Central Asia, also known as Turkestan, is a vast landlocked region of Asia. Though various definitions of its exact composition exist, no one definition is universally accepted. Despite this uncertainty in defining borders, it does have some important overall characteristics. For one, Central Asia has historically been closely tied to its nomadic peoples and the Silk Road. As a result, it has acted as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.

Definitions

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The idea of Central Asia as a distinct region of the world was introduced in 1843 by the geographer Alexander von Humboldt. The borders of Central Asia are subject to multiple definitions. Many text books still refer to this area as Turkestan, which was the name used prior to Stalin's rule.

The most limited definition was the official one of the Soviet Union that defined the "Middle Asia" as consisting solely of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, but did not include Kazakhstan. This definition was also often used outside the USSR in this period. However, the Russian language has two distinct terms: Средняя Азия (Srednyaya Azia or "Middle Asia", the narrower definition which includes only those traditionally non-Slavic, "Central Asian" lands that were incorporated within those borders of historical Russia) and Центральная Азия (Tsentral'naya Azia or "Central Asia", the wider definition which includes "Central Asian" lands that have never been part of historical Russia). However, there lacks a meaningful distinction between the two in the English language; and so "Central Asia" is used for both Russian usages, thus creating some confusion. The new post-USSR Russian Federation has now included Kazakhstan in its new definition of "Middle Asia".

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New SAPL Entry: #129 Numbering Their Kids http://www.asian-central.com/stuffasianpeoplelike/2009/12/19/129-numbering-their-kids/
stuffasians (Stuff Asians Like) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:00:56 -0000
New SAPL Entry: #129 Numbering Their Kids http://www.asian-central.com/stuffasianpeoplelike/2009/12/19/129-numbering-their-kids/
Kazakhstan has a unique problem. It’s long on land and short on the people to farm it. The Central Asian countr.. http://bit.ly/8JYhAw
in_asia (In Asia) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:10:55 -0000
Kazakhstan has a unique problem. It’s long on land and short on the people to farm it. The Central Asian countr.. http://bit.ly/8JYhAw
RT @WanderingEds: RT @GotSaga: #Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http: ...
TravelIndustry (Travel Industry) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:47:22 -0000
RT @WanderingEds: RT @GotSaga: #Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http: ...
RT @GotSaga: #Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX
WanderingEds (Dr. Jessica Voigts) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:40:48 -0000
RT @GotSaga: #Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX
#Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX
GotSagaLatino (GotSaga) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:23:45 -0000
#Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX
#Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX
GotSaga (GotSaga Travel) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:20:27 -0000
#Kyrgyzstan -The most underrated of the Central Asian nations and Incredible destination to #travel http://bit.ly/6QsSnX

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