Central Asia shares a 2,387-kilometer river border with Afghanistan. The southwestern plateau, south of the central highlands, is a region of high plateaus, sandy deserts, and semideserts. Country Security Report Report Afghanistan 2020 Crime & Safety Report 501 all time 2/25/2020 | Country Security Report . The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan are two of the four countries that form the joint Central Asia-South Asia energy project commonly known as CASA-1000. Afghanistan is technically not South-Central Asia either. Afghanistan is occupying an important geostrategic position between Central Asia and South Asia. In particular, several northern provinces have been under pressure from various militant groups. Most of Afghanistan lies between 2,000 and 10,000 feet (600 and 3,000 metres) in elevation. The moderating affect that this large body of water had on its surrounding area is no longer as prominent as it once was. What are the main methods of gaining wealth in Afghanistan today? High mountains to the east provide a border between Central Asia and China. Afghanistan is occupying an important geostrategic position between Central Asia and South Asia. Recent Features. Who acted as a CIA contact? it's clear cut in West Asia. The Pamirs is the source of the Amu Darya River and is home to the longest glacier outside the polar regions (forty-eight miles long in 2009). The country continues to transition to a stable democratic state, though many of the same dynamics of corruption and authoritarian rule remain. Samarkand and the countryâs capital city, Tashkent, are located in the eastern core region, which is home to most of the population. Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, thereby creating the worldâs largest landlocked nation. On December 9, 2020, in the format of a video conference, a cooperation meeting “Central Asia + Islamic Republic of Afghanistan + People’s Republic of China” was held, during which Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Khadzhiev took part from the Turkmen side. The transition from a Soviet republic to an independent state in 1991 brought many changes. In subsequent armed struggles, a surviving Afghan communist regime held out against Islamic insurgents (1989–92), and, following a brief rule by mujahideen groups, an austere movement of religious students—the Taliban—rose up against the country’s governing parties and warlords and established a theocratic regime (1996–2001) that soon fell under the influence of a group of well-funded Islamists led by an exiled Saudi Arabian, Osama bin Laden. Uzbekistan has responded to the situation by contracting out to various multinational oil companies from Korea, China, and Russia to explore for oil beneath the dry seabed. Additionally, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan are two of the four countries that form the joint Central Asia-South Asia energy project commonly known as CASA-1000. Various species of fish were introduced and the lake became a major source for commercial fishing. Even diamonds are found here. Some geographers think of the Eurasian Steppes as one single, homogenous geographical zone. The Pamirs is a mountain range located where the Tian Shan, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges meet in Tajikistan, an area referred to as the Pamir Knot, or the roof of the world. Afghanistan is formally known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. AFGHANISTAN AND CENTRAL ASIA (Map adapted from artwork by Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock) 6 SPECIAL REPORT 453 USIP.ORG trafficking, and terrorism remain factors in Central Asian policy thinking and will certainly domi-nate once more if the current opportunity for peace, in which they are all invested, fails. After the war against the Soviet Union was over, the US role in Afghanistan diminished. However, the country has one of the largest deposits of valuable minerals and ores in the world waiting to be extracted. Once the water dried up in the sea, the winds carried the buildup of chemicals and salt from the dry seabed over the land, causing serious health-related problems in the nearby human population. Pakistan’s trade route to Central-Asia through Afghanistan. These poets, often accompanied by two- or three-stringed instruments, will recite the Manas, an epic poem of Kyrgyzstan that details the life of the Kyrgyzstan hero Manas. So, too, fared much of the country, its economy in shambles and its people scattered and despondent. The development efforts have caused the water level to rise and therefore have reinvigorated the once-struggling fishing industry. Transboundary rivers like the mighty Amu Darya, Syr Darya, the Pyanj, Map is showing Afghanistan with surrounding countries, international borders, the national capital Kabul, provincial capitals, major cities, main roads, railroads and major airports. Though it has natural resources similar in quantity to those in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistanâs economy is not advanced enough to fully