Kyrgyzstan

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

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

• the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas;
• densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west;
• the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains

• 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;
• air pollution due to rapid increase of traffic

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;
• 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m;
• many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

noun:

Kyrgyzstani(s)

adjective:

Kyrgyzstani

0-14 years:

30.4% (male 912,455 /female 865,910)

15-24 years:

16.28% (male 483,799 /female 468,653)

25-54 years:

39.94% (male 1,146,221 /female 1,189,763)

55-64 years:

7.95% (male 202,754 /female 262,412)

65 years and over:

5.43% (male 121,221 /female 196,108) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

54.7 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

48.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

6.6 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

15.1 (2015 est.)

total:

26.8 years (2018 est.)

male:

25.7 years

female:

27.9 years

• the vast majority of Kyrgyzstanis live in rural areas;
• densest population settlement is to the north in and around the capital, Bishkek, followed by Osh in the west;
• the least densely populated area is the east, southeast in the Tien Shan mountains

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.77 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

25 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

29 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

20.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

71.2 years (2018 est.)

male:

67.1 years

female:

75.6 years

conventional long form:

Kyrgyz Republic

conventional short form:

Kyrgyzstan

local long form:

Kyrgyz Respublikasy

local short form:

Kyrgyzstan

former:

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

• a combination of the Turkic words "kyrg" (forty) and "-yz" (tribes) with the Persian suffix "-stan" (country) creating the meaning "Land of the Forty Tribes";
• the name refers to the 40 clans united by the legendary Kyrgyz hero, MANAS

name:

Bishkek

geographic coordinates:

42 52 N, 74 36 E

time difference:

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

etymology:

founded in 1868 as a Russian settlement on the site of a previously destroyed fortress named "Pishpek"; the name was retained and overtime became "Bishkek"

• 7 provinces (oblustar, singular - oblus) and 2 cities* (shaarlar, singular - shaar);
• Batken Oblusu, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblusu (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblusu, Naryn Oblusu, Osh Oblusu, Osh Shaary*, Talas Oblusu, Ysyk-Kol Oblusu (Karakol)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

history:

• previous 1993;
• latest adopted by referendum 27 June 2010, effective 2 July 2010;
• note - constitutional amendments that bolstered some presidential powers and transferred others from the president to the prime minister passed in a referendum in December 2016, effective December 2017

amendments:

• proposed as a draft law by the majority of the Supreme Council membership or by petition of 300,000 voters;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Council membership in each of at least three readings of the draft two months apart;
• the draft may be submitted to a referendum if approved by two thirds of the Council membership;
• adoption requires the signature of the president;
• amended 2017 (2018)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Kyrgyzstan

dual citizenship recognized:

yes, but only if a mutual treaty on dual citizenship is in force

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Sooronbay JEENBEKOV (since 24 November 2017)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyy ABYLGAZIEV (since 20 April 2018);
• First Deputy Prime Minister Kubatbek BORONOV (since 20 April 2018);
• Deputy Prime Ministers Jenish RAZAKOV (since 20 April 2018), Altynay OMURBEKOVA (since 20 April 2018), Zamirbek ASKAROV (since 20 April 2018)

cabinet:

• Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president upon approval by the Supreme Council;
• defense and security committee chairs appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 6-year term;
• election last held on 15 October 2017 (next to be held in October 2023);
• prime minister nominated by the majority party or majority coalition in the Supreme Council, appointed by the president upon approval by the Supreme Council

election results:

