TURKISTAN


Meaning of TURKISTAN in English

n.

or Turkestan

Historical region, Central Asia.

This somewhat broad geographic region

situated between Siberia to the north and Tibet, India, Afghanistan, and Iran to the south

derived its name from its inhabitants, who were predominantly of Turkic ancestry. The total area of more than 1,000,000 sq mi (2,600,000 sq km) was bisected by the Pamir and Tien Shan ranges, forming West and East Turkistan. West Turkistan, which included what is now Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan, came under Russian rule in the 19th century. East Turkistan was annexed by China in the 8th century; it included what is now the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang .

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.