Main Idea 1:
Key physical features of landlocked Central Asia include rugged
mountains.
Mountains
• Many high mountain
ranges through
Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, and
Kyrgyzstan
• Large glaciers in
high mountains
such as the Pamirs
• The mountains have
contributed to the
region’s isolation.
• Frequent
earthquakes
Plains and Plateaus
• From mountains in
east, the land
gradually slopes
westward.
• The central part of
the region is
covered with plains
and low plateaus.
• The plains region is
the site of the fertile
Fergana Valley, a
major center of
farming in the
region for
thousands of years.
Rivers and Lakes
• Two rivers, the Syr
Darya and the Amu
Darya, flow through
the Fergana Valley
from eastern
mountains into the
Aral Sea, which is
really a large lake.
• Another important
lake, Lake
Balkhash, has
freshwater at one
end and salty water
at the other end.