Central Asia
Situated in the heart of the world’s largest continent, a region remains strong in the face of centuries-old conflicts
Central Asia stretches from the Caspian Sea in the West to China in the East and from Afghanistan in the South to Russia in the North.
It is an extremely large region of varied geography, including high passes and mountains, vast deserts and especially treeless, grassy steppes.
This region has been divided, conquered, and fragmented many times throughout history — serving more as a battleground for outside powers than for their own power.
With a culture as diverse as its landscape, Central Asia is home to five different ethnic groups, including the Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik, Turkmen and Kyrgyz.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, multiple countries in the region gained newfound independence, but former Communist Party officials often retained power as local strongmen. While recent years have welcomed progress toward more open societies, none of the new republics could be considered functional democracies in the early days of independence.
Today, some countries have maintained communist-style governments.
Your participation with Missions Door helps support a missionary in one of the countries of this region, whose name and specific location cannot be disclosed due to security reasons and fear of persecution.
Cultural Snapshot
Central Asia has historically been closely tied to its nomadic peoples and the Silk Road. As a result, it has acted as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods and ideas between Europe, Western Asia, South Asia and East Asia.
Faith Fact
Russian Orthodox Christianity and Islam are the dominant religions in Central Asia. It is an area where religion, customs and politics are closely intertwined. Christian believers and missionaries are suspect and sometimes persecuted.
Region Profile
Population: 68 million
Major Religions: Muslim (85%), Eastern Orthodox and Buddhism. Christians are less than 1%.
Languages: Russian, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik
Literacy: 90 to 100%