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what is a "stan", libralady? how do you define a "stan country"?
The stans are the Turkic nations of Central Asia. Originally the lands of different people groups, when Stalin drew the map of the Russian Republics he deliberately put the borders so that the peoples were divided (e.g. Taþkent and Samarkand were both Tajik and became part of Uzbekistan) on a divide and rule basis. So, while the majority population of Uzbekistan is Uzbek you find a lot of minorities is Uzbekistan, and a lot of Uzbeks in neighbouring stans. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union most of the stans got independence and are independent countries. Some are still regions of other countries (e.g. Baluchistan - the homeland of the Baluchis). This is why the phrase Kurdistan is so political..Stan implies independent political homeland.
Some stans and Turkish names:
Kazakhstan (Kazakstan)
Uzbekistan (Özbekistan)
Afghanistan (Afganistan)
Tajikstan (Tacikstan)
Turkmenestan (Türkmenistan)
Kyrgyzstan (Kirgizstan)
You can also include the NW Frontier Province of Pakistan, and also the Xinjian province of China.
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