Greater Central Asia (GCA) is a variously defined region encompassing the area in and aroundCentral Asia, by one definition includingPakistan,Iran,Turkey,Xinjiang (inChina), andAfghanistan,^[1] and by a more expansive definition, excluding Turkey but includingMongolia and parts ofIndia andRussia.^[2] The region was historically interconnected religiously, economically, and otherwise,^[3] being important as part of theSilk Road trading network until the 15th century;^[4] thecompetition betweenSoviet,British, andChinese spheres of influence split the region apart in the 20th century.^[5] In the 21st century, it has been contested by a number of major powers, such as the United States, China, and Russia.^[6][7]

The region is defined to a significant extent by its many tribal/clan alliances and histories.^[8]

In ancient times, GCA was involved in theSilk Road, and was greatly influenced byBuddhism as ittransmitted through the region to East Asia.^[9] The region was important in an intellectual sense, coming up with many new ideas and connecting the intellectual spheres of neighboring Eurasian regions.^[10]Alexander the Great's conquests throughout the region, culminating innorthwest India,Hellenized the region and left Greek kingdoms such as theGreco-Bactrian Kingdom in their wake.^[10] TheKushan Empire was one of the first empires to unite most of GCA.^[11][12]

TheMongol conquest of Central Asia in the 13th century increased the economic connectivity of the region. TheIslamization of GCA was ongoing during this time period;Arab conquests of the region from the 7th century onward had surpassed the conquests of the region from the previous millennium in bringing cultural and religious change,^[13] with the southern regions of GCA having converted to Islam within the firstIslamic century, while the northern parts of Central Asia took closer to a millennium;^[14] Central Asia then went on to be a core contributor to theIslamic Golden Age.^[15] However, non-Muslim areas of GCA such as Mongolia still share common religious heritage with neighboring areas through elements such asTengrism.^[16]Central Asian conquests of India in the first half of the second millennium, primarily byTimur and laterBabur, then resulted in the spread of aTurco-Persian tradition throughout GCA and throughnorthwestern South Asia into the rest of South Asia.^[10] By the 17th century, the importance of the Silk Road had declined due to the rise of maritime trade.^[17]

The 18th- to mid 20th-centuryBritish rule of India disconnected South Asians from their centuries-long ties to GCA at the same time that theSoviet Union and ChineseQing dynasty were conquering parts of the region.^[18] Afghanistan became abuffer state between theBritish Empire and the Soviet Union in what was referred to as the "Great Game".^[19] After India's independence in 1947, it was able to build closer ties with Soviet Central Asia as part of its overallclose relations with the Soviet Union during theCold War, in contrast to Pakistan.^[18]

TheSoviet invasion of Afghanistan of the 1980s prompted a greater level of Western interest in the GCA concept, as a way of understanding contemporary events in the context of historical Eurasian geopolitics. By 1991, the Soviet Union had ended and the five modern Central Asian nations became independent.^[20]

Important events in the early 2020s, such as America's chaoticpullout from Afghanistan, along with Russia's full-scaleinvasion of Ukraine, have reduced Central Asia's chances of creating land routes to the sea for trade, and have created fears in the region of being invaded again.^[21]

China's involvement in GCA, involving over $100 billion in investment,^[22] is argued to be aimed towards the protection of its Xinjiang region from neighboring terrorist groups,^[5] as well as securing natural resources^[23] and curbing the local influence of America and India.^[24] India isinterested in engaging with GCA, though itsdifficult relationship with Pakistan and the instability of Afghanistan reduce the potential for such engagement for the time being.^[25][18] India also lacks the direct borders with Central Asia as well as the economic heft of being able to provide aBelt and Road Initiative-type project to the region that China has, which are factors that favor China's influence in the region.^[18]

• Heartlands of Eurasia: The Geopolitics of Political Space
• Lost Enlightenment:Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane (PDF)

• Central Asia
• Inner Asia
• Eurasia

• CS1 errors: missing periodical
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata