Geographic usage of the terms Middle Asia and Central Asia

Usage of the terms Middle Asia and Central Asia and their translation from Russian is discussed. English-language publications have used ‘Central Asia’ to refer to areas of the former USSR, to areas of China and Mongolia and to areas that cross the former-Soviet/Chinese border. Use of Middle Asia to refer to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan collectively, avoids this ambiguity.