| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan
local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Capital: |
Bishkek |
| Location: |
Central Asia, west of China |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
41 00 N, 75 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 198,500 sq km
land: 191,300 sq km
water: 7,200 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than South Dakota |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 3,878 km
border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
Claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone |
| Terrain: |
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m
highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m |
| 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 |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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) |
| Independence |
31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 31 August (1991) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature |
| Legal
System; |
based on civil law system |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: Acting President Kurmanbek BAKIYEV; note - since 24 March 2005; 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 Kurmanbek BAKIYEV (since 28 March 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: President AKAYEV reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; elections last held 29 October 2000 (next scheduled for 10 July 2005); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Askar AKAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Askar AKAYEV 74%, Omurbek TEKEBAYEV 14%, other candidates 12%; note - election marred by serious irregularities |
| Legislative
Branch: |
bicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh consists of the Assembly of People's Representatives (70 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Legislative Assembly (35 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in accordance with a 2003 referendum, the Parliament is slated to become unicameral with 75 deputies after the 27 February 2005 elections
elections: Assembly of People's Representatives - last held 20 February and 12 March 2000; Legislative Assembly - last held 20 February and 12 March 2000; elections for the new unicameral body or Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of positions remained undecided and were to be contested in a runoff election scheduled for 13 March 2005; election irregularities caused widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to flee the country; new legislative elections have not yet been rescheduled
election results: Assembly of People's Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; and Legislative Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - total seats by party in the Supreme Council were as follows: Union of Democratic Forces 12, Communists 6, My Country Party of Action 4, independents 73, other 10
note: the legislature became bicameral for the 5 February 1995 elections; the 2000 election results include both the Assembly of People's Representatives and the Legislative Assembly |
| 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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
5,146,281 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 31.6% (male 827,751/female 796,029)
15-64 years: 62.3% (male 1,571,476/female 1,632,506)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 123,992/female 194,527) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 23.39 years
male: 22.52 years
female: 24.27 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)
adjective: Kyrgyzstani |
| Ethnic groups: |
Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census) |
| Religions: |
Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5% |
| Languages: |
Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
394,800 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
53,100 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: poorly developed; about 100,000 unsatisfied applications for household telephones
domestic: principally microwave radio relay; one cellular provider, probably limited to Bishkek region
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 |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
NA (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.kg |
| Internet hosts: |
12,299 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
152,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 18,500 km
paved: 16,854 km (including 140 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,646 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
600 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
gas 367 km; oil 13 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye) |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
52 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 31 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
