A Little Information about Turkmenistan. Turkmenabat. (2)
My hometown is Turkmenabat and It is very dear to me, because I was born here which it is the second largest city in Turkmenistan. The population of Turkmenabat is over 254 thousand people. The city is located in the province of Lebap in the northeast of the country, which has borders Uzbekistan in the north, Afghanistan in the east with another three provinces Mary, Ahal, Dashoguz. Türkmenabat is located on the banks wild river of the Amu-Darya River. The climate of the Turkmenabat is extreme summer heat and cool winters with frosts. There is snow in the north and in the mountains. In the south and east the weather is dry especially in summer. Beauty Turkmenabat can be seen in April and in May, these are the best months for a beautiful blossoming deserts and mountains. And September and October are great for an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Turkmenabat is a country with the glorious past. It is rich in historical monuments and different places of interest, there are many historical interesting places in Turkmenabat. It is Dayahattin Kervansaray, Amul' Settlement, Allamberdar Mausoleum, these are famous historical places and the tourist attractions in Central Asia. Repetek Reserve and Nature Reserve Museum Amu Darya are also in Turkmenabad and the animal world is very diverse there. Many different animals live in nature reserve: wolves, foxes, hares, squirrels, chipmunks. Nowadays Turkmenabat doesn’t look the same way it looked before. There are a lot of tall buildings of marble. The present-day city is almost entirely of new construction. It is the city with broad streets and avenues, modern architecture. Besides, the central street of our town is beautifully decorated with red, white and yellow tulips. It makes our town very beautiful and nice. The world's largest handwoven rug has got a big carpet museum in Turkmenabat which produces to the carpet factory. In order to Turkmen rugs and jewelry to withdraw from the country must present the official receipt and registration form from the store where it was produced for sale. Turkmen people have at all times remained courteous people devoted to the traditions of hospitality. They have always treated a guest as a messenger of Allah. Hence, there is a proverb: "The guest is higher than the father". Our door is always open for all. In conclusion I’d like to add that there is no place like my home town. It is a peaceful and beautiful town. The people in my hometown live in peace and harmony. I love the peace and quiet in my hometown.
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student B)
1) |
What do you know about Turkmenistan? |
2) |
What are your impressions of Turkmenistan? |
3) |
How important is Turkmenistan compared with other nations? |
4) |
What is Turkmenistan most commonly in the news for? |
5) |
What is Turkmenistan good at? |
6) |
Is Turkmenistan a convenient and safe country in which to live? |
7) |
Would you like to go to Turkmenistan? |
8) |
What do you know of Turkmenistan politics? |
9) |
Who is the most famous Turkmen person? |
10) |
How do you think the people would describe their country? |
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student A)
1) |
What has Turkmenistan given the world? |
2) |
What are the first three things that come to mind when you hear the country Turkmenistan? |
3) |
What role does Turkmenistan play in Central Asia? |
4) |
What are relations like between your country and Turkmenistan? |
5) |
Should Turkmenistan have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council? |
6) |
What social problems does Turkmenistan have? |
7) |
What would you like to do in Turkmenistan on a three-week holiday? |
8) |
What do you think life is like in Turkmenistan? |
9) |
What is your image of the typical Turkmen person? |
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially Kyrgyz Republic, republic (2005 est. pop. 5 mln people), central Asia.
It borders on China in the southeast, on Kazakhstan in the north, on Uzbekistan in the west, and on Tajikistan in the southwest. Bishkek, the capital, and Osh are the chief cities.
Land and People
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country in the Tian Shan and Pamir systems, rising to 24,409 ft (7,440 m) at Pobeda Peak on the Chinese border. Ninety-four percent of the country is over 3,300 ft (1,000 m) above sea level, with an average elevation of 9,020 ft (2,750 m). Lake Issyk-Kul lies in the northeast.