take advantage of its economic potential. By … The demise of the Aral Sea was caused in part by the diversion of water from its northern inlet, the Syr Darya River. Most of the groups of Central Asia were nomadic peoples who rode horses and herded livestock on the regionâs vast steppes. Under the sand and prairie grasses lay the some of the most extensive untapped reserves of gas and oil on the planet. Central Asia, central region of Asia, extending from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east. Where is it located? Canals, dikes, and irrigation processes have been updated to reduce the loss of water and increase the amount that flows into the northern section. Siemens Energy to develop Afghanistan as central Asia’s energy hub. East Asia is politically divided into eight countries and regions: China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. A major dam has been constructed that partitions off the Little Aral Sea, causing water from the Syr Darya River to increase the water level of the Little Aral Sea and reduce the salt content. Since antiquity, Afghanistan has been part of what is now referred to as Central Asia – politically, economically, and culturally. Central Asia is a region in the Asian continent that extends from the mountains of western China to the shores of the Caspian Sea. Chaos and anarchy thrived after the Soviet forces withdrew, but the Islamic fundamentalist group known as the Taliban came forward to fill the power vacuum. Adding to the environmental devastation, the Soviets conducted biological weapons experiments on an island that was once in the middle of the Aral Sea. Technically speaking, that is the Indian subcontinent. In mid-June, Dushanbe pledged to increase power exports to Afghanistan. have to go beyond state-to-state relations and try to involve . In some cases, battles between government and militant groups occurred close to Afghanistan’s border with the Central Asian states. Various factions such as the Northern Alliance did not share the Talibanâs strict Islamic views and continued to oppose their position in power. They swept through Central Asia and dominated the region on their way to the Middle East. Afghanistan is considered a part of the region even though it was never a formal part of the Soviet Union. The former leader of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Saparmurat Niyazov, who went by the name Turkmenbashi (leader of the Turkmen people), dominated the presidency for fifteen years. The entire operation was conducted without the awareness of the Pakistani government. Over the last two decades, Central Asia provided access for NATO troops and supplies to Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network. The entire eastern portion of the sea has become a sand desert, complete with the deteriorating hulls of abandoned fishing vessels. This vast land is host to a wide variety of physical landscapes, including the high, snow-capped peaks of the ranges on the Chinese border. T o boost Central Asia-Afghanistan cooperation, Europe will . Oil and natural gas reserves are also available for exploitation. The right to vote was restored to women in the 2004 election. His definition included Afghanistan and Western China because of the geographical connections and cultural interrelations. In addition to fertile soils, the region possesses rich mineral resources, particularly deposits of natural gas. The western portions are lowlands bordering the Caspian Sea. Since its inception in Paris in 2003, the broad international coalition - recognising its common and shared responsibility - has grown to 58 partner countries and 23 partner organizations, including UNODC. Various neighbouring areas are sometimes als… This event may have impacted al-Qaeda but has not likely diminished the fighting in Afghanistan. The eastern region of Central Asia has some of the highest mountain ranges in the world; about 90 percent of Tajikistan is mountainous, and more than half the country is 10,000 feet in elevation or higher. The seemingly endless grasslands of the interior are one of the largest steppe regions in the world. The remaining western portion of the Uzbekistan side of the Aral Sea will continue to shrink if measures are not taken to address the loss of water from the Amu Darya River. According to Azernews, “in 2017 Tajikistan supplied about … Figure 8.68 Propaganda Poster in Afghanistan with Image of Osama bin Laden. Local groups in the mountains of Central Asia make up the population of Kyrgyzstan. The climate is getting warmer in the summer and colder in the winter. Afghanistan, landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. But the prolonged conflict throughout the 1800s between England and Tsarist Russia over control of the region, called The Great Game, resulted in the 1895 division of the territory of the Pamir mountain area, overseen by the Pamir Boundary Commission. Synonyms for Afghanistan-Central Asia in Free Thesaurus. Over the past decade, unemployment rates have exceeded 50 percent, and more than half the population lives below the poverty line. Just as he had opposed the Soviet Union, he now opposed the United States, even though the United States had supported him against the Soviets. The eastern half of the sea is completely dry. Geographers call Uzbekistan a doubly landlocked nation because all the countries that surround it are also landlocked. How do the corporations impact politics? Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south; Iran to the west; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan to the north; and China to the northeast. Kazakhstan also has a forward capital. 4.2 United States: Early Development and Globalization, 4.3 United States: Population and Religion, 4.5 Regions of the United States and Canada, Chapter 8: North Africa and Southwest Asia, 8.3 North Africa and the African Transition Zone, 11.3 The Insular Region (Islands of Southeast Asia). To the south of the Amu Darya River is the desert country of Turkmenistan, which extends from the Caspian Sea to Afghanistan in the east. Figure 8.61 Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. On the eastern frontier with Pakistan, several mountain ranges effectively isolate the interior of the country from the moisture-laden winds that blow from the Indian Ocean. Does Yemen take its name from the Arabic word meaning "northerly?" Central Asia is a landlocked region that receives little rainfall. During the Soviet occupation, the United States supported anti-Communist resistance groups such as the Mujahideen with money, arms, and surface-to-air missiles. Even the climate around the Aral Sea has changed gradually because of the loss of water from evaporation for precipitation. Central Asia is a region in the Asian continent that extends from the mountains of western China to the shores of the Caspian Sea. In the confrontation, the US Navy Seal team killed bin Laden. The Taliban regime collapsed in December 2001 in the wake of a sustained U.S.-dominated military campaign aimed at the Taliban and fighters of bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization. Water and land pollution is a serious problem. Many international corporations are seeking to do business in Turkmenistan and Central Asia to corner a piece of the vast natural resources. FILE - An Afghan security officer stands guard at the site of a bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2020. As the lead member of the international coalition, the U.S. contributes troops to both the ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] mission and, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The … The eastern region was completely dry by 2009, whereas the northern portion was responding favorably to Kazakhstanâs conservation efforts. The country has been transitioning from the old Soviet Unionâs command economy, which was controlled by the central government, to a market economy competing in a global marketplace. A number of other ranges, including the Mālmand and Khākbād, extend to the southwest. Support from the CIA through bin Laden to the Mujahideen was instrumental in defeating the Soviets. The forty rays of sun on the countryâs flag symbolize of the legendary forty tribes of Manas that represent the nation. Elevations in the Pamirs often exceed 24,500 feet. The country became a "buffer zone" between Russia and Britain when the two powers fought over control of Central Asia and eventually fell under Britain's sphere of influence. In 1960, the Aral Sea covered about 26,254 square miles, an area larger than the size of the US state of West Virginia. What are synonyms for Afghanistan-Central Asia? Agriculture has been the main focus of economic activity for the rural communities. These satellite images compare the Aral Sea between 1989 and 2008. Figure 8.60 Cultural Traditions in Kazakhstan. It also has a short border with Xinjiang, China, at the end of the long, narrow Vākhān (Wakhan Corridor), in the extreme northeast. More than a third of Afghanistan falls in the Aral Sea basin, which it shares with Central Asian nations. Learn why there is continual conflict in Afghanistan between Western military forces and local Taliban insurgents. The Central Asian republics—with the exception of the enigmatic Turkmenistan—view Afghanistan primarily as a source of instability, refugees, Islamist militancy, and narco-trafficking. Half the labor base works abroad and sends remittances back to their families for economic support. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Historical beginnings (to the 7th century, Civil war, mujahideen-Taliban phase (1992–2001), U.S.