| A | B |
|---|
| oasis | a site in the desert where water can be found in springs or wells or under dry riverbeds |
| mosque | an Islamic place of worship |
| dryland agriculture | agriculture that depends on rainfall rather than irrigation to water crops |
| clan | a group of people descended from a common ancestral family |
| What landforms are found in Central Asia? | plains, plateaus, mountains |
| What climates are found in Central Asia? | steppe, desert, highland |
| What has happened to the Aral Sea? | has lost much water over the decades due to wasteful irrigation methods-level has dropped, shrunken area, deltas no longer support wildlife |
| How did Central Asian people's economic activities change during the Soviet era? | most people were subsistence farmers or herders-the Soviets forced people onto collectives and state farms and developed some industry |
| What social and economic challenges does Central Asia face? | low incomes, high birth rates, high illiteracy rates, economic decline, ethnic conflict, decreasing water resources, increasing populations |
| What Central Asian countries have there been little change since the Soviet Unions's collapse? | Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan |
| Why would an astronaut have reservations about the breakup of the Soviet Union? | the major space port used by the Soviet Union is in Kazakhstan, they feared losing access to the space port |
| What is dryland agriculture's major source of water? | rainfall |
| How did irrigation methods in Central Asia change when the Soviets took control of the region? | Soviets designed massive irrigation projects that wasted much water |
| What is the silk road? | overland trade route from Southwest Asia to China where paper & silk were obtained |
| How did the silk road affect Central Asia's towns? | caravans stopped to rest and trade in Central Asia-some of its towns became major cultural and economic centers |
| What has happened in Tajikistan since it became independent? | experienced alot of turmoil, with fighting among Tajiks |
| What climate type dominates much of Central Asia? | desert |
