The countries and capitals of Central Asia*

Kazakhstan (Astana)
Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek)
Tajikistan (Dushanbe)
Turkmenistan (Ashkhabad)
Uzbekistan (Tashkent)

The countries and capitals of South Asia*:
Afghanistan (Kabul)
Bangladesh (Dacca)
Bhutan (Thimphu)
India (New Delhi)
Iran (Tehran)
Maldives (Malé)
Nepal (Katmandu)
Pakistan (Karachi)
Sri Lanka (Colombo)

*According to the United Nations. As stated below, the definitions can change from source to source.

• Maps of the region are available from the University of Texas Libraries

Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south.

• 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, Western Asia, South Asia, and East Asia.

For more on the Silk Road, link to

• AP World History Key Concept 2.3

• AP World History Key Concept 3.1

This region is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.

Central Asia is largely coextensive with Turkestan.

• In modern context, Central Asia consists of the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The nations of Afghanistan and Mongolia may also be included in Central Asia, in addition to the western Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai and Tibet. A small portion of Kazakhstan is also located west of the Urals in Eastern Europe.

Major Cities:

City Country Population

South Asia

South Asia

Also known as Southern Asia, is a southernregion of the Asiancontinent, comprising the sub-Himalayan countries and the regions on their west and, for some authorities (see below), on the east as well. It is surrounded (clockwise, from west to east) by Western Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, and Southeastern Asia.

Major Cities in South Asia

City Country Population

People's Committee Building and a statue of Ho Chi Minh/Ho Chi MInh City, Vietnam

Ancient India from the British Museum.

Click here for lesson plans on Central Asia designed for 6th graders. 


Sources:
http://www.indiana.edu/~afghan/maps/central_asia_map.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia
http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/Southeast_Asia.htm
http://www.askasia.org/images/teachers/display/23.jpg