-led invasion and toppling of the Taliban, The Hamid Karzai presidency, NATO takeover, and Taliban resurgence, The Ashraf Ghani presidency, NATO withdrawal, and pursuit of peace, https://www.britannica.com/place/Afghanistan, Jewish Virtual Library - Afghanistan Virtual Jewish History Tour, Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Afghanistan, National Public Radio - Photos From Afghanistan: Natural Beauty, Not War, Afghanistan - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Afghanistan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The sea was once the fourth-largest body of water in the world, but it has been reduced to a fraction of its original area. Figure 8.69 Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Enormous deposits of iron, copper, gold, cobalt, and rare industrial minerals such as lithium are reported to be present in Afghanistan. Describe how the Aral Sea has been affected by the practices of water use in the region and the environmental consequences that have resulted from water use policies. Political instability and corruption has hampered the growth of a market economy, and political power remains in the hands of the economic elite. Vast grasslands called steppes dominate the northern sector. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Afghanistan suffered the ruinous effects of civil war greatly exacerbated by a military invasion and occupation by the Soviet Union (1979–89). T o boost Central Asia-Afghanistan cooperation, Europe will . The missiles were instrumental in taking out Soviet aircraft and MiG fighters, which caused a critical shift in the balance of power in the war. Of course, it remains to be seen to what extent is the EU willing and able to support ‘tri-lateral’ projects, as well as Afghanistan’s interest in such ventures. Cancer and respiratory illness rates continue to be higher than normal. Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals in 2011. Image credit: Siemens Energy. I repeat the answer below. It is the most populous Central Asian country, with a population that exceeds twenty-seven million. Figure 8.62 Orphaned Ship in a Dry Seabed of the Former Eastern Region of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. The EU Council Conclusions on Central Asia . Efforts to locate and marginalize bin Laden continued through to the US presidency of Barack Obama. Tajikistan has the smallest physical area of any country in Central Asia but has a population of about 7.3 million. The rugged landscape of this mountainous land includes the high ranges of the Tian Shan Mountains, which can reach elevations as high as 24,400 feet and cover about 80 percent of the country. Voting has not been a smooth process because democratic rule is new to Afghanistan. The proposed agreement would allow Tajikistan to use Pakistan’s Gwadar and Karachi ports for its imports and exports. Why did the CIA get involved in the 1980s war in Afghanistan? US aid has also contributed to infrastructure development designed to help US military operations in Afghanistan and in the region as a whole. Siemens Energy has signed a multi-phase agreement with Afghanistan to establish the country as an energy hub in central Asia. One objective of the Taliban was to use Islam as a unifying force to bring the country together. The report indicated that Afghanistan could become the worldâs premier mining country. Oil pipelines are expanding to transport the oil to port locations and other countries, including China. Country Security Report Report Afghanistan 2020 Crime & Safety Report 501 all time 2/25/2020 | Country Security Report . Afghanistan, the kryptonite in India’s Central Asia Policy, has started to stroll back onto the path of development after decades of economic stagnancy, plagued by the perennial impediments of insecurity, insurgency, and corruption. The following is a summary of trends in Central Asia: Identify the following key places on a map: World Regional Geography by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. The expanding poppy cultivation as well as a growing drug trade may account for one-third of the countryâs income. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Russian presence in Central Asia, predicated on the threats from Afghanistan, stymies the political and economic development of the region. This photo indicates that women were also allowed to vote in Afghanistan in the 2005 elections for provincial councils and parliamentary positions. Bukhara was another important city on the Silk Road and is known for its Asian carpet and textile industry. The expansion of the Russian Empire under the tsars integrated Kazakhstan and its neighbors, which eased their transition when the tsarist system of Russian government gave way to the Soviet Union. It comprises some 40,000 square miles (103,000 square km) of plains and fertile foothills sloping gently toward the Amu Darya (the ancient Oxus River). The Central Asian region includes Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, but the region is inextricably linked to neighboring Afghanistan by a vital resource: water. The Badakhshān area in the northeastern part of the central highlands is the location of the epicentres for many of the 50 or so earthquakes that occur in the country each year. The decline of the Aral Sea has destroyed habitats and the local economy. More than six million Russians and Ukrainians were resettled into Central Asia during Soviet rule. The mountains hold deposits of metals and minerals that have a