Central Asia is a somewhat vague term used to indicate, generally, the area of Asia between Turkey, China, Afghanistan, and Russia. There is no “nation” of Central Asia. In terms of modern configurations we are speaking of the area that includes Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and parts of Afghanistan, western China, and Siberia.

The Central Asian population is composed of a wide variety of people speaking various languages, many of them belonging to the Altaic family. There are, for instance, Samoyeds, Tungus, Ostiaks, and Voguls of the Finni-Ugrian race; Yakut, Tuvin, Buryat, Khakass peoples of the Turko-Mongol race; and the Chukchi, Galyak, Koryak, and Yukaghir people of the Paleo-Siberian race.