| Kyrgyzstan |
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| Background: 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. The political opposition organized demonstrations in Bishkek in April, May, and November 2006 resulting in the adoption of a new constitution that transferred some of the president's powers to parliament and the government. In December 2006, the Kyrgyz parliament voted to adopt new amendments, restoring some of the presidential powers lost in the November 2006 constitutional change. Current concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, expansion of democracy and political freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations, and combating terrorism. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Bishkek
geographic coordinates: 42 54 N, 74 36 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 198,500 sq km |
| Area Land: 191,300 sq km |
| Area Water: 7,200 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota |
| Coastline: 0 km (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 |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m |
| Elevation Extremes 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 |
| Land Use Arable Land: 6.55% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0.28% |
| Land Use Other: 93.17% |
| Irrigated Land: 10,720 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: NA |
| 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 |
| Geography Note: landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes |
| Population |
| Population: 5,284,149 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 30.3% (male 817,663/female 785,167) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 63.5% (male 1,645,270/female 1,709,522) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 6.2% (male 127,600/female 198,927) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 23.9 years |
| Median Age Male: 23.1 years |
| Median Age Female: 24.8 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 1.354% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 23.08 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.041 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 0.962 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.641 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.962 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 33.38 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 38.51 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 27.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 68.81 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 64.8 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 73.02 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: 3,900 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5% |
| Languages: Kyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5% (official), Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census) |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 98.7% |
| Literacy Male: 99.3% |
| Literacy Female: 98.1% (1999 est.) |
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) |
| Legal System: based on civil law system |
| 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. Following independence Kyrgyzstan was progressive in carrying out market reforms, such as an improved regulatory system and land reform, but political instability during 2005-06 has undercut the investment climate. Kyrgyzstan was the first Commonwealth of Independent States (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. The economy is heavily weighted toward gold export and a drop in output at the main Kumtor gold mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002, but GDP growth bounced back the following year. In 2005 Kyrgyzstan again experienced a decline in GDP, this time 0.6%. The government has made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit, nearly closing the gap between revenues and expenditures in 2006. The government and international financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy; in 2005 Bishkek agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform and in 2006 became eligible for the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to future growth. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $10.49 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 2% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 34.5% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 19.5% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 46.1% (2006 est.) |
| Labor Force: 2.7 million (2000) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 55%
industry: 15%
services: 30% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment Rate: 18% (2004 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 23.3% (2001) |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 6.4% (2006 est.) |
| Industries: small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: -4.5% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 14.06 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 7.6% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 92.4% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 6.777 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 6.4 billion kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 100 million kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 1,378 bbl/day (2004) |
| Oil Consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 29 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 919 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Imports: 890 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $701.8 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes |
| Exports Partners: UAE 35.6%, Russia 18.6%, China 13.4%, Kazakhstan 13% (2005) |
| Imports: $1.177 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs |
| Imports Partners: China 43%, Russia 19.7%, Kazakhstan 12.1%, Turkey 4.4% (2005) |
| Debt External: $2.483 billion (30 June 2006 est.) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $50 million from the US (2001) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 438,200 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 541,700 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas |
| Telephone System Domestic: 4 mobile cellular service providers with growing coverage |
| Telephone System 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, 1 Intelsat; connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 3 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 20, shortwave NA (2006) |
| Radios: 520,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 7 (1 countrywide and 6 regional stations) (2006) |
| Televisions: 210,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: NA |
| Internet Users: 280,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Railways Total: 470 km |
| Railways Broad Gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2005) |
| Waterways: 600 km (2006) |
| Airports: 37 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 1.4% (2005 est.) |
| Disputes International: 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 |
| IllicitDrugs: 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 |