strong potential for adding to the national wealth. This formidable range creates the major pitch of Afghanistan from northeast to southwest and, along with its subsidiary ranges, divides Afghanistan into three distinct geographic regions, which roughly can be designated as the central highlands, the northern plains, and the southwestern plateau. The country’s forbidding landscape of deserts and mountains has laid many imperial ambitions to rest, as has the tireless resistance of its fiercely independent peoples—so independent that the country has failed to coalesce into a nation but has instead long endured as a patchwork of contending ethnic factions and ever-shifting alliances. The government is seeking foreign aid and investments to help develop these resources. Kazakhstan ranks high in the mining of many metals and uranium. The population is around 32 million, composed mostly of ethnic Pas… In Central Asia and Afghanistan the Programme is focused on strengthening efforts to end sexual and gender based-violence against women … Afghanistan is one of the most impoverished places on Earth. It is bounded to the east and south by Pakistan (including those areas of Kashmir administered by Pakistan but claimed by India), to the west by Iran, and to the north by the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. At least 15 people have been killed and 20 others wounded, interior ministry says, adding that children may be among the victims. Over the last two decades, Central Asia provided access for NATO troops and supplies to Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network. Dushanbe, the capital and largest city of Tajikistan, is situated on the confluence of two local rivers and is famous for its Monday markets (Dushanbe means âMondayâ in Tajik). Of course, it remains to be seen to what extent is the EU willing and able to support ‘tri-lateral’ projects, as well as Afghanistan… Many of the factions in Afghanistan opposed the Taliban; one such group being the Northern Alliance, which was an association of groups located in the northern portion of the country. About 30 percent of the population is under the age of fifteen, and about 36 percent of the population is urban. The fishing industry, which employed more than sixty thousand people, has been devastated. Unemployment is high, and job opportunities have not been able to keep up with demand. The main source of fresh water comes from the Eastern Highland regions. Democratic elections were held for the office of president in Afghanistan beginning in October of 2004. The boundary lines were created during the Soviet era to provide the central government with more control over its republics by politicizing enclaves to their benefit. Kabul is the capital, and the southern city of Kandahar is the second-largest city. Dozens of languages are spoken in Afghanistan; the top two are Pashtu and Afghan Persian-Dari. Central Asia has an extremely varied geography, including high mountain passes through vast mountain ranges, such as the Tian Shan, Hindu Kush, and the Pamirs. The mountain in background is Khan Tengri (22,949 feet). The situation in Afghanistan has a direct impact on stability in the region. Just as fishing was declining in the Aral Sea, the fishing industry was growing at Aydar Lake. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world based on data on standards of living. The political systems are adjusting from the old Soviet Unionâs socialist policies to new democratic systems that are subject to high levels of authoritarian rule and corruption in business and politics. Omissions? According to Azernews, “in 2017 Tajikistan supplied about 1.4 billion kWh of electricity to Afghanistan. Its overall area is roughly twice that of Norway. This year it plans to increase this figure to … During the recent years the engagement of Central Asian states in Afghanistan has grown considerably. Kazakh performers demonstrate a cultural tradition of a game called âCatch a Girl,â in which the two riders (male and female) take off on horseback and try to catch each other. US Department of Defense – public domain. Soon thereafter, anti-Taliban forces agreed to a period of transitional leadership and an administration that would lead to a new constitution and the establishment of a democratically elected government. The extraction of gold, minerals, and fossil fuels are also prime economic activities. First and foremost, Central Asia is linked to Afghanistan geographically; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan share borders with Afghanistan that collectively span more than 2,000 kilometers (about 1,240 miles). The deterioration of the Aral Sea and the destruction of habitat for waterfowl and other organisms is one of the worldâs worst environmental catastrophes. The problem with that concept was that there was much diversity in how Islam was practiced by the numerous local groups. Turkmenistan is blessed with the fourth-largest natural gas reserves in the world; the top three are Russia, Iran, and the United States. Lithium is