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Region

Central Asia

Asia

Central Asia is the landlocked region between the Caspian Sea and China comprising Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, historically the crossroads of the Silk Road caravan routes linking China, Persia, and Europe. Steppe, desert, and the high Pamir and Tian Shan ranges divide the region.

Facts
Area (sq km)
4,000,000 2
Nearly 4 million sq km across the five post-Soviet republics (narrower definition); broader definitions adding Afghanistan, Mongolia or western China are not included in this figure.
Population
82,000,000 2
2024 estimate, five-republic definition.
Classification
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
Region Type
Cultural Region 1
Connections

Associated With

Asia, Continents
Source Asia (Wikipedia)
China, Countries

This source names China directly: "region between the Caspian Sea and China comprising Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, historically the crossroads of the Silk Road caravan routes linking China..."

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Europe, Continents

This source names Europe directly: "routes linking China, Persia, and Europe."

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Kazakhstan, Countries
Kyrgyzstan, Countries
Tajikistan, Countries
The Caspian Sea, Bodies of Water
Source Caspian Sea (Wikipedia)
Turkmenistan, Countries
Uzbekistan, Countries
In the Other Atlases

Origin Of

Apple

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Apple (Wikipedia)tier 3
Apricot

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Apricot
Ayran

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Ayran (Wikipedia)tier 2
Beshbarmak

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Beshbarmak (Wikipedia)tier 3
Boortsog

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Boortsog (Wikipedia)tier 3
Boza

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Boza - Wikipedia
Garlic

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidsontier 1
Joshpara

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Joshpara, Wikipedia
Kaymak

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Kaymak (Wikidata)
Manti

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Manti (Wikipedia)tier 3
Onion

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Onion (Wikipedia)tier 3
Pakistani Cuisine

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Pakistani Cuisine (Wikipedia)tier 3
Pistachio

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Pistachio (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph
Quote, Lead paragraph
The pistachio tree is native to Iran and Central Asia.
Plov

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Pilaf (Wikipedia)tier 3
Red Onion

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source The Oxford Companion to FoodAlan Davidsontier 1
Samsa

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Samsa (Wikipedia)tier 3
Shashlik

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Shashlik (Wikipedia)tier 3
Tarragon

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages: Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)Origin
Quote, Origin
Central Asia, probably Siberia.
Yogurt

Also in Food and Drink Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Yogurt - Wikipedia
Li Bai

Also in History Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Sogdian Script

Also in Language Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Dastan

Also in Literature Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Dastan - Wikipedia
Uyghur

Also in Society and Culture Atlas: which originated in this subject.

Source Uyghur (Wikipedia)Introduction
Quote, Introduction
The Uyghurs, alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs, or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia.

Location Of

Manchu Conquest of China

Also in History Atlas: which took place in this subject.

The Mongol Conquests

Also in History Atlas: which took place in this subject.

Wars of Alexander the Great

Also in History Atlas: which took place in this subject.

Site Of

Mansur al-Hallaj

Also in Divinity Atlas: which is located in this subject.

Found There

Alfalfa

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Apple

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Apple (Wikipedia)tier 2
Bactrian Camel

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Bactrian Camel (Wikipedia)
Carrot

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Carrot, Wikipedia
Garlic

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Garlic (Wikipedia)tier 2
Horse

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Horsetier 2
Onion

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Onion (Wikipedia)tier 2
Pea

Also in Agriculture and Farming Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Pea, Wikipedia
The Achaemenid Persian Period

Also in History Atlas: found in this subject.

The Sassanid Persian Period

Also in History Atlas: found in this subject.

The Umayyad Period

Also in History Atlas: found in this subject.

Argu languages

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Common Turkic

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Indo-European

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Indo-Iranian

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Indo-Iranian LanguagesLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2
Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
They include over 300 languages, spoken by around 1.7 billion speakers worldwide, predominantly in South Asia, West Asia and parts of Central Asia.
Karluk

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Karluk languages - WikipediaLead sentence 1
Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Karluk or Qarluq languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family that developed from the varieties spoken by Karluks, an ancient people present in Central Asia in the 5th-8th centuries CE.
Kazakh

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Kazakh LanguageLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Kazakh is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch, spoken in Central Asia by the Kazakhs.
Kipchak

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Kipchak LanguagesLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
The Kipchak languages (also known as the Kypchak, Qypchaq, Qypshaq or the Northwestern Turkic languages) are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family spoken by approximately 30 million people in much of Central Asia and Eastern Europe, spanning from Bulgaria and Romania in Southeastern Europe to China in East Asia.
Korean

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Kyrgyz

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Kyrgyz LanguageLead sentence 1tier 2
Quote, Lead sentence 1
Kyrgyz is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia.
Oghuz

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Old Iranian languages

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Proto-Indo-European

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Russian

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Scythian

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Scythian languages, WikipediaLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
The dominant ethnic groups among the Scythian-speakers were nomadic pastoralists of Central Asia and the Pontic–Caspian steppe.
Sogdian

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Tajik

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Turkic

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Uzbek

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Western Iranian

Also in Language Atlas: found in this subject.

Apple (Malus domestica)

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Apple (Wikipedia)Article text
Quote, Article text
The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found.
Caracal

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Ice Crawler

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Otocolobus

Also in Nature Atlas: found in this subject.

Madhyamaka

Also in Philosophy Atlas: found in this subject.

Great chess

Also in Sport and Games Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Great chess (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
which were played in the Middle East and Central Asia
Shagai

Also in Sport and Games Atlas: found in this subject.

Source Shagai (Wikipedia)Lead
Quote, Lead
used for traditional games and fortune-telling throughout Central Asia
Battle of Talas

Also in War and Military Atlas: found in this subject.

Sources
1. Central Asia (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
Quote, Introduction
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and most of Kazakhstan.
View the Source
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Central AsiaView the Source
Wikidata: Central Asia
Wikidata Q27275, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Asia (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Asia, Geography section, Main regions subsection
Quote, Associated With: Asia, Geography section, Main regions subsection
North Asia (Siberia), Central Asia, West Asia (the Middle East or Near East and part of the Caucasus), South Asia (Indian subcontinent), East Asia (Far East), Southeast Asia (East Indies and Indochina).
View the Source
Caspian Sea (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: The Caspian Sea, Lead section
Quote, Associated With: The Caspian Sea, Lead section
It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast.
View the Source
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