Chapter 19 Section 3
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Transcript of Chapter 19 Section 3
Chapter 19 Section 3
Central Asia
Physical Geography
• The Baikonur Cosmodrome is where all Russian space launches take place.
• Located in Kazakhstan, the largest and northernmost country in Central Asia.
• To the South, are Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan.
• All were once part of the Soviet Union.
Main Physical Features
• These include highlands, deserts, and steppes.
• Steppes are vast mostly level, treeless plains covered with grass.
• Central Asia’s two mountain chains are the Tian Shan + the Pamir.
Deserts
• The Kara Kum Desert covers most land in Turkmenistan.
• The Kyzyl Kum desert covers most of Uzbekistan.
• Climate is dry, semi arid, and arid.
Caspian Sea
• Two main bodies of water include the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea.
• The Caspian Sea is actually the largest salt lake in the world.
Aral Sea, once the world’s 4th largest salt lake - drying up.
Natural Resources
• Oil and natural gas
• Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have large oil and gas reserves.
• Lesser - coal, gold,copper, iron ore, lead, and uranium.
Land Use in Central Asia
• Most land is used for agriculture, livestock, and commercial fishing.
• People here have raised sheep, horses, goats, and camels 1,000(s) of years
• Cotton is a major crop in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
• Central Asian agriculture depends on irrigation.
• In the 1960s, the Soviet Union built a huge irrigation project to increase cotton production.
• The project damaged the Aral Sea, along with pesticides.
• The Aral Sea is one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.