Turkestan

The Turkestan Federation is a country that takes all of Central Asia, stretching from the Caspian Sea to the East, Iranian Empire to the South, China to the West and Russia to the North. It's name derives from the Turkic peoples that majority of the population are descended from. Five republics of the former Soviet Union that make Turkestan: Kazakhstan (pop. 17 million), Kyrgyzstan (5.7 million), Tajikistan (8.0 million), Turkmenistan (5.2 million), and Uzbekistan (30 million), make a total population of about 66 million as of 2060 census data. The capital of the Federation is in Almaty, Kazakhstan though the largest city by population is Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Early Turkic History
Central Asia, since at least the late-6th Century was inhabited by the Turkic peoples in the form of the Turkic Khaganate. The people of the Khaganate were nomads, and played an important role in the ancient Silk Road trade route, a middleman in trades between the East and West. The Turkic Khaganate briefly collapsed in Civil War and partitioned, but revived and collapsed once again by the Uyghur Khaganate.

The Uyghur, and later the Kyrgyz tribes became the successor to the Silk Road. Their enemy, the Persian Sassanid Empire was replaced by the Umayyad and later the Abbasid Arabian Caliphates. Islam only spread to Central Asia by the waning years of the Abbasid Caliphate and the rise of Turkic kingdoms such as the Seljuks and Khwarezmid dynasties in Persia. Some Turkic tribes remained nomads and a force to be reckoned with.

Genghis Khan and Tamarlane
Central Asia's history changed forever with the rise of Genghis Khan in Mongolia. A military genius, he united the Mongol tribes to spread throughout Eurasia with Central Asia no exception. The Khwarezmid Persians were destroyed and the Turkic lands came under Mongol control.

With the death of Genghis Khan, Central Asia came under the control of the Chagatai Khanate. Eventually the Chagatai Khanate converted to Islam, and the Khanate was ended by an Uzbek named Timur, or Tamarlane. His empire did not last long either as it disintegrated to smaller fiefdoms.

Rise of Russia
The advancement in warfare technology such as gunpowder left the Central Asian kingdoms at a disadvantage. Sensing weakness, the Chinese of the Qing Dynasty made easy victories. The Persian kingdom to the South attempted to expand as well, but failed as the kingdom collapsed.

The Russian expansion was the most successful out of the three. They moved East from Europe and brought their attention to the region. The Central Asian kingdoms were soundly defeated by the Russians and the Russian conquest halted before Afghanistan under British pressure. the conquered lands became Russian Turkestan.

Red Turks
Russia brought technological advancements such as railroads to the region, but the Turkic Muslims were not considered Russian citizens. Though this treatment did not give them the same priviledge as Russians it gave them exemption from conscription.

The Russian Revolution also brought changes to the land, as Communist rebels overthrew the Russian government and seized the former Empire to form Communist states. Large administrative reorganisations took place. The Collectivisation and religious suppression killed millions. Regional reorganisations eventually concluded by the 1930s, defining present day borders.

World War II also shaped the region through Soviet deportation and evacuation programmes. Ethnic groups such as the Karachais, Kalmyks, Chechens, Ingushetians, Kabardians, and Crimean Tatars were deported from their homelands and into the region as countermeasure to deny German sympathisers to their cause. Russians were also evacuated to this region during the course of the war. After the war, the region fell into obscurity from international attention.

Return to Turkic Roots
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union was collapsing. Anti-communist sentiments, ignited with the failed August Coup in Moscow ended with the independence of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan was the last country to leave the Soviet Union.

Genji attention
All five post-Soviet republics caught the attention of the Genji Empire, and became allies under the Second Terra Treaty within the CDC.

Almaty Agreement
The Turkestan Federation was established in the 16th of June, 2062 with the Almaty Agreement signed by the Heads of States from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The agreement brought a great Turkic-majority nation unseen since the Chagatai Khanate.

Government and Politics
Turkestan is governed by a Federalised government in Almaty, Kazakh Republic. Under the Federalised governments are governments for each of the five states: Kazakh Republic, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajik Republic, Turkmen Republic, and Uzbek Republic. Each of these states are allowed to retain some of their laws, with final say from the Almaty government. There is also a Karalpak Autonomous Republic within the Uzbek Republic.

Foreign Policy
Turkestan is aligned with the Genji Empire. Cooperation started with the construction of the Almaty International Spaceport, which brought increased traffic, and therefore income to the country.

Turkestan's largest trade partner is Russia. With all republics formerly part of the Soviet Union, they share common heritage with their trade partner.

Military
Main article: Armed Forces of Turkestan

The Armed Forces of Turkestan is Turkestan's main line of defence. It is the descendant of the central Asian militaries that were once part of the Soviet Armed Forces.

The Turkestan Army, combined with it's five predecessors inherited the Turkestan Military District.

The Turkestan Air Force mostly consists of Soviet/Russian aircrafts.

The Turkestan Navy is a brown-water Navy in the Caspian Sea bordering Russia and Iran.

Committee for Federal Security (CFS) takes the role of state security, military intelligence, and counter-insurgency with own Spetsnaz units.

The Turkestan Police Force is one of the most heavily armed police force in the world. This is justified to curb the flow of arms and drug trafficking.

Economy
Turkestan possesses enormous reserves of oil, metals and minerals. It also holds Almaty International Spaceport, one of Earth's most important spaceports. The steppe lands bring potential in agricultural industries. There is a robust manufacturing sector that dates from the former Soviet Union. Oil is the leading source of income in the country.

The country is a key logistics hub on Earth, as the historical Silk Road indicates. The country greets traffic from Iran, China and Russia regularly. It holds a number of train stations for the Silk Rail project, which also base itself in the country.

People
Out of the five main ethnic groups, Uzbeks are the largest with population focused in Uzbekistan. Second comes the Tajiks, then Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and the Turkmens. Karalpaks, Uyghurs, Pashtuns, Hui and Russians are among the recognised ethnic minorities.

Russian is the official language of Turkestan, though each states retain their own languages. Native languages belong to the Turkic language group, further divided in Kipchak, Karluk or Oghuz families. A handful of the population speak Persian, particularly among the Tajiks.

Religion
Turkestan is diverse in religion as the population. Majority of the Turks follow Sunni Islam. Buddhism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Shia Islam are also among the main religions. Minority religions are Tengri, Roman Catholicism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism.