Central Asia is a rugged, arid region, historically coveted for its position between Europe and East Asia with the legendary Silk Route, rather than for its resources, although petroleum, natural gas and mineral reserves have become more important in modern times.
The region has no exact boundaries but is usually considered to include all of "the -stans", listed below. All but Afghanistan, (which is sometimes categorized separately) are former Soviet republics that so far have retained authoritarian, secular governments. They are home to generally poor, primarily Muslim, historically nomadic, mostly Turkic-speaking peoples (the exception is Tajikistan).
