Central Asia is a geographical region in Asia, spanning from the Caspian Sea and the Urals to the west to the Gobi Desert and Tarim Basin to the west. Historically, it was the heart of the Silk Road and a center of nomadic peoples, and the Tajiks, Hazaras, Turks, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs have originated in the region, with the Karluks and other extinct tribes coming from the region.