The climate is continental with great regional variations; there are glaciers in the north, and the subtropical Fergana Valley highlands lie in the southwest. The Talas Alatau and the Fergana ranges roughly separate SW Kyrgyzstan from the larger northeast. The Kyrgyz, a Sunni Muslim, Turkic-speaking pastoral people, constitute about two thirds of the population; the rest are Uzbeks (about 14%), Russians (about 12%), and other minorities. The Uzbeks reside largely in the southwest. Some 20% of the people are Russian Orthodox Christians.
About two thirds of the population is rural. Kyrgyz and Russian are both official languages, and Uzbek is also spoken.
Economy
Over half of Kyrgyzstan's population is engaged in agriculture and herding. There is rich pasturage for sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. Most of the cultivated area is irrigated. Cotton, tobacco, potatoes, sugar beets, vegetables, grapes, fruits, and berries are grown; sericulture is carried on, and grain crops are cultivated in the nonirrigated areas.
Kyrgyzstan has deposits of gold, rare earth metals, coal, oil, natural gas, nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, zinc, and uranium. Industries include food processing, nonferrous metallurgy, forestry, and the manufacture of agricultural machinery, textiles, appliances, furniture, and electric motors. In addition, the Kyrgyz are also noted for such traditional handicrafts as wood carving, carpet weaving, and jewelry making. Many citizens work abroad, especially in Kazakhstan and Russia, and their remittances are important to Kyrgyzstan's economy.
The nation's leading exports are cotton, wool, meat, tobacco, metals (particularly gold, mercury, and uranium), natural gas, hydropower, and machinery; the chief imports are oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, and foodstuffs. The main trading partners are China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan.
Nature of Kyrgyzia.
|
4%
of the territory of Kyrgyzstan is occupied with mountains. It
has fantastic gorges covered with bright green grass, high
fir-trees, and is filled with the crystal pure air. Murmur of
the water in the tumultuous rivers and waterfalls are the only
things which break the silence. Every gorge is unique and
beautiful in its own way. The plexus of mountains located on
the border with China is a location of the highest picks of the
Tien-Shan mountain system - Pobeda Peak (7439 m) and
Khan-Tengri (6995 m). From this point the gorges go to the west
and south-west creating parallel ranges stretching for 300-400
km. The Republic southern border with Tajikistan is edged with
the highest Chon-Alai (Zaalai) Range with the second highest
peak in Kyrgyzstan – Lenin Peak (7134 m). Alpinists from all
over the world strive for conquering these peaks. Kyrgyzstan is
one of the largest regions that has the modern glaciers system.
They occupy 4.2% of the territory of Kyrgyzstan with a total
area of 8100 sq. km.
here
are more than 2000 lakes and artificial storages in the
country. The lakes occupy 3.4% of the territory. About 90% of
them are high-altitude dams and enclosed lakes. Sary-Chelek
Lake is a biosphere reserve located at the south-western slope
of the Chatkal Range at a height of 1873.9 m above sea level.
It impresses every tourist by its beauty.
The
high-altitude Issyk-Kul Lake, the second largest after Lake
Titicaca, is sheltered between Tien-Shan mountains at the
bottom of the huge tectonic basin at a height of 1606.7 m above
sea level. The Lake differs from others by its geographical,
climatic, and hydrological conditions. All these make it unique
medical and recovering resource for holidaymakers. Annually
hundreds of tourists spend their holidays on the beaches of the
Issyk-Kul Lake.Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/kyrgyzstan#ixzz2xcKQd9oN
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student B)
1) |
What do you know about Kyrgyzstan? |
2) |
What are your impressions of Kyrgyzstan? |
3) |
How important is Kyrgyzstan compared with other nations? |
4) |
What is Kyrgyzstan most commonly in the news for? |
5) |
Why is Kyrgyzstan good at? |
6) |
Is Kyrgyzstan a convenient and safe country in which to live? |
7) |
Would you like to go to Kyrgyzstan? |
8) |
What do you know of Kyrgyzstan politics? |
9) |
Who is the most famous Kyrgyzstan person? |
10) |
How do you think the people would describe their country? |
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show to Student A)
1) |
What has Kyrgyzstan given the world? |
2) |
What are the first three things that come to mind when you hear the country Kyrgyzstan? |
3) |
What role does Kyrgyzstan play in Central Asia? |
4) |
What are relations like between your country and Kyrgyzstan? |
5) |
Should Kyrgyzstan have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council? |
6) |
What social problems does Kyrgyzstan have? |
7) |
What would you like to do in Kyrgyzstan on a three-week holiday? |
8) |
What do you think life is like in Kyrgyzstan? |
9) |
What is your image of the typical Kyrgyzstan person? |
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially Republic of Tajikistan, republic (2005 est. pop. 7 mln people).
