Until 1991 maps had only two "Stans"—Afghanistan and Pakistan. Today there are five more. The sudden breakup of the Soviet Union gave independence to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

In the 1980s Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's new program of glasnost, or openness, allowed citizens to speak freely. Sixty-odd years of communist rule began to unravel—fast.

Demonstrators took to the streets and communism fell in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

In East Berlin the toppling of the Berlin Wall underscored the dramatic changes. Before the East German government crumbled in November 1989, 81 people had died trying to scale the wall to escape their repressive society.

As communism fell everywhere in Europe, Gorbachev resigned in 1991, and formerly Soviet republics began to declare their independence.

Kazakhstan: The largest of the Stans, Kazakhstan is also likely to be the wealthiest. The country has immense oil deposits, which the Soviet Union scarcely touched. The Kazakhs are a Turkic tribe whose ancestors included the Mongols of Genghis Khan. The Soviets tried to wipe out the Kazakhs' local culture by burning books and executing or imprisoning leaders.

Kyrgyzstan: Russians now make up about 13 percent of the Kyrgyzstan population. Many have left the country, complaining that their jobs were being "Kyrgyz-fied." High unemployment and inflation are taxing the nation, and government attempts to modernize have faced obstacles.

Tajikistan: In the Soviet Union, Tajikistan was the poorest republic, and the smallest Stan has not fared much better on its own. Threatened by famine, poverty, and clan fighting, Tajikistan is still struggling. Violence still flares from a civil war that left at least 50,000 dead, and extremist Muslim guerrillas use Tajikistan's many mountains as hiding places.

Turkmenistan: Four-fifths desert, Turkmenistan has huge reserves of oil and natural gas but has not yet realized its potential. Most Tajiks, traditionally nomadic, work the land, led by Saparmurat Niyazoya, a president-for-life whose likeness appears on money, statues, even vodka.

Uzbekistan: Nearly half of Uzbekistan's 25 million people are under 18, and jobs in the agriculture-centered nation are scarce. The Uzbek government has cracked down on religious militants, arresting thousands of suspected radical Muslims.