Energy pipelines in Eurasia: maps of the New Silk Road

I quickly gathered a series of maps of oil and natural gas pipelines that criss-cross Eurasia. Notice that some of the maps, though similar, don’t outline the same routes. This is because, some of the established routes are newly constructed and were not built at the time of the map’s inception. Also, some of the proposed lines vacillate between quite possible to unlikely to ever happen. This energy network is not yet fully established and is undergoing fairly rapid changes over the years. I hope, however, that these maps can provide a sense of the energy routes that span this multi-continent network.

A general view of existing and proposed pipelines based on geostrategic parties

Central Asia

Central Asia and surroundings

Eastern Europe and Caucasus

From the US government’s Energy Information Administration

Railway network

Map of US Military Installations in Iraq and Kuwait

Below is a link to a PDF high resolution map of many of the US military bases and camps in Iraq and Kuwait. This map compiles installations from the Summer of 2008.

PDF map compiled by http://www.globalsecurity.org and published by Stars and Stripes can be seen here.

Demographic Map of Central Asia

To provide some background on past and future posts on Central Asia, I’ve included a demographic map of Central Asia below. Click on it to zoom in.

(Source: USA Federal Government)

Maps of Afghanistan: Demographics, Violence, and Economics

Below are maps of Afghanistan, to help provide some visual, economic, and demographic context to the country. Click on each map to enlarge.

National Map

(Source: http://www.afghan-network.net)

Intense Opium Cultivation and Taliban Control (2008)

(Source: Senlis)

Insurgent Attacks and NATO/Afghan Offensives (2008)

(Source: Senlis)

Ethno-linguistic Groups (from 1997)

(Source: The University of Texas)

A more recent and more detailed map of Ethno-linguistic distribution can be found in PDF form at www.afghan-network.net.

A map of tribal groups can be found at the Senlis Council.

Known Resources (from 2008)

(Source: U.S. Department of Defense)

Economic Map (from 1982)

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(Source: The University of Texas)

Major Roads

Topographic Map of N. Iraq and S. Turkey

The map below shows the rugged nature of the environment in N. Iraq, where the PKK has supplies and people. The PKK has a concentration of bases in the mountains north of Sulaymaniyah. Sulaymaniyah is the ‘capital’ of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). The KDP is one of two ruling parties in the northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government.

The map is from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Click on the thumbnail to view the map in detail.

Political and Infrastructure Maps of Iraqi Kurdistan

The below maps are produced by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and archived at the University of Texas Libraries.

They should help provide some context to situation faced in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government. Notice that the city of Kirkuk is on the edge of what’s identified as a mainly Kurdish area, surrounded by Turkoman and Arab communities to the west. Click on the maps to enlarge and click again to zoom in. Right click and save to copy them to your computer.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), traditionally rivals, have managed to establish a power-sharing formula that’s been in effect since the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The map below clarifies their zones of influence.

Below are some maps identifying population densities and oil infrastructure. Kirkuk is said to hold about 12% of Iraq’s estimated oil reserves.