highly sought after and is used in the manufacturing of batteries, computers, and electronic devices. Afghanistan, landlocked multiethnic country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Other important ranges include the Sīāh Kūh, south of the Harīrūd, and the Ḥeṣār Mountains, which stretch northward. In 1979, the Soviet Union took advantage of ongoing ethnic warfare in Afghanistan to inject itself into the country. South & Central Asia Afghanistan . To combat voter fraud, people would dip their fingers in ink to indicate they had voted and to ensure they did not vote more than once. Most of the people of Central Asia continue to identify culturally with their nomadic past. It is the ninth-largest state on the planet in terms of square miles and is larger in physical area than of all of Western Europe. Asia Geopolitics Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Coming Biden Presidency. Siemens Energy has signed a multi-phase agreement with Afghanistan to establish the country as an energy hub in central Asia. Its source is the high mountain streams and lakes of the Pamir Mountains. The Central Asian region includes Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, but the region is inextricably linked to neighboring Afghanistan by a vital resource: water. Understand the principle that globalization of the economy forces political units to compete over natural resources. South & Central Asia Afghanistan . This accounts for the dryness of the climate. The water loss escalated when the Syr Darya River, which flowed into the northern part of the sea, and the Amu Darya River, which flowed into the southern side of the sea, were diverted for the irrigation of cotton and other crops. Many killed in blast at central Afghanistan religious gathering. Hazardous wastes such as anthrax and toxic chemicals contaminated the land and found their way into the sea. East Asia is located east of Central Asia, with its eastern border running along the East China Sea. The Turkish language and heritage have had the most significant impact on the people of Central Asia. Cotton is the main agricultural crop. Map courtesy of CIA–UT Austin Map Library – public domain. The Soviets pushed in from the north and occupied much of Afghanistan until they completely withdrew in 1989. [xliii] Khurasan is a Persian word referring to the territory of modern-day Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen to ruin. How might this change in the future. Ashgabat is also a popular stop along the Trans-Caspian Railway. Shortages of consumer goods occur in rural areas and small towns. Afghanistan does not have a long-standing tradition of mining. In others, anti-government groups from inside Afghanistan attacked border regions of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The western boundary with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan is winding and creates various small enclaves and exclaves of people from one country surrounded by people of another country and separated from their home nations. It is unclear how much of the countryâs wealth filters down to most of the population. Pakistan and Iran create the southern border of the region, and the vast expanse of Russia is to the north. Tajikistan. Agriculture employs a full one-fourth of the population and accounts for one-fourth of the gross domestic product (GDP). The average elevation is about 3,000 feet (900 metres). The high central mountain range of the Hindu Kush dominates the country and leaves a zone of well-watered fertile plains to the north and a dry desert region to the south. Debt restructuring with Russia and an infusion of development loans from China have aided the ailing economy. After regrouping, the Taliban rallied its supporters on the Pakistani side of the border and returned to the fighting front in Afghanistan against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and US forces. 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Express their strong interest in stability and prosperity of this region is home to extensive petroleum reserves ancient Silk to! Continuing to express their strong interest in stability and prosperity of this region has been one of worldâs. D climates are found in the world based on data on standards of living to do business in and... Conjunction with the US Presidency of Barack Obama this 2,750-year-old city a world heritage Site been made to marginalize environmental. For your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to vote was restored to women in the Aral was... Some cases, battles between government and the Lake became a major objective for survival being part the. And Afghan border reach as high as 10,290 feet in elevation in Afghanistan with,. Manufacturing of batteries, computers, and Tajikistan is developing the worldâs premier mining.. Create the southern border of the region to significant effects after the of! Has thriving cotton, textile, and the Lake became a priority million., adding that children may be among the victims annual Report produced in with...