Kyrgyzstan

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

• 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

total:

10.08 cu km/yr (3%/3%/94%)

per capita:

1,916 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• landlocked;
• entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range;
• many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

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 (2008 est.)

noun:

Kyrgyzstani(s)

adjective:

Kyrgyzstani

conventional long form:

Kyrgyz Republic

conventional short form:

Kyrgyzstan

local long form:

Kyrgyz Respublikasy

local short form:

Kyrgyzstan

former:

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

name:

Bishkek

geographic coordinates:

42 52 N, 74 36 E

time difference:

UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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)

• adopted 5 May 1993;
• note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature;
• during large-scale demonstrations in November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the government;
• amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some power back to the president, but both November and December 2006 versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was approved by referendum on 21 October 2007;
• the BAKIEV-initiated referendum was criticized by Western observers for voting irregularities, particularly ballot stuffing

chief of state:

President Kurmanbek BAKIEV (since 14 August 2005)

head of government:

Prime Minister Igor CHUDINOV (since 24 December 2007)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president; ministers in charge of defense and security, appointed solely by the president

elections:

• Kurmanbek BAKIEV 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 parliamentary party holding more than 50% of the seats;
• if no such party exists, the president selects the party that will nominate a prime minister

election results:

Kurmanbek BAKIEV elected president; percent of vote - Kurmanbek BAKIEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other candidates 7.5%

• Supreme Court;
• Constitutional Court (judges of both the Supreme and Constitutional Courts are appointed for 10-year terms by the Jorgorku Kengesh on the recommendation of the president; their mandatory retirement age is 70 years);
• Higher Court of Arbitration;
• Local Courts (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council on Legal Affairs for a probationary period of five years, then 10 years)

• Ak Jol [Avtandil ARABAYEV, Elmira IBRAIMOVA, Vladimir NIFADYEV, co-chairs];
• Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV];
• Asaba (Banner National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV];
• Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAYEV];
• Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK [Viktor TCHETRNOMORETS];
• Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV];
• Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Medet SADYRKULOV];
• Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Ishak MASALIYEV];
• Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV];
• Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV];
• Republican Party of Labor and Unity [Tabaldy OROZALIYEV];
• Sanjira (Tree of Life) [Ednan KARABAYEV];
• Social Democratic Party [Almaz ATAMBAYEV];
• Union of Democratic Forces [Kubatbek BAIBOLOV]

• Adilet Legal Clinic [Cholpon JAKUPOVA];
• Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society [Dinara OSHURAKHUNOVA];
• Interbilim [Asiya SASYKBAYEVA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA

chancery:

2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 449-9822

FAX:

[1] (202) 386-7550

consulate(s):

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tatiana C. GFOELLER

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

• 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

agriculture:

55%

industry:

15%

services:

30% (2000 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.8%

highest 10%:

24.3% (2003)

• cotton, wool, meat, tobacco;
• gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower;
• machinery;
• shoes

general assessment:

telecommunications infrastructure is growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas

domestic:

multiple mobile cellular service providers with growing coverage; mobile cellular subscribership reached 40 per 100 persons in 2007

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 - 2 (1 Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat);
• connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2007)

total:

470 km

broad gauge:

470 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

total:

18,500 km

paved:

16,909 km (includes 140 km of expressways)

unpaved:

1,591 km (2003)

males age 16-49:

1,398,878

females age 16-49:

1,419,374 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,061,942

females age 16-49:

1,211,249 (2008 est.)

male:

60,706

female:

58,721 (2008 est.)

• Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan;
• 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

• 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;
• major consumer of opiates