Central Asia
Central Asia is the landlocked heart of the continent: five former Soviet republics covering about 4 million km² of steppe, desert and high mountains between the Caspian Sea and China, home to about 84 million people.
About Central Asia
Central Asia is made up of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan alone covers about two-thirds of the region's area and is the largest landlocked country in the world, while Uzbekistan has the most people. The region is bordered by Russia to the north, China to the east, Afghanistan and Iran to the south, and the Caspian Sea to the west; none of the five countries has access to the open ocean, and Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world (the other is Liechtenstein).
For two thousand years the region was a crossroads of the Silk Roads linking China with Persia, India and the Mediterranean. Oasis cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Merv grew rich on trade and became centres of Islamic scholarship. The Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire in 1219–21 devastated many of these cities, and in the late 14th century Timur (Tamerlane) rebuilt Samarkand as the capital of his empire. The Russian Empire absorbed the region during the 19th century, and in the 1920s and 1930s the Soviet Union drew the borders of the five republics that became independent states when the USSR dissolved in 1991.
Four of the five national languages — Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbek — are Turkic, while Tajik is a form of Persian. Russian remains widely used, and is an official language in Kyrgyzstan and used officially alongside Kazakh in Kazakhstan. Sunni Islam is the majority religion in all five countries, alongside Russian Orthodox Christian minorities, particularly in northern Kazakhstan (see religions of Asia and languages of Asia).
Countries in Central Asia
Quick facts: Central Asia has 5 countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. All five are landlocked former Soviet republics that became independent in 1991. Broader definitions sometimes add Afghanistan or Mongolia, but these five are the standard core of the region.
Central Asian countries and capitals
| Country | Capital | Area (km²) | Population (2025 est.) | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | 448,978 | 37.1 million | UTC+5 |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | 2,724,900 | 20.8 million | UTC+5 |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | 143,100 | 10.8 million | UTC+5 |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | 488,100 | 7.6 million | UTC+5 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | 199,951 | 7.3 million | UTC+6 |
Population figures are UN World Population Prospects estimates for 2025. Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997; the city was called Nur-Sultan from 2019 to 2022. Almaty is still the country's largest city. Kazakhstan, which used two time zones, switched the whole country to UTC+5 on 1 March 2024, leaving Kyrgyzstan as the only Central Asian country on UTC+6 (see time zones in Asia). All capitals are listed on the capitals of Asia page.
How Central Asia is defined
The five post-Soviet republics are the standard definition, used by the UN geoscheme and by most governments and atlases. Older and broader definitions vary:
- UNESCO's historical definition of Central Asian civilisations is far wider, taking in Mongolia, Afghanistan, western China (Xinjiang and Tibet), north-eastern Iran, northern Pakistan and India, and southern Siberia.
- Afghanistan is sometimes added because its northern provinces are home to Uzbeks, Tajiks and Turkmen and share much history with the region. The UN and SAARC place it in South Asia.
- Mongolia is occasionally included as part of "Inner Asia" but is usually counted in East Asia.
- Kazakhstan is transcontinental: the small part of its territory west of the Ural River is usually considered to be in Europe, but the country is normally grouped with Asia.
Physical geography
- Mountains in the south-east. The Tian Shan runs through Kyrgyzstan into China, and its highest peak, Jengish Chokusu (Peak Pobeda, 7,439 m), stands on the Kyrgyzstan–China border. The Pamirs cover most of Tajikistan, where Ismoil Somoni Peak (7,495 m) was the highest point in the former Soviet Union. More than 90% of Tajikistan and about 90% of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous. See mountain ranges of Asia.
- The Kazakh Steppe, one of the largest dry grasslands in the world, covers much of northern and central Kazakhstan.
- Deserts in the south-west. The Karakum covers about 70% of Turkmenistan, and the Kyzylkum lies between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (see deserts of Asia).
- Rivers and lakes. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya, fed by glaciers and snow in the Pamirs and Tian Shan, are the region's two great rivers. Both once flowed into the Aral Sea. Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan is one of the largest mountain lakes in the world, and Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan is unusual in being fresh in its western half and salty in the east.
- The Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water on Earth, forms the western coast of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
- The Fergana Valley, a fertile basin shared by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, is the most densely populated part of the region, with intricate borders and enclaves. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a treaty settling their remaining border disputes in March 2025.
The shrinking of the Aral Sea is the region's best-known environmental problem. In 1960 it was one of the four largest lakes in the world, but Soviet irrigation schemes diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya to grow cotton, and the lake split into separate basins. The Kok-Aral Dam, completed by Kazakhstan in 2005, has partly restored the small northern Aral Sea, while most of the southern part has turned into the Aralkum, a new salt and dust desert.
Climate
Far from any ocean, Central Asia has a strongly continental climate: hot, dry summers, cold winters and low rainfall. Summer temperatures in the Karakum and Kyzylkum can exceed 45 °C, while winters on the northern Kazakh Steppe are long and severe, and Astana is one of the coldest capital cities in the world. Most of the lowlands receive less than 300 mm of rain a year, so farming depends on irrigation from mountain rivers. The mountains are wetter and much colder, and their glaciers act as the region's water towers; their retreat is a growing concern for downstream countries.
Population and economy
About 84 million people live in Central Asia. The population is young and growing, especially in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and is concentrated in irrigated valleys and oases — above all the Fergana Valley and the area around Tashkent — while the steppe and deserts are thinly settled. Kazakhstan, with fewer than 8 people per km², is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Asia.
The economies differ widely. Kazakhstan has the largest economy and the highest income, based on oil from fields such as Tengiz and Kashagan, metals, and uranium, of which it is the world's largest producer. Turkmenistan holds some of the world's largest natural gas reserves, usually ranked fourth after Russia, Iran and Qatar, and exports most of its gas to China. Uzbekistan, which has opened its economy since 2016, produces gold, natural gas and cotton. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are the poorest of the five; both rely heavily on money sent home by migrant workers, mainly in Russia, and on hydropower, gold and other mining. New transport links, including routes promoted under China's Belt and Road Initiative and the "Middle Corridor" across the Caspian to the Caucasus and Turkey, aim to reconnect the region to world markets. Kazakhstan also hosts the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased to Russia.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries are in Central Asia?
Five: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Broader definitions sometimes add Afghanistan or Mongolia.
Why do Central Asian country names end in "-stan"?
"-stan" is a Persian suffix meaning "place of" or "land of", so Kazakhstan is "land of the Kazakhs" and Uzbekistan "land of the Uzbeks". The same suffix appears in Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia.
Which is the largest country in Central Asia?
Kazakhstan, with about 2.72 million km². It is the ninth-largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country. Uzbekistan has the largest population, about 37 million.
Is Central Asia part of the Middle East?
No. Central Asia lies north of Iran and Afghanistan and is a separate region, although it shares a long history, the Islamic faith and Persian cultural influence with parts of the Middle East.
What happened to the Aral Sea?
It shrank dramatically after the 1960s, when Soviet irrigation projects diverted the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers to grow cotton. A dam built by Kazakhstan in 2005 has partly revived the northern Aral Sea, but much of the southern basin is now desert.