Miscellaneous Articles On The Geography Of Central Asia

This book provides a profound geographical description and analysis of Central Asia. The authors take a synthetic approach in a period of critical transformation in the post-soviet time. The monograph analyzes comprehensively the physical and human geography as well as human-nature interactions of Central Asia with focus on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Natural processes are described at a systemic scale, focusing on ecological impacts and consequences and contemporary human adaptations and organization. It also discusses in which ways the human organizations try to apply solutions for their needs such as security, territorial management and resources renewability, material and functional needs, identity elaborations, culture and communication. The Geography of Central Asia appeals to scientists and students of regional geography and interested academics from other areas such as social, political, economic and environmental studies within the context of Central Asia. The book is also a very useful resource for field trips into this area.

Jeanne Féaux de la Croix maps three iconic places as part of Central Asians' 'moral geographies' and examines their role in navigating socialist, neo-liberal and neo-Islamic life models. Dams provide most of Kyrgyzstan's electricity, but are also at the heart of regional water disputes that threaten an already shrinking Aral Sea. Mountain pastures cover much of Central Asia's heartland and offer a livelihood and refuge, even to urban citizens. Pilgrimage sites have recovered from official Soviet oblivion and act as cherished scenes of decision-making. Examining how iconic places, work and well-being can mesh together, this book moves debates about post-Soviet memory, space and property onto fresh terrain.

"In a unique survey based on an array of new census data, Geographic Perspectives on Soviet Central Asia highlights the region's geographic, economic and ecological problems since 1945." "Painting a grim picture, the book investigates how the combination of rapid population growth and declining per capita investment is causing economic conditions to slide in rural areas and encouraging an ecological catastrophe. The authors discuss the effects of low rural out-migration, and show that at current growth rates the rural working-age population will double with each generation. Unprecedented in a developed country, this is causing the region to become more rather than less rural. Soviet Central Asia is an area of low productivity, and the book considers the lack of support from Soviet central government to the region. Wishing to maximize their return to capital and labor, the government is concentrating its investment in the European West and directing insufficient funds for a growing workforce in Central Asia." "Soviet Central Asia also faces grave ecological problems; the declining level of the Aral Sea, extensive soil salinization and water pollution, all largely due to past attempts at irrigation. The authors consider the effect of these disasters on the area, and look to future possibilities in this very important region of the world." "Geographic Perspectives on Soviet Central Asia is essential reading for students and researchers of human geography, and will be particularly useful to those interested in Soviet nationalities."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book provides a detailed look at the geography of central Asia as it is described in the Bible. It includes maps and illustrations, as well as commentary on the cultural and historical context of the region. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

DISCOVERING CENTRAL ASIA: ITS HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, AND POLITICS is a book as unique as the region it portrays and a first of its kind. The heart of Asia is just making its entrance on the world stage and this title from The University of Montana Press provides readers with a fascinating introduction! This work gathers the writings of ten university professors and brings alive, through words and photography all that is the heart of Asia. An introductory section gives the reader an in depth view of the physical, historical and cultural geography of Central Asia. Other chapters delve into the geologic history, human and wildlife habitat, the earliest history up through the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and an analysis of the cultural legacy, art history, and religious and ethnic traditions of Central Asia The last chapter discourse centers around the history and politics of Central Asia since the imposition of Soviet rule, the demarcation of the region into five distinct Soviet republics and the impact of the collapse of Soviet Union on each of the five countries.