Central Asia Countries: Full List, Capitals, and Map

Central Asia is a geographic subregion of the Asian continent, located between Western Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia, and Eastern Europe.

As with other world regions, its exact boundaries vary depending on whether the definition is based on political groupings, statistical systems, or cultural geography.

This post follows the United Nations (UN) geoscheme, which defines Central Asia as a distinct subregion of Asia consisting of five sovereign states.

List of countries in Central Asia

According to the United Nations geoscheme, Central Asia consists of five sovereign countries:

• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan

These countries are grouped together based on their shared geographic position in the interior of the Asian continent, with no direct access to the open ocean.

Central Asian countries table

The table below lists Central Asian countries along with their capitals, population estimates, and land area, based on international data sources.

For broader context, you can also explore how these nations compare in size and population across the continent.

Central Asia and regional overlap

Central Asia sits at the crossroads of several broader regions, which sometimes leads to overlapping or alternative classifications in non-UN contexts.

• Kazakhstan is occasionally associated with Eastern Europe due to its territory west of the Ural River.
• Afghanistan is sometimes included in broader cultural or political discussions of Central Asia, but is classified as Southern Asia under the UN geoscheme.
• Russia, China, Iran, and South Asia all border the region, influencing historical trade and migration routes.

Despite these overlaps, the UN classification treats Central Asia as a clearly defined geographic unit.

Why Central Asia is defined this way

The Central Asian region is characterized by:

• Vast inland plains and the Eurasian Steppe
• Major mountain ranges such as the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains
• Large desert areas, including the Karakum and Kyzylkum
• Endorheic basins, where rivers do not drain to the ocean

Historically, the region formed the heart of overland trade networks linking East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, most notably along the Silk Road.

Central Asia vs Eurasia

Although the terms are sometimes confused, Central Asia and Eurasia are not the same.

• Central Asia is a specific geographic subregion in Asia, as defined by the UN.
• Eurasia is a broader continental concept combining Europe and Asia into a single landmass.

Why Central Asia matters in global statistics

Central Asia is widely used as a regional category by:

• The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
• International development agencies
• Demographic, economic, and environmental datasets

Its value lies in clarity and consistency: every country belongs to one geographic subregion, avoiding the ambiguity found in cultural or political labels.

United Nations geoscheme for Asia

To help place Central Asia within the wider UN classification system, the global regions map below shows how all world subregions are organized.

The UN geoscheme groups every member state into a clearly defined region, which allows for consistent comparisons across countries and continents.

Antarctica is excluded because the framework applies only to UN member states.

Under the UN geoscheme, Asia is divided into several subregions, including:

• Central Asia
• Western Asia
• Southern Asia
• Eastern Asia
• South-Eastern Asia