Once a region shrouded in mystery and best known for its trans-Asian commerce via the Silk Road, Central Asia today is an open, dynamic region connecting Eastern Europe with West Asia. It is a region rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, with a surprising variety of animals and plants.
Consisting of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia is a vast land mass separating Eastern Europe and the Caucasus from East and South Asia. The region is mainly sandy deserts, capped in the north by green plains of the Central Asian Steppe and cradles in the south and east by snow clad mountain ranges. Central Asia is rich in oil and gas. It also boasts a variety of plants and animals, and some parts of the region are ‘crossroads’ for Asian and Mediterranean species. The countries share a family of languages and are all newly independent nations that must use their natural resources wisely for a sutainable future.
