located between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea and south of the Caucasus Mountains

Central Asia's largest country; the only country in the region with a largely urban population

mountains, plains, and deserts; landlocked with no water routes in or out of the region

Mongols, Arabs, Russian

-establishing stable democratic governments -environmental issue

actually a saltwater lake that has been shrinking for decades

gained control of the region in the 1920s and the nations became republics under the Soviet Union

when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991

a network of trade routes that linked China and Europe; the construction of pipelines to transport oil is one method to increase economic growth in the region

Christians and Muslims

area with no access to water; completely surrounded by other nations

highly culturally diverse