of political relations with neighboring Afghanistan and is termed capable of exercising influence. For some Central Asian nations, the shortest route to the ocean lies through Pakistan. Pakistan seeks [[natural gas]] from Central Asia and supports the development of pipelines from its countries. The mountain ranges and areas in northern Pakistan lie on the fringes of greater Central Asia; the [[Gilgit-Baltistan]] region of Pakistan lies adjacent to Tajikistan, separated only by the narrow Afghan [[Wakhan Corridor]]. Being located on the northwest of South Asia, the area forming modern-day Pakistan maintained extensive historical and cultural links with the region.
 
===War on Terror===
In the context of the United States' [[War on Terror]], Central Asia has once again become the center of geostrategic calculations. Pakistan's status has been upgraded by the U.S. government to [[Major non-NATO ally]] because of its central role in serving as a staging point for the invasion of Afghanistan, providing intelligence on Al-Qaeda operations in the region, and leading the hunt on Osama bin Laden.
 
Afghanistan, which had served as a haven and source of support for Al-Qaeda under the protection of Mullah Omar and the [[Taliban]], was the target of a [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|U.S. invasion]] in 2001 and ongoing reconstruction and drug-eradication efforts. U.S. military bases have also been established in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, causing both Russia and the People's Republic of China to voice their concern over a permanent U.S. military presence in the region.
 
Western governments have accused Russia, China and the former Soviet republics of justifying the suppression of separatist movements, and the associated ethnics and religion with the War on Terror.
 
