Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Amid Deserts, Steppes, and Mountains -- A Bowl of Sand in a Rocky Cradle -- Extreme Environments -- Deserts: Land that Makes Demands -- Steppes -- Piedmont -- Mountains -- Agriculture to Uranium: Natural Resource Powerhouse -- The Five Countries of Central Asia -- Facts and Figures about the Countries of Central Asia -- Kazakhstan - A Rich and Varied Landscape -- A Society Making Gains -- Endowed with Natural Resources -- Dynamic Agriculture Sector -- The Need for Environmental Protection -- Kyrgyz Republic - The Spirit of Welcome -- Achieving Solid Goals -- A Biodiversity Hot Spot -- Tapping the Country's Water Potential -- Making the Most of Its Resources -- Tajikistan - Proud Mountain Nation -- From Growing Pains to Growing Economy -- Economics and the Environment -- Immense Water Resources -- Rich Biota in Need of Protection -- Turkmenistan - Making the Most of Desert Resources -- An Uncompromising Terrain -- Specialized Wildlife -- Energy to Share -- Dry Lands, Thirsty Crops -- Uzbekistan - Crossroads of Central Asia -- Growing and Diverse Economy -- Sustaining Citizen Well-Being -- Protecting Environment and People -- Energy Resources - Enormous Development Potential -- Petroleum - Fueling the Region's Growth -- Natural Gas - Vast Potential Waiting to be Tapped -- Coal - Energy Diamond in the Rough -- Nuclear Energy - A World Leader in Reserves -- Renewable Energy -- Mineral Resources - Geologists' Paradise -- A Rich Mineral Mix -- Impacts of Mineral Extraction -- Water Resources -- River Basins -- Two Inland Seas -- Outstanding Lakes -- Living Resources -- Ecosystems and Ecoregions -- Protected Areas -- Selected Regions of Unique Biodiversity -- Forest Resources -- Flora and Fauna -- Agriculture -- A Sector in Transformation -- Agricultural Lands -- Irrigated Farmlands -- Irrigated Crops.

Agricultural Standouts -- Fisheries and Aquaculture -- Peoples and Cultural Traditions -- Rich and Turbulent Past -- Tribes and Languages -- Cultural Icons -- The New Nomads -- Natural Resources, Environment, and Poverty -- Overstretched Water Resources -- Land Degradation -- Industrial, Transport, and Urban Pollution -- Climate Change -- Natural Disasters -- Poverty and Environment -- Toward Sustainable Development -- Healing Environment Wounds -- Developing a Sustainable Future -- Regional Economic Cooperation -- Achieving Millennium Development Goals -- Population and Urbanization -- Information Resources -- Statistical Tables -- Bibliography -- Abbreviations -- Acknowledgments -- Contributors -- Photo Credits -- Indexes -- Subject Index -- Geographical Index.