Our World

Notes for those who didn't take them!

Central Asia 12/13/06

*large, compact region within Euraisan landmass
*until 1991, contained only 2 countries, Mongolia and Afganistan
*Soviet Union's breakup added several more independent countries to the region
*historically weakly integrated into international trade networks
*shrinking Aral Sea
-use of rivers feeding the sea for agricultural irrigation
-60 percent of the sea's total volume has disappeared
-Economic and cultural damage
*Shrinking and Expanding Lakes
-Caspian Sea- world's largest lake: construction of reservoirs on the Volga River diverted water
-Aral Sea, Lake Balqash shrinking
-Maintenance of their size is dependent on precipitation
*Major Environmental Issues
-relatively clean environment due to low population density
*Desertification
-the Gobi Desert has gradually spread southward
-Desertification in Northern Kazakstan
-Much of the region has been deforested
*Physical Regions
-Central Asian Highlands
*Formed by the collision of Indian subcontinent into Asia Mainland
-Himalayas, Kurakoram Range, Pamir Mountains
-Pamir knot: a tangle of mountains where Pakistan, Afganistan, China,Tajikistan converge
-Hindu Kush, Kunlunshan, Tien Shan peaks max to 20k feet
-Tibetan Plateau: source area of many of Asia's large rivers
-Plains and Basins
*Central Asia's desert belt
-Arid plains of the Caspian and Aral Seas to the West
*Kard Kum and Kyzylkum Deserts
-several deserts in the east portion of the belt
*Teklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin
-Steppe (grassland) and taiga (coniferous forest) in the north

posted by Anonymous @ 12/13/2006 04:03:00 PM