==Major cultural and economic centres==
{{legend2|#CCEEFF|Cities within the possible boundaries of Central Asia|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:100px;"|City
! style="width:150px;"|Country
! style="width:100px;"|Population
! style="width:200px;"|Image
! style="width:350px;"|Information
|-
| [[Astana]]
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| 708,794<br>(2010)
|
| The capital and second largest city in Kazakhstan. After Kazakhstan gained its independence in 1991, the city and the region were renamed Aqmola. The name was often translated as "White Tombstone", but actually means "Holy Place" or "Holy Shrine". The "White Tombstone" literal translation was too appropriate for many visitors to escape notice in almost all guide books and travel accounts. In 1994, the city was designated as the future capital of the newly independent country and again renamed to the present Astana after the capital was officially moved from [[Almaty]] in 1997.
|-
| [[Almaty]]
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| 1,421,868<br>(2010)
|
| It was the capital of Kazakhstan (and its predecessor, the [[Kazakh SSR]]) from 1929 to 1998. Despite losing its status as the capital, Almaty remains the major commercial center of Kazakhstan. It is a recognised financial centre of Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region.
|-
| [[Bishkek]]
| {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| 865,527<br>(2009)
| [[File:E7904-Bishkek-Ala-Too-Square.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative center of [[Chuy Province]], which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province, but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.
|-
| [[Osh]]
| {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| 243,216<br>(2009)
| [[File:Osh from Suleymanka mountain.jpg|200px]]
| The second largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Osh is also the administrative center of [[Osh Province]], which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province, but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.
|-
| [[Dushanbe]]
| {{flag|Tajikistan}}
| 679,400<br>(2008)
| [[File:Dushanbe panorama 07.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city of Tajikistan. Dushanbe means "Monday" in [[Tajik language|Tajik]] and [[Persian language|Persian]],<ref>D. Saimaddinov, S. D. Kholmatova, and S. Karimov, ''Tajik-Russian Dictionary'', Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan, Rudaki Institute of Language and Literature, Scientific Center for Persian-Tajik Culture, Dushanbe, 2006.</ref> and the name reflects the fact that the city grew on the site of a village that originally was a popular Monday [[marketplace]].
|-
| [[Ashgabat]]
| {{flag|Turkmenistan}}
| 909,000<br>(2009)
| [[Image:PresidentialPalaceAshgabat.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat is a relatively young city, growing out of a village of the same name established by [[Russian Empire|Russians]] in 1818. It is not far from the site of [[Nisa (village)|Nisa]], the ancient capital of the [[Parthia]]ns, and it grew on the ruins of the [[Silk Road]] city of Konjikala, which was first mentioned as a wine-producing village in the 2nd century BCE and was leveled by an earthquake in the 1st century BCE (a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake). Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the Silk Road, and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th century CE. After that, it survived as a small village until the Russians took over in the 19th century.<ref>[http://www.geographicbureau.com/trips/central_asia/turkmenistan/info/brief_description_of_the_main_s.jdx Konjikala]: the Silk Road precursor of Ashgabat</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=UGanxmJgQNIC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=konjikala&source=bl&ots=76-v-N-YOn&sig=_SxnsotPclSEHqnFjepj4qQhlzc&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA41,M1 Konjikala], in: MaryLee Knowlton, ''Turkmenistan'', Marshall Cavendish, 2006, pp. 40-41, ISBN 0-7614-2014-2, ISBN 978-0-7614-2014-9 (viewable on [[Google Books]]).</ref>
|-
| [[Bukhara]]
| {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| 237,900<br>(1999)
| [[File:Uzbekistan 2007 092 Bukhara.jpg|200px]]
| The nation's fifth-largest city and the capital of the [[Bukhara Province]] of Uzbekistan. Bukhara has been one of the main centres of Persian civilization from its early days in the 6th century BCE, and, since 12th century CE, Turkic speakers gradually moved in. Its architecture and archaeological sites form one of the pillars of Central Asian history and art.
|-
| [[Samarkand]]
| {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| 596,300<br>(2008)
| [[Image:Samarkand view from the top.jpg|200px]]
| The second largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of [[Samarqand Province]]. The city is most noted for its central position on the [[Silk Road]] between [[People's Republic of China|China]] and the West, and for being an Islamic centre for scholarly study.
|-
|[[Tashkent]]
| {{flag|Uzbekistan}}
| 2,180,000<br>(2008)
| [[File:Aerial view of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.JPG|200px]]
| The capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. In pre-Islamic and early Islamic times, the town and the province were known as Chach. Tashkent started as an [[oasis]] on the [[Chirchik River]], near the foothills of the [[Golestan Province|Golestan]] Mountains. In ancient times, this area contained Beitian, probably the summer "capital" of the [[Kangju]] confederacy.<ref>Pulleyblank, Edwin G. 1963. "The consonantal system of Old Chinese." ''Asia Major 9'' (1963), p. 94.</ref>
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Kabul]]
| {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| 3,895,000<br>(2011)
