Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz RepublicKyrgyz Respublikasy
republicIndependence 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Kyrgyzstan as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864; it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIYEV. Current concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, expansion of democracy and political freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations, and combating terrorism.
Geography
Central Asia, west of China
18 fieldsLand useshare of 198,500 sq km
Climate
- dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan;
- subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley);
- temperate in northern foothill zone
Natural resources
- abundant hydropower;
- 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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
- landlocked;
- entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range;
- many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(1999 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.96 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.64 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Government
Republic; President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 14 August 2005); Prime Minister Feliks KULOV (since 1 September 2005)
18 fieldsCountry name
- conventional long form:
- Kyrgyz Republic
- conventional short form:
- Kyrgyzstan
- local long form:
- Kyrgyz Respublikasy
- local short form:
- Kyrgyzstan
- former:
- Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Capital
- name:
- Bishkek
- geographic coordinates:
- 42 54 N, 74 36 E
- time difference:
- UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
- 7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar);
- Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Constitution
- adopted 5 May 1993;
- note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature;
- following the spring 2005 demonstrations, a new Constitutional Council was appointed and the reform process is ongoing
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 14 August 2005);
- note - former President Askar AKAYEV resigned effective 11 April 2005 following widespread protests that forced him to flee the country on 24 March 2005
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Feliks KULOV (since 1 September 2005); First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar USENOV (since 10 May 2006)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister;
- note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010
- elections:
- Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
- election last held 10 July 2005 (next scheduled for 2010);
- prime minister nominated by the president for approval by Parliament;
- note - the new constitution of November 2006 calls for the legislature to appoint the prime minister and members of the Cabinet after the elections of 2010
- election results:
- Kurmanbek BAKIYEV elected president;
- percent of vote - Kurmanbek BAKIYEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other candidates 7.5%;
- Feliks KULOV approved as prime minister 55-8
Legislative branch
unicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh (75 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five year terms)
- elections:
- elections for the new unicameral body or Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of positions remained undecided and were contested in a runoff election on 13 March 2005;
- election irregularities caused widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to flee the country
- election results:
- Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch
- Supreme Court (judges are appointed for 10-year terms by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president);
- Constitutional Court;
- Higher Court of Arbitration
Political parties and leaders
- Adilet (Justice) Party [Toychubek KASYMOV];
- Agrarian Labor Party of Kyrgyzstan [Uson SYDYKOV];
- Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan [Erkin ALIYEV];
- Alga, Kyrgyzstan (Forward, Kyrgyzstan) [Bolot BEGALIYEV];
- Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV];
- Asaba (Banner National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV];
- Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAYEV];
- Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan [Klara ADZHIBEKOVA];
- Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Jypar JEKSHEYEV];
- Erkin Kyrgyzstan Progressive and Democratic Party [Bektur ASANOV];
- Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV];
- Future of Kyrgyzstan [Balbak TULEBAYEV];
- Jany Kyrgyzstan (New Kyrgyzstan) [Dosbol NUR UULU];
- Kairan El [Dooronbek SADYKOV];
- Kyrgyz National Party [Bakyt BESHIMOV];
- Kyrgyzstan Kelechegi [Ruslan CHYNYBAYEV];
- Manas El (Party of Spiritual Restoration) [Chingiz AITMATOV];
- Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Joomart OTORBAYEV];
- Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Bakytbek BEKBOYEV];
- Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV];
- Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Council of Free Trade Unions;
- Kyrgyz Committee on Human Rights [Ramazan DYRYLDAYEV];
- National Unity Democratic Movement;
- Union of Entrepreneurs
International organization participation
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA
- chancery:
- 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 338-5141
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 386-7550
- consulate(s):
- New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH
- embassy:
- 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016
- mailing address:
- use embassy street address
- telephone:
- [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217
- FAX:
- [996] (312) 551-264
Flag description
- red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing the 40 Kyrgyz 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 Kyrgyz yurt
Economy
Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy.
42 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity.
Kyrgyzstan has been progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first CIS country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and exports began to increase.
Kyrgyzstan has distinguished itself by adopting relatively liberal economic policies. The drop in output at the Kumtor gold mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002, but GDP growth bounced back in 2003-05. The government has made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit and reduced the deficit to 1% of GDP in 2005.
The government and international financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy, and in 2005 agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform. Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to future growth.
Agriculture - products
tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool
Industries
small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals
Exports - commodities
- cotton, wool, meat, tobacco;
- gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower;
- machinery;
- shoes
Exchange rates
soms per US dollar - 41.012 (2005), 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003), 46.937 (2002), 48.378 (2001)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- development of telecommunications infrastructure is slow; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in Bishkek
- domestic:
- two wireless telephony service providers, but penetration remains low
- international:
- country code - 996;
- connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1 Intelsat;
- connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line
Television broadcast stations
NA (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Military
Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005)
6 fieldsManpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 1,193,529
- females age 18-49:
- 1,219,080 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 61,091
- females age 18-49:
- 59,784 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- delimitation with Kazakhstan is complete;
- disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan;
- delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas
Illicit drugs
- limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS markets;
- limited government eradication of illicit crops;
- transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Kyrgyzstan.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/kyrgyzstan/2006.