ABSTRACT
S Ince geography is destiny as far as Central Asia is concerned, some acquaintance with its geographical features, not to mention a brief definition of the term ‘Central Asia’, should help the better understanding of the pattern of human settlement and the region’s political history. The term ‘Central Asia’ is used here to designate the area defined by certain permanent features of the landscape – the Caspian Sea to the west, the Tien Shan Mountains to the east and north-east and the Hindu Kush Mountains to the south. The Kazakh Steppe (or the Qipchaq Steppe – Dasht-e Qipchaq – as it is known in history) forms the northern borderland. A wide corridor between the great deserts of Iran to the south-west and the deserts of Turkmenistan links the region with the Middle East. Today this land area comprises five former Soviet republics – the recently independent countries of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (or Kyrgyzia), Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – and the northern region of the formerly unified country of Afghanistan. What has made the region ‘central’ in history has been its location at the intersection of the overland lines of communication linking China with the Mediterranean and India.
