Central Asian Republics

The Central Asian Republics are five independent states located in the heart of Eurasia. They were constituent republics of the Soviet Union and became independent following its dissolution in 1991.

The five republics

• Kazakhstan is the largest of the five by area.
• Kyrgyzstan is a predominantly mountainous republic.
• Tajikistan is also predominantly mountainous.
• Turkmenistan occupies the south-western part of post-Soviet Central Asia.
• Uzbekistan lies centrally among the republics and borders all the other four.

Regional usage

In conventional diplomatic usage, “Central Asian Republics” refers collectively to these five post-Soviet states. Broader geographical conceptions of Central Asia may extend beyond them, but the post-Soviet regional grouping remains distinct.