Central Asia as a natural region: position and borders
Lessons 1–2 · 2 lessons · P. Gulomov, H. Vahobov, P. Baratov, M. Mamatqulov. Geography (Physical Geography of Central Asia; Physical Geography of Uzbekistan), Grade 7. Revised and expanded 5th edition. “O‘qituvchi” Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
1
Central Asia as a natural-geographic region
Textbook: pp. 4–5
GoalRecognise Central Asia as a natural-geographic region of Eurasia and describe its surface structure.
New words
natural-geographic region · tabiiy geografik o‘lkaclosed (inland-drainage) basin · berk havzacontinental climate · kontinental iqlimnatural-geographic zoning · tabiiy geografik rayonlashtirish
Explanation
Natural-geographic zoning means dividing a large territory into parts with similar relief, climate, waters and vegetation. In this way Eurasia is split into dozens of natural-geographic regions such as Northern Europe, Eastern Siberia and South Asia. Central Asia is one of them: it has its own natural conditions and is set apart from neighbouring regions by natural borders. In the west of the region lie broad lowlands occupied by deserts, in the north steppe and semi-desert plains, and in the east and south high mountains. Central Asia is a closed basin in almost the middle of Eurasia, with a dry and sharply continental climate. So summers are scorching and winters, especially in the north, are severely cold.
Worked examples
On the atlas map of Eurasia the west of Central Asia meets the Caspian Sea and the Turan Lowland, while the east is bounded by the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains.
Because the region is defined by natural features and not by one state, it includes the territories of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and also parts of neighbouring countries.
Class activity
“Natural cards”: the class forms 4 groups; each finds one part (west, north, east, south) in the atlas and describes its relief in two words, and the others guess the part.
Practice
1
What is natural-geographic zoning?
Dividing a territory into parts that are alike in natural features.
2
What is the surface of the western, northern and eastern-southern parts of Central Asia like?
Desert lowlands in the west, steppe and semi-desert plains in the north, high mountains in the east and south.
3
Why is the climate of Central Asia dry and continental?
Because the region lies in the middle of the continent far from the oceans, and little moist air reaches it.
4
Why are “Central Asia (O‘rta Osiyo)” and “Inner Asia (Markaziy Osiyo)” not the same region? Use the atlas to say how they differ.
They are two separate natural regions of Eurasia: Central Asia is further west (Turan, Tien Shan), Inner Asia lies east of it (Mongolia, around Tibet).