It borders on China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, Kyrgyzstan in the north, and Uzbekistan in the west and northwest. Dushanbe is the capital and largest city. Administratively, the country is divided into two regions and one autonomous region (Badakhshan, the easternmost section of Tajikistan). A country of south-central Asia. The region was settled by the Tajik before the 10th century and conquered by Mongols in the 13th century. By the mid-19th century it was divided among several weak khanates. The region was acquired by Russia in 1895 and was a constituent republic of the USSR from 1929 to 1991, when it declared its independence. Dushanbe is the capital and the largest city.
Land and People
Parts of the Pamir and Trans-Alai mt. systems are in the east, and the highest peaks in the country are Ismoili Somoni Peak (7,495m) and Lenin Peak, formerly Kaufmann Peak (7,134 m). The southeast is occupied by an arid plateau c. (3,660-4,570m) high. The only extensive low districts are the Tajik section of the Fergana Valley in the north and the hot, dry Gissar and Vakhsh valleys in the southwest. The Amu Darya, Syr Darya, and Zeravshan are the chief rivers and are used for irrigation. Additional dams and irrigation projects, notably the Great Gissar Canal, have opened almost 1 million acres (400,000 hectares) of land to cultivation.
Most of Tajikistan's people are concentrated in its narrow, deep intermontane valleys. About 65% of the population is composed of Tajiks (also spelled Tadjiks or Tadzhiks), a Sunni Muslim people who speak a language virtually indistinguishable from Persian. The rest of the people are mainly Uzbeks (25%), Russians (3.5%), Tatars, Kyrgyz, and Ukrainians. In addition to the capital of Dushanbe, other important cities are Khudjand , Uroteppa, and Qurghonteppa.
Economy
Tajikistan's economy is dependent on agriculture and livestock is raising.
Two thirds of the population is extremely poor, and an every sixth person now works in Russia or other foreign countries.
Mining and raw-materials processing, which were formerly important, have diminished since the economic collapse in the 1990s, after Soviet rule ended and civil war began. The lowlands specialize in the cultivation of cotton, wheat, barley, fruit (including wine grapes), and mulberry trees (for silk). Karakul sheep, dairy cattle, and yaks are raised. The republic's mountains yield coal, antimony, silver, gold, salt, uranium, mercury, tungsten, lead, and zinc, but most mining has ceased. Cotton ginning, silk spinning, food processing, winemaking, carpet weaving, metals processing, and the manufacture of textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, and cement were the leading industries, but these too have been curtailed. There is some petroleum, and Tajikistan is well provided with hydroelectric resources.
The country's economic problems and political turmoil have led Tajikistan to become an important heroin smuggling transit point. Trade is primarily with other former Soviet republics; the first road to China was opened only in 2004.
Most people have no specialized skills; most specialists were from the Russian-speaking sector and left after independence. This resulted in the closing of most factories. The country depends on international assistance for its basic needs. However, the civil war and geographic isolation have hampered international trade.
The government encourages foreign investment, but registration procedures are unclear and the laws are contradictory. In the 1990s, firms from the United States, Israel, Austria, Italy, and Canada constructed factories and mining projects.