Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz RepublicKyrgyz Respublikasy

republicIndependence 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Kyrgyzstan as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBishkek

Area198,500 sq km

LocationCentral Asia, west of China

Populationas each edition published it

4.77 million July 1995 est. · 4.57m in 1992

Population growth% a year

1.5% 1995 est. · 1.56% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 22.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.13 years 1995 est. · 67.71 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.31 children per woman 1995 est. · 4 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

45.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 56 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,790 1994 est. · $2,440 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

-24% 1994 est. · -25% in 1993

Geography

Central Asia, west of China

14 fields

Land useshare of 198,500 sq km

arable land 7%meadows and pastures 42%forest and woodland 0%other 51%irrigated 10,320 sq km (1990)permanent crops: NEGL%

Area

198,500sq km

land area: 191,300 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Land boundaries

3,878km

total · China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States

International disputes

territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area

Climate

dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan;
subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley);
temperate in northern foothill zone

Terrain

peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation

Natural resources

abundant hydroelectric potential;
significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals;
locally exploitable coal, oil and natural gas;
other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc

Environment

current issues:: water pollution;
many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells, as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent;
increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices
natural hazards:: NA
international agreements:: NA

People

15 fields

Population

4,769,877

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 1.5% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

25.97Death

7.32Net migration

-3.66

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years68.13

63.92 · 72.56

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy97%

99% · 96%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989)

Ethnic divisions

Kirghiz 52.4%Russian 21.5%Uzbek 12.9%Ukrainian 2.5%German 2.4%other 8.3%

Labor force

1.836million

by occupation: agriculture and forestry 38%, industry and construction 21%, other 41% (1990)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 37% (female 868,108; male 888,479)
15-64 years:: 57% (female 1,377,221; male 1,345,990)
65 years and over:: 6% (female 185,807; male 104,272) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

45.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Kyrgyz(s)
adjective:: Kyrgyz

Languages

Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian widely used

Government

Republic; President Askar AKAYEV (since 28 October 1990); Prime Minister Apas DJUMAGULOV (since NA December 1993)

23 fields

Names

conventional long form:: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form:: Kyrgyzstan
local long form:: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form:: none
former:: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Administrative divisions

6 oblasttar (singular - oblast) and 1 city* (singular - shaar);
Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol)

note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from oblast name

National holiday

National Day, 2 December; Independence Day, 31 August (1991)

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Askar AKAYEV (since 28 October 1990);
election last held 12 October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996);
results - Askar AKAYEV won in uncontested election with 95% of vote and with 90% of electorate voting;
note - president elected by Supreme Soviet 28 October 1990, then by popular vote 12 October 1991;
AKAYEV won 96% of the vote in a referendum on his status as president on 30 January 1994
head of government:: Prime Minister Apas DJUMAGULOV (since NA December 1993)
cabinet:: Cabinet of Ministers; subordinate to the president

Assembly of Legislatures

elections last held 5 February 1995 (next to be held no later than NA 1998);
35-member house to which 19 members have been elected so far;
next round of runoffs scheduled for 19 April 1995

Assembly of Representatives

elections last held 5 February 1995 (next to be held no later than NA 1998);
70-member house to which 60 members have been elected so far;
next round of runoffs scheduled for 19 April 1995

note: the legislature became bicameral for the 5 February 1995 elections

Political parties and leaders

Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ishenbai KADYRBEKOV, chairman;
Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan (DMK), Kazat AKHMATOV, chairman;
National Unity, German KUZNETSOV;
Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan (PCK), Sherali SYDYKOV, chairman;
Democratic Movement of Free Kyrgyzstan (ErK), Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV, chairman;
Republican Popular Party of Kyrgyzstan;
Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan, A. ALIYEV

Other political or pressure groups

National Unity Democratic Movement;
Peasant Party;
Council of Free Trade Unions;
Union of Entrepreneurs;
Agrarian Party

Member of

AsDB, CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Almas CHUKIN
chancery:: (temporary) Suite 705, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:: [1] (202) 347-3732, 3733, 3718

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Eileen A. MALLOY
embassy:: Erkindik Prospekt #66, Bishkek 720002
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [7] (3312) 22-29-20, 22-27-77, 22-26-31, 22-24-73

Flag

red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing the 40 Kirghiz tribes;
on the obverse side the rays run counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise;
in the center of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the roof of the traditional Kirghiz yurt

Economy

Kyrgyzstan is one of the smallest and poorest states of the | former Soviet Union.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,790

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

-24%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -24% (1994 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.4%per month

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

0.7%

includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of unregistered unemployed and underemployed workers (1994)

Installed generating capacity, 3,660,000 kW

Electricity production

12.7 billionElectricity consumption per capita

2,700 (1994)

Kyrgyzstan is one of the smallest and poorest states of the former Soviet Union. Its economy is heavily agricultural, growing cotton and tobacco on irrigated land in the south and grain in the foothills of the north and raising sheep and goats on mountain pastures. Its small and obsolescent industrial sector, concentrated around Bishkek, has traditionally relied on Russia and other CIS countries for customers and industrial inputs, including most of its fuel.

Since 1990, the economy has contracted by almost 50% as subsidies from Moscow vanished and trade links with other former Soviet republics eroded. At the same time, the Kyrgyz government stuck to tight monetary and fiscal policies in 1994 that succeeded in reducing inflation from 23% per month in 1993 to 5.4% per month in 1994.

Moreover, Kyrgyzstan has been the most successful of the Central Asian states in reducing state controls over the economy and privatizing state industries. Nevertheless, restructuring proved to be a slow and painful process in 1994 despite relatively large flows of foreign aid and continued progress on economic reform. The decline in output in 1995 may be much smaller, perhaps 5%, compared with an estimated 24% in 1994.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $8.4 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

Budget

revenues:: $NA
expenditures:: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exports

$116 million to countries outside the FSU (1994)

commodities:: wool, chemicals, cotton, ferrous and nonferrous metals, shoes, machinery, tobacco
partners:: Russia 70%, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and others

Imports

$92.4 million from countries outside the FSU (1994)

commodities:: grain, lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel, machinery, textiles, footwear
partners:: other CIS republics

External debt

$NA

Industries

small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare earth metals

Agriculture

wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle), vegetables, meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy;
mostly for CIS consumption;
limited government eradication program;
used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and North America from Southwest Asia

Economic aid

recipient: IMF aid commitments were $80 million in 1993 and $400 million in 1994

Currency

introduced national currency, the som (10 May 1993)

Exchange rates

soms per US$1 - 10.6 (yearend 1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 54 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

914 to 1,523 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

30,300Railroads

370

Highways: paved and graveled: 22,600 km · unpaved: earth 7,700 km (1990) · Railroads: ; does not include industrial lines · broad gauge: 370 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Railroads

total:: 370 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge:: 370 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Highways

total:: 30,300 km
paved and graveled:: 22,600 km
unpaved:: earth 7,700 km (1990)

Pipelines

natural gas 200 km

Ports

Ysyk-Kol (Rybach'ye)

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

342,000 telephones (1991);
76 telephones/1,000 persons (December 1991);
poorly developed;
about 100,000 unsatisfied applications for household telephones

local:: NA
intercity:: principally by microwave radio relay
international:: connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite;
1 GORIZONT and 1 INTELSAT satellite link through Ankara to 200 other countries