Central Asia is most notable for being home to the 'stans': Rugged countries with limited arable land, historically coveted for their position between Europe and East Asia, rather than for their resources (although petroleum and natural gas reserves in the region are becoming more and more important). They are home to generally poor, primarily Muslim, historically nomadic, mostly Turkic-speaking peoples (the exception is Tajikistan). All but Afghanistan, (which is sometimes categorized separately for this and other reasons) are former Soviet republics, and with the exception of Kyrgyzstan, have so far have retained authoritarian, secular governments.