Ethnic Diversity in West-Central Asia

Dozens of ethnicities inhabit a 4-million-square-kilometer region of West-central Asia, allocated among eight nationalities. The five most numerous ethnicities are Punjabis, Persians, Pashtuns, Uzbeks, and Azerbaijanis. Azerbaijanis were described below.

Ethnicities in Pakistan

The Punjabi comprise 45 percent of Pakistan’s population and have been the most numerous ethnicity since ancient times in the territory that now constitutes the state of Pakistan. Pashtuns, the second most populous ethnicity, make up 15 percent of the country’s population. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was imposed by the British in the 1890s before either was an independent country. The border, called the Durand line, is named for the British diplomat principally responsible for setting the line. The Durand line, which is not recognized by the government of Afghanistan, is a source of tension because it divides the Pashtun and Baluchi ethnic groups between the two countries.

Ethnicities in Iran

Most people in Iran are ethnic Persians, who comprise 61 percent of Iran’s population. Iran’s other principal ethnicities include 16 percent Azerbaijanis in the northwest, 10 percent Kurds in the west, 6 percent Lurs in the west, 2 percent Turkmen in the north, 2 percent Shiite Arabs in the southwest, and 2 percent Baluchi in the southeast. Relations between Iran and the United States have been poor since 1979, when a revolution brought to power fundamentalist Shiites, and some of their supporters seized the U.S. Embassy, holding 52 Americans hostage for more than a year. More recently, a collection of countries have struggled to keep Iran from creating nuclear weapons (discussed in more detail in Chapter 8).

Ethnicities in Afghanistan

The most numerous ethnicities in Afghanistan include 42 percent Pashtun, 27 percent Tajik, and 9 percent each Hazara and Uzbek. Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity can be attributed to its position as a key trading route between Central, Southern, and Western Asia. The current unrest among Afghanistan’s ethnicities dates from 1979, with the start of a rebellion by several ethnic groups against the government. After many years of infighting among ethnicities, a Pashtun faction called the Taliban gained control over most of the country in 1995. The Taliban imposed strict laws on Afghanistan, according to Islamic values as the Taliban interpreted them. The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and overthrew the Taliban-led government because it was harboring terrorists (see under Taliban in Chapter 8). Removal of the Taliban unleashed a new struggle for control of Afghanistan among the country’s many ethnicities. As a result of the fighting, more than 4 million people have become refugees or internally displaced persons.

Lunch, Afghanistan

The civil war has generated more than 4 million refugees and internally displaced persons among the country’s many ethnicities (see Chapter 3). Many of the refugees live in mud houses without electricity and running water.

Ethnicities in the Caucasus

The Caucasus region, an area about the size of Colorado, was once part of the Soviet Union. The breakup of the Soviet Union resulted in independence for the small former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia (see Chapter 8). Armenians have inhabited this territory since prehistoric times. All but 2 percent of the population of Armenia are ethnic Armenians. Most speak Armenian, which is a branch of Indo-European (see Chapter 5), and most adhere to Orthodox Christianity.

Azerbaijanis comprise more than 90 percent of the population of Azerbaijan. They trace their roots to Turkish invaders who migrated from Central Asia during the eighth and ninth centuries and merged with the existing Persian population. Azerbaijanis are predominantly Shiite Muslims and speak Azerbaijani, a Turkic language.

Ethnic Georgians comprise 82 percent of Georgia’s population. The country also includes about 6 percent Azerbaijani, 5 percent Armenian, 3 percent Abkhazian, 2 percent Ossetian, and 1 percent Russian. Georgia’s cultural diversity has been a source of unrest, especially among the Ossetians and Abkhazians. Russia has recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries and sent troops there to bolster its claim. Only a handful of other countries recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, although the two operate as if they were independent of Georgia.

Pause & Reflect 7.3.3

Compare Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in terms of ethnic diversity. Which has recently experienced the most ethnic conflict? Explain.

Ethnicities in Central Asia States

The five states in Central Asia carved out of the former Soviet Union display varying degrees of ethnic diversity. Tajiks and Turkmens comprise more than 80 percent of the population of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, respectively; Kyrgyz and Uzbeks more than 70 percent of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, respectively; and Kazakhs more than 60 percent of Kazakhstan. Conflicts among these ethnicities have occurred primarily between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz (see Chapter 8).

Uzbek Women, Uzbekistan