| [[Image:Kabul Skyline.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city of Afghanistan. The city of Kabul is thought to have been established between 2000&nbsp;BCE and 1500&nbsp;BCE.<ref>''The history of Afghanistan'', [http://www.gandhara.com.au/afghan_table.html Ghandara.com website]</ref> In the [[Rigveda|Rig Veda]] (composed between 1700–1100&nbsp;BCE), the word ''Kubhā'' is mentioned, which appears to refer to the [[Kabul River]].<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KG0xJ659O1QC&pg=PA385 "Kabul" ''Chambers's Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge'' (1901 edition) J.B. Lippincott Company, NY, page 385]</ref>
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Mazar-e Sharif]]
| {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| 375,181<br>(2008)
| [[File:Mi-17 helicopter flies over the northern Afghan city-101113-N-5006D-582.jpg|200px]]
| The fourth largest city in Afghanistan and capital of [[Balkh province]] is linked by roads to [[Kabul]] in the southeast, [[Herat]] to the west and Uzbekistan to the north.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Hohhot]]
| {{flagicon|PRC}} [[People's Republic of China|China]]
| 2,866,615<br>(2010)
| [[File:Hohhot Central Square.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city in [[Inner Mongolia|Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region]] and the cultural center of the [[Mongols]] in China.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Lanzhou]]
| {{flagicon|PRC}} [[People's Republic of China|China]]
| 3,616,163<br>(2010)
| [[File:Lanzhou-036.JPG|200px]]
| The capital and largest city in [[Gansu|Gansu Province]] and one of the economic center of western China. Two thousand years ago, Lanzhou was an important town on the [[Silk Road]], a vast network of trade routes that also facilitated cultural exchanges throughout [[Eurasia]].
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Ürümqi]]
| {{flagicon|PRC}} [[People's Republic of China|China]]
| 3,110,280<br>(2010)
| [[File:Urumqi panorama.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city in [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]] and the cultural center of the [[Uyghur people|Uyghurs]]. Two thousand years ago, Ürümqi was an important town on the northern route of the [[Silk Road]], a vast network of trade routes that also facilitated cultural exchanges throughout [[Eurasia]].
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Yinchuan]]
| {{flagicon|PRC}} [[People's Republic of China|China]]
| 1,993,088<br>(2010)
| [[File:Yinchuan aerial.JPG|200px]]
| The capital and largest city in [[Ningxia|Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region]] and the cultural center of the [[Hui people|Hui]] in China.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Mashhad]]
| {{flag|Iran}}
| 2,907,316<br>(2006)
|
| The second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the [[Shia]] world. At the beginning of the 9th century (3rd century AH), Mashhad was a small village called Sanabad situated 24&nbsp;km away from [[Tous, Iran|Tus]]. It was not considered a great city until [[Mongol raids]] in 1220 caused the destruction of many large cities in the [[Greater Khorasan]] territories, leaving Mashhad relatively intact. Thus, the survivors of the massacres migrated to Mashhad.<ref name="Zabeth 1999 pp. 14-15">Zabeth (1999) pp. 14-15</ref>
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Nishapur]]
| {{flag|Iran}}
| 270,972<br>(2006)
| [[File:Dizbad Nishapur Panorama.jpg|200px]]
| The city is located in the [[Razavi Khorasan province]] in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the [[Mount Binalud|Binalud Mountains]], near the regional capital of [[Mashhad]]. It is the hometown of several respected Persian poets and artists, including [[Omar Khayyám]], [[Attar Neyshapuri]] and [[Kamal-ol-molk]].
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Tus, Iran|Tus]]
| {{flag|Iran}}
| N/A
| [[Image:Ferdowsi tomb1.jpg|200px]]
| An ancient city in the Iranian province of [[Razavi Khorasan]]. To the ancient Greeks, it was known as Susia (Gr. ''Σούσια''). It was captured by Alexander the Great in 330&nbsp;BC. The city was almost entirely destroyed by [[Genghis Khan]]'s Mongol conquest in 1220.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Ulan Bator|Ulaanbaatar]]
| {{flag|Mongolia}}
| 1,172,400<br>(2011)
| [[File:UlaanBaatar-2009.jpg|200px]]
| The capital and largest city in [[Mongolia]] and the cultural center of the [[Mongolian people|Mongolians]]. The city was founded in 1639 as an initially nomadic [[Buddhism in Mongolia|Buddhist]] [[Buddhist monasticism|monastic]] centre. Since 1778, it has been located in the Tuul River valley. In the 20th century, Ulaanbaatar grew into a major manufacturing centre.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Peshawar]]
| {{flag|Pakistan}}
| 3,625,000<br>(2010)
|
| Peshawar is the capital of the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] province of Pakistan, located on the edge of the [[Khyber Pass]] near the [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] border. In ancient times, a major settlement called Purushpur ([[Sanskrit]] for "city of men") was established by [[Kanishka]], the [[Kushans|Kushan]] king, in the general area of modern Peshawar. Purushpur emerged as a major center of Buddhist learning, and the capital of the ancient [[Gandhara]] was moved to Peshawar in the 2nd century CE. During much of its history, Peshawar was one of the main trading centres on the ancient [[Silk Road]] and was a major crossroads for various cultures between Central Asia, [[South Asia]] and the [[Middle East]].
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Novosibirsk]]
| {{flag|Russia}}
| 1,473,700<br>(2010)
| [[File:Вид на правый берег с Коммунального моста.jpg|200px]]
| Novosibirsk is the capital of [[Novosibirsk Oblast]], located on the edge of [[Siberia]] near the [[Kazakhstan]] border. Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia and third largest city in Russia.
|- bgcolor=#CCEEFF
| [[Omsk]]
| {{flag|Russia}}
| 1,154,000<br>(2010)
| [[File:SIrtysha.jpg|200px]]
| Omsk is the capital of [[Omsk Oblast]], located on the edge of [[Siberia]] near the [[Kazakhstan]] border.Omsk is the second largest city in east of the Ural Mountains in Russia.
|-
{{end}}
 
==See also==
{{portal box|Geography<!-- |Eurasia -->|Asia<!-- |Central Asia -->}}
<!-- {{Wikipedia-Books}} -->
{{commons}}
<!-- {{main|Outline of Central Asia|Index of Central Asia-related articles}} -->
<!-- * [[Bibliography of Central Asia]] -->
* [http://www.cambridge-centralasia.org Cambridge Central Asia Forum]
* [[Central Asian studies]]
* [[Central Asian Union]]
* [[Pole of inaccessibility#Eurasia|Continental pole of inaccessibility]]
* [[Economic Cooperation Organization]]
* [[Hindutash]]
* [[University of Central Asia]]
* [[Central Asians in Ancient Indian literature]]
<!-- * [[Central Asian News Service]] -->
{{clear}}
 
==References==
{{reflist|45em}}
 
==Further reading==
*Chow, Edward. "Central Asia's Pipelines: Field of Dreams and Reality", in ''[http://www.nbr.org/publications/element.aspx?id=456 Pipeline Politics in Asia: The Intersection of Demand, Energy Markets, and Supply Routes]''. [[National Bureau of Asian Research]], 2010.
* Dani, A.H. and V.M. Masson, eds. ''UNESCO History of Civilizations of Central Asia''. Paris: [[UNESCO]], 1992.
* Gorshunova . Olga V. ''Svjashennye derevja Khodzhi Barora…'', ('' Sacred Trees of Khodzhi Baror: Phytolatry and the Cult of Female Deity in Central Asia'') in Etnoragraficheskoe Obozrenie, 2008, n° 1, pp.&nbsp;71–82. ISSN 0869-5415. {{ru icon}}.
* [[Michael Mandelbaum|Mandelbaum, Michael]], ed. ''Central Asia and the World: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan''. [[New York]]: [[Council on Foreign Relations]] Press, 1994.
* Marcinkowski, M. Ismail. ''Persian Historiography and Geography: Bertold Spuler on Major Works Produced in Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Pakistan and Early Ottoman Turkey''. [[Singapore]]: [[Pustaka Nasional]], 2003.
* [[Martha Brill Olcott|Olcott, Martha Brill]]. ''Central Asia's New States: Independence, Foreign policy, and Regional security''. [[Washington, D.C.]]: [[United States Institute of Peace Press]], 1996.
* [[Svat Soucek|Soucek, Svatopluk]]. ''A History of Inner Asia''. [[Cambridge]]: [[Cambridge University Press]], 2000.
* [[Ted Rall|Rall, Ted]]. ''Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?'' New York: [[NBM Publishing]], 2006.
* Stone, L.A. ''The International Politics of Central Eurasia'' (272 pp). Central Eurasian Studies On Line: Accessible via the Web Page of the International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research: http://www.iicas.org/forumen.htm
* Weston, David. [http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9211/asia.htm ''Teaching about Inner Asia''], Bloomington, Indiana: ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies, 1989.
 
