Illustrated Glossary

Terms used for the purpose of this exhibition are defined as follows:

Eurasia

Eurasia
” For pertaining to Eurasia, i.e., to Europe and Asia considered as forming in reality one continent.” Oxford English Dictionary

Asia

Asia
&”Continent of the eastern hemisphere north of equator forming a single landmass with Europe (the conventional dividing line between Asia & Europe being the Ural Mountains and main range of the Caucasus Mountains); has numerous large offshore islands including Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Malay Archipelago, Taiwan, the Japanese chain, and Sakhalin area 44,391,162 sq. km [17,139,445 sq. mi.]” Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Central Asia

Central Asia
“A region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It includes the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan and parts of Iran, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, India, and southwestern Siberia.” Collins English Dictionary

Greater Central Asia

Greater Central Asia
A concept spearheaded by some U.S. scholars that includes not only the traditional five republics of Central Asia but also the three nations of South Caucasus—Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia—as well as Afghanistan, and parts of Russia, Iran, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, and India.

Southeast Asia

South East Asia
A sub-region of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea, and north of Australia.

Middle East

Middle East
“An extensive area of southwest Asia and northern Africa, stretching from the Mediterranean to Pakistan and including the Arabian peninsula.” Oxford Dictionary

Greater Middle East

Greater Middle East
In addition to the traditional Middle East includes former republics of USSR in Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as the Arab-speaking nations of Northern Africa.

Near East

Near East
“The countries of southwest Asia and northeast Africa—sometimes used interchangeably with ‘Middle East,’ which has become the more common term.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Far East

Far East
Includes Russia, China, Japan, Mongolia, and other countries of east Asia.

Caucasus

Caucasus
(Caucasia)(Caucasia)“Region southeast Europe between the Black and Caspian seas, divided by Caucasus Mountains into Cis·cau·ca·sia (to the north) and Trans·cau·ca·sia (to the south)” Merriam-Webster Dictionary

“Mountainous region of southeast Europe and southwest Asia, lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and southeast Russia. ” Oxford Dictionary

North Caucasus

North Caucasus
The territory of southern Russia encompassing Ciscaucasia and the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus. The Northern Caucasus encompasses the southern part of Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar, and Stavropol’ krais, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the North Ossetia Republic, the Chechen Republic, the Ingush Republic, the Dagestan Republic, and part of the western part of the Kalmyk Republic.

South Caucasus

South Caucasus
Also referred to as Transcaucasia, extending from the Greater Caucasus over the Turkish and Iranian borders, between the Black and Caspian seas. It comprises the Republics of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, as well as parts of Turkey and Iran.

Republic of Azerbaijan—Located in Europe or Asia?

Republic of Azerbaijan
Depending on the source, the country is classified either in southeastern Europe or in western Asia. The Greater Caucasus Mountain range divides Europe and Asia, with Azerbaijan thus being approximately 40% in Europe and 60% in Asia. According to the strict geographic division, roughly half of Georgia is in Asia and fully 100% of Armenia is in Asia, too.