Countries of Central Asia

Central Asia consists of five states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. None of them has access to the ocean. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked state in the world by area. Uzbekistan is doubly landlocked: it and all its neighbours have no sea coast. A positive side of the subregion is its transit position: the Great Silk Road passed here, and today routes linking Europe and Asia run through it. A negative side is distance from the sea and dependence on external routes. In relief, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are high and mountainous, while Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are mostly plains; the south-east is seismically dangerous. The climate is sharply continental and dry, with wide desert, semi-desert and steppe zones. Water is unevenly distributed: rivers such as the Amu Darya and Syr Darya begin in the mountains and flow through several states, so the mountain states are rich in water and hydropower. The subregion has much oil, gas, coal, gold, uranium and copper. The population is about 80 million, and Uzbekistan has the most people. Mining and energy, as well as agriculture (irrigated farming, cotton, grain, livestock), play an important role in the economy. Integration factors include shared transport, transboundary water, complementary resources and common environmental and natural-hazard problems.