GENERAL INFORMATION
Asia, both in the Muggle and the magical world, is considered as the largest continent. It consists of 47 countries. Asia is known for its large size and population. On the other hand, there exists the contrasting dense cities and barely populated areas. We will get to know them more in the coming lessons. One thing is for sure though. Asia is so huge that the sub regions differ from each other in many ways, from their climate, to their culture, and environmental resources.
In this class, we will be dealing with the many locations in Asia that were mentioned in the Harry Potter books. We will discuss the different magical plants and animals, games and sports, as well as the characteristics of the Muggle world of the area. We will be discussing these topics by sub regions. The first sub region is discussed in this lesson. It is the Central Asia.
In this class, we will be dealing with the many locations in Asia that were mentioned in the Harry Potter books. We will discuss the different magical plants and animals, games and sports, as well as the characteristics of the Muggle world of the area. We will be discussing these topics by sub regions. The first sub region is discussed in this lesson. It is the Central Asia.
CENTRAL ASIA
Central Asia consists of countries ending with the Persian suffix 'stan' which means 'land of'. For example, Uzbekistan is the land of the Uzbeks, and so on for the others. In modern context, the definition includes all five republics of the former Soviet Union, namely; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan is sometimes included in this region. Below is a picture showing its location on the globe. Just ignore the Caucasus region for now. We will discuss them in the upcoming lessons.
One very important geographic characteristic of the region is its being 'central' in mainland Asia. As such, the region, in its history, became a crossroad of people, goods and ideas between Europe and the other Asian sub regions. The nomadic peoples of the region and the Silk Road were important in determining the characteristic of the region. From the mid-19th century to the end of the 20th century, the region was part of the Russian empire and later, of the Soviet Union.
The region's land forms are very diverse, from high passes and mountains to deserts and steppes. Much of the land is too dry or too rugged for farming. Also, maybe you are wondering what a steppe is. Some characteristics of a steppe are treeless, and grassy. Steppes are locations best for livestock herding, which is the job of majority of the people in the area. Below is a picture of a steppe in Kazakhstan. On the other hand, industrial activities are found in the city centers.
The region's land forms are very diverse, from high passes and mountains to deserts and steppes. Much of the land is too dry or too rugged for farming. Also, maybe you are wondering what a steppe is. Some characteristics of a steppe are treeless, and grassy. Steppes are locations best for livestock herding, which is the job of majority of the people in the area. Below is a picture of a steppe in Kazakhstan. On the other hand, industrial activities are found in the city centers.
Water is a very rare and valuable resource in the region. The region's rivers flow to Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash, including the Caspian Sea. Bad news is these water bodies have shrunk significantly the past decades due to the diversion of the water to irrigation and industrial purposes. As a result, water became a very valuable resource in the region and mostly the cause of international disputes between the countries involved.
WIZARDING CENTRAL ASIA
Not much has been said about the Central Asia in the Harry Potter books. From this, we have no clue as to how the wizarding world in Central Asia is doing. But we can be sure of some things. Central Asia is still a part of the international wizarding world, and is bounded by some international statutes like the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy signed in 1689 and established in 1692. Laid down by the International Confederation of Wizards, the law safeguards the wizarding world from the Muggles and tries to hide the magical world from them. We can assume that this statute is also present in Central Asia, influencing the way the wizarding world lives. Similar with the wizarding villages in Britain that are spread out in the isolated areas, we can expect the same type of distribution in Central Asia, with a small number of them in the central cities.
Another thing that we know for sure is that the Kazakhstani portion of the Ryn Desert became a venue of the 393rd Quidditch World Cup in 1877, dubbed as the Tournament that Nobody Remembers. Due to some unknown and mysterious circumstances, nobody remembered the tournament taking place that year. What could have happened there that led to the worldwide amnesia of the event? The details documented were: English beater Lucas Bargeworthy missed half his teeth; Canadian seeker Angelus Peel's knees were on backwards; and half of the Argentinian team were found tied up in the basement of a bar in Cardiff. Theories for the lack of memory include the Mass Memory Charms cast by the Goblin Liberation Front that was active that time or the breakout of Cerebrumous Spattergroit which causes memory loss and confusion. Below is a picture of Ryn Desert.
Another thing that we know for sure is that the Kazakhstani portion of the Ryn Desert became a venue of the 393rd Quidditch World Cup in 1877, dubbed as the Tournament that Nobody Remembers. Due to some unknown and mysterious circumstances, nobody remembered the tournament taking place that year. What could have happened there that led to the worldwide amnesia of the event? The details documented were: English beater Lucas Bargeworthy missed half his teeth; Canadian seeker Angelus Peel's knees were on backwards; and half of the Argentinian team were found tied up in the basement of a bar in Cardiff. Theories for the lack of memory include the Mass Memory Charms cast by the Goblin Liberation Front that was active that time or the breakout of Cerebrumous Spattergroit which causes memory loss and confusion. Below is a picture of Ryn Desert.
From this geography of Central Asia, we can expect different survival adaptations and way of wizarding life from the other parts of the world. We can expect spells related to conservation of water or for its most efficient and effective use. We can also expect mastery of sand related spells from them, as well as potions that counter extreme heat and cold in the desert. Magical transportation could also be different. Magical carpet might be used more than brooms in the region due to its proximity to India and other carpet user countries. Many cultural variations could also be seen in the region due to the influence of the Silk Road crossroads in the region's history. Magical shops could be located anywhere, from the old Silk Road ruins to the central cities. Many possibilities could be considered for this region. Young students could go to magical schools in the region. If the region has no magical schools, they could go to Koldovstoretz, a magical school in Russia, which might be nearer for them. But however different the culture could be, the common magical denominator makes it easier for us to understand the region.
REFERENCES
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Asia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Asia#Regions
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/The_Caucasus_and_Central_Asia_-_Political_Map.jpg/1280px-The_Caucasus_and_Central_Asia_-_Political_Map.jpg
- http://www.pitt.edu/~mrosenme/images/Horses_Steppe.jpg
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Kazakhstan
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/International_Statute_of_Wizarding_Secrecy
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/1877_Quidditch_World_Cup
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/1870s
- http://placepics.triposo.com/T__d8fa382119ba.jpeg
- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Koldovstoretz