Central Asia
Section 3
Economy
The economy right now is very hopeful because they have recently found oil. The regional leaders are hopeful in the oil and gas reserves if the Caspian Sea along with oil being found in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. People around the world are beginning to compete for profits from Central Asia's resource they are calling this the new Great Game. They have a command economy which means production and distribution of goods are determined by the government.
Government
The Republics in Central Asia are under a democratic government. In the past they were under the Soviet Union which was also called USSR.
Historical Events
The Silk Road
The Silk Road had travelers make their way across the region in large numbers around 100 B.C. Many people during that time traveled with caravans making a journey between China and Mediterranean Sea. They named this the Silk Road because of the costly silk the bought in China.
The Great Game
This was a battle between Great Britain and the Russian Empire. The two were fighting over control of the region Russia was beginning to lose control of the region. Finally by the end of the 19th century the Russian Empire had won control of Central Asia.
Nuclear Testing
Between 1949 and 1989 scientist exploded 470 nuclear devices in a vast nuclear site. The explosion was so big that citizens could see the mushroom cloud of smoke. The explosion caused many health problems.
Culture
Although there are many ethnic groups and religions the strongest one is Islam. Many of the languages are related to turkish but the main language in Russian.