• Sooronbay JEENBEKOV elected president in first round;
• percent of vote - Sooronbay JEENBEKOV (SDPK) 54.2%, Omurbek BABANOV (Respublika) 33.5%, Adakhan MADUMAROV (Butun Kyrgyzstan) 6.6%, Temir SARIYEV (Akshumar) 2.5%, other 3.2%

description:

unicameral Supreme Council or Jogorku Kengesh (120 seats; parties directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members selected from party lists to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 4 October 2015 (next to be held in 2020)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - SDPK 27.4%, Respublika-Ata-Jurt 20.1%, Kyrgyzstan Party 12.9%, Onuguu-Progress 9.3%, Bir Bol 8.5%, Ata-Meken 7.7%, other 14.1%;
• seats by party - SDPK 38, Respublika-Ata-Jurt 28, Kyrgyzstan Party 18, Onuguu-Progress 13, Bir Bol 12, Ata-Meken 11;
• composition - men 97, women 23, percent of women 19.2%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of 25 judges); Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (consists of the chairperson, deputy chairperson, and 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Supreme Council on the recommendation of the president;
• Supreme Court judges serve for 10 years, Constitutional Court judges serve for 15 years;
• mandatory retirement at age 70 for judges of both courts

subordinate courts:

Higher Court of Arbitration; oblast (provincial) and city courts

• Ata-Meken (Fatherland) [Almambet SHYKMAMATOV]
• Bir Bol (Stay United) [Altynbek SULAYMANOV]
• Kyrgyzstan Party [Almazbek BAATYRBEKOV]
• Onuguu-Progress (Development-Progress) [Bakyt TOROBAEV]
• Respublika-Ata-Jurt (Republic-Homeland) [Jyrgalbek TURUSKULOV] (parliamentary faction)
• Social-Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan or SDPK [Almazbek ATAMBAEV, Isa OMURKULOV]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Donald LU (since 18 September 2018)

telephone:

[996] (312) 597-000

embassy:

171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016

mailing address:

use embassy street address

FAX:

[996] (312) 597-744

• 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 a "tunduk" - the crown of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt;
• red symbolizes bravery and valor, the sun evinces peace and wealth

name:

"Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Mamlekettik Gimni" (National Anthem of the Kyrgyz Republic)

lyrics/music:

Djamil SADYKOV and Eshmambet KULUEV/Nasyr DAVLESOV and Kalyi MOLDOBASANOV

note: adopted 1992

agriculture:

48%

industry:

12.5%

services:

39.5% (2005 est.)

lowest 10%:

4.4%

highest 10%:

22.9% (2014 est.)

• gold, cotton, wool, garments, meat;
• mercury, uranium, electricity;
• machinery;
• shoes

general assessment:

• digital radio-relay stations, and fiber-optic links;
• low fixed-line and fixed-broadband penetration and low to moderate mobile broadband penetration;
• international connectivity continues to grow;
• 4 mobile networks in operation;
• 4G networks cover over 50% of the nation, eventually 5G networks will be available (2018)

domestic:

fixed-line penetration 6 per 100 persons remains low and concentrated in urban areas; mobile-cellular subscribership up to over 127 per 100 persons (2018)

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) (2019)

• state-funded public TV broadcaster KTRK has nationwide coverage;
• also operates Ala-Too 24 news channel which broadcasts 24/7 and 4 other educational, cultural, and sports channels;
• ELTR and Channel 5 are state-owned stations with national reach;
• the switchover to digital TV in 2017 resulted in private TV station growth;
• approximately 20 stations are struggling to increase their own content up to 50% of airtime, as required by law, instead of rebroadcasting primarily programs from Russian channels or airing unlicensed movies and music;
• 3 Russian TV stations also broadcast;
• state-funded radio stations and about 10 significant private radio stations also exist (2019)

• 18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary male military service in the Armed Forces or Interior Ministry;
• 1-year service obligation (9 months for university graduates), with optional fee-based 3-year service in the call-up mobilization reserve;
• women may volunteer at age 19;
• 16-17 years of age for military cadets, who cannot take part in military operations (2013)

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 10 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

625,294 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

69,290 mt-km (2015)

total:

424 km (2018)

broad gauge:

424 km 1.520-m gauge (2018)

• disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan;
• delimitation of approximately 15% or 200 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes over 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