==External links==
* [http://www.sras.org/library_central_asia The Library: Central ] on politics, universities, culture, languages, etc.
* '''{{youtube|EPgbIK002us|The famous symphonic picture "In the Steppes of Central Asia" of Alexander Borodin in Film "Moscow clad in snow", 00:07:22, 1908}}'''
* [http://www.cagateway.org Central Asian Gateway ] Project of UNDP and CER, managed by N. Talibdjanov (since 2003).
* [http://uiuc.libguides.com/aecontent.php?pid=109814 Modernity, State and Society in Central Asia: A Research Guide]
 
{{Countries of Central Asia}}
{{Regions of the world}}
 
[[Category:Central Asia| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Asia]]
[[Category:Biodiversity hotspots]]
 
[[ace:Asia Teungöh]]
[[an:Asia Central]]
[[ang:Middelasia]]
[[ar:آسيا الوسطى]]
[[az:Mərkəzi Asiya]]
[[be:Цэнтральная Азія]]
[[be-x-old:Цэнтральная Азія]]
[[bg:Централна Азия]]
[[bn:মধ্য এশিয়া]]
[[bs:Srednja Azija]]
[[ca:Àsia Central]]
[[ckb:ئاسیای ناوەڕاست]]
[[crh:Orta Asiya]]
[[cs:Střední Asie]]
[[cv:Тĕп Ази]]
[[cy:Canolbarth Asia]]
[[da:Centralasien]]
[[de:Zentralasien]]
[[eo:Mez-Azio]]
[[es:Asia Central]]
[[et:Kesk-Aasia]]
[[eu:Erdialdeko Asia]]
[[fa:آسیای مرکزی]]
[[fi:Keski-Aasia]]
[[fr:Asie centrale]]
[[frp:Asia centrâla]]
[[fy:Sintraal-Aazje]]
[[gl:Asia Central]]
[[he:מרכז אסיה]]
[[hi:मध्य एशिया]]
[[hr:Srednja Azija]]
[[hsb:Centralna Azija]]
[[hu:Közép-Ázsia]]
[[hy:Կենտրոնական Ասիա]]
[[id:Asia Tengah]]
[[is:Mið-Asía]]
[[it:Asia centrale]]
[[ja:中央アジア]]
[[jv:Asia Tengah]]
[[ka:ცენტრალური აზია]]
[[kk:Орталық Азия]]
[[kn:ಮಧ್ಯ ಏಶಿಯಾ]]
[[ku:Asyaya Navîn]]
[[kw:Asi Gres]]
[[ky:Орто Азия]]
[[la:Media Asia]]
[[lad:Asya Sentrala]]
[[lb:Zentralasien]]
[[lmo:Asia Centrala]]
[[lt:Vidurinė Azija]]
[[lv:Centrālāzija]]
[[mk:Средна Азија]]
[[ml:മദ്ധ്യേഷ്യ]]
[[mr:मध्य आशिया]]
[[ms:Asia Tengah]]
[[nl:Centraal-Azië]]
[[nn:Sentral-Asia]]
[[no:Sentral-Asia]]
[[nrm:Âsie du Mitan]]
[[oc:Asia Centrala]]
[[os:Централон Ази]]
[[pl:Azja Środkowa]]
[[pnb:وسطی ایشیا]]
[[ps:منځنۍ آسيا]]
[[pt:Ásia Central]]
[[ro:Asia Centrală]]
[[ru:Центральная Азия]]
[[sah:Орто Азия]]
[[scn:Asia cintrali]]
[[sh:Srednja Azija]]
[[simple:Central Asia]]
[[sk:Stredná Ázia]]
[[sl:Srednja Azija]]
[[sq:Azia Qendrore]]
[[sr:Централна Азија]]
[[su:Asia Tengah]]
[[sv:Centralasien]]
[[ta:நடு ஆசியா]]
[[te:మధ్య ఆసియా]]
[[tg:Осиёи миёна]]
[[th:เอเชียกลาง]]
[[tl:Gitnang Asya]]
[[tr:Orta Asya]]
[[ug:ئوتتۇرا ئاسىيا]]
[[uk:Центральна Азія]]
[[ur:وسط ایشیا]]
[[uz:Oʻrta Osiyo]]
[[vi:Trung Á]]
[[war:Butnga nga Asya]]
[[wo:Diggu Asi]]
[[yo:Àrin Ásíà]]
[[zh:中亚]]
[[zh-min-nan:Tiong-a]]
[[zh-yue:中亞]]
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