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Travel to Kyrgyzstan — Unbiased reviews and
great deals from TripAdvisorKyrgyzstan
| The Kyrgyz Republic National
name: Kyrgyz Respublikasy President: Kurmanbek Bakiyev (2005) Prime Minister: Iskenderbek Aidaraliyev
(acting; 2007)
Current government officials
Total area: 73,861 sq mi (191,300 sq
km) Population (2008 est.): 5,356,869;
(growth rate: 1.3%); birth rate: 23.3/1000; infant mortality rate:
32.3/1000; life expectancy: 69.1; density per sq km: 28
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Bishkek (formerly Frunze), 824,900 Other large city: Osh 225,600 Monetary unit: Som
Languages:
Kyrgyz, Russian (both official)
Ethnicity/race:
Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan
1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999)
Religions:
Islam 75%; Russian Orthodox 20%; other 5%
National Holiday:
Independence Day, August 31 Literacy rate: 98.7% (1999 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.):
$10.5 billion; per capita $2,000. Real growth rate: 8.2%.
Inflation: 10.2%. Unemployment: 18% (2004 est.).
Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: tobacco, cotton, potatoes,
vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool.
Labor force: 2.7 million (2000); agriculture 55%, industry 15%,
services 30% (2000 est.). Industries: small machinery,
textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators,
furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals. 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.
Exports: $759 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): cotton, wool, meat,
tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery;
shoes. Imports: $937.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): oil and gas,
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs. Major trading
partners: UAE, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Turkey
(2004). Communications: Telephones:
main lines in use: 351,000 (1997); mobile cellular: n.a. Radio
broadcast stations: AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14,
shortwave 2 (1998). Radios: 520,000 (1997). Television
broadcast stations: n.a. (repeater stations throughout the country
relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey)
(1997). Televisions: 210,000 (1997). Internet Service
Providers (ISPs): n.a. Internet users: 51,600 (2001). Transportation: Railways: 420 km (2002).
Highways: total: 18,500 km; paved: 16,854 km (including 140 km
of expressways); unpaved: 1,646 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 600
km (1990). Ports and harbors: Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye).
Airports: 68 (2002). International
disputes: Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court has ruled that 1,270
sq km ceded to China in a 2000 delimitation agreement were legally
transferred; delimitation with Kazakhstan is largely complete with
only minor disputed areas; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion
of delimitation with Tajikistan; serious disputes with Uzbekistan
around Uzbek enclaves mar progress on delimitation efforts.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Kyrgyzstan (formerly Kirghizia) is a rugged
country with the Tien Shan mountain range covering approximately 95% of
the whole territory. The mountaintops are perennially covered with snow
and glaciers. Kyrgyzstan borders Kazakhstan on the north and northwest,
Uzbekistan in the southwest, Tajikistan in the south, and China in the
southeast. The republic is the same size in area as the state of
Nebraska.
Government
Constitutional republic.
History
The native Kyrgyz are a Turkic people who in
ancient times first settled in the Tien Shan mountains. They were
traditionally pastoral nomads. There was extensive Russian colonization in
the 1900s and Russian settlers were given much of the best agricultural
land. This led to an unsuccessful and disastrous revolt by the Kyrgyz
people in 1916. Kyrgyzstan became part of the Soviet Federated Socialist
Republic in 1924 and was made an autonomous republic in 1926. It became a
constituent republic of the USSR in 1936. The Soviets forced the Kyrgyz to
abandon their nomadic culture and brought modern farming and industrial
production techniques into their society.
Kyrgyzstan proclaimed its independence from the
Soviet Union on Aug. 31, 1991. On Dec. 21, 1991, Kyrgyzstan joined the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The country joined the UN and the IMF
in 1992 and adopted a shock-therapy economic program. Voters endorsed
market reforms in a referendum held in Jan. 1994, and in 1996, referendum
voters overwhelmingly endorsed proposed constitutional changes that
enhanced the power of the president.
There is an ethnic and economic divide between
the more developed north with its Kyrgyz population and the impoverished
south, which is made up of Uzbeks and a diverse group of other
ethnicities. About 50% of the entire population lived below the poverty
line in 2003.
Since 1999, several groups of radical Islamic
gunmen, believed to be from Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, have led raids and
kidnappings from camps in Kyrgyzstan's mountains.
In elections held on Oct. 30, 2000, President
Askar Akayev easily won reelection with nearly 75% of the vote. The
election, however, was marred by allegations of fraud, diminishing
Kyrgyzstan’s claim to be the centerpiece of central Asian democracy.
Once a popular leader, Akayev's standing has diminished as a result of
accusations of nepotism and corruption.
In 2001, Kyrgyzstan permitted troops from the
U.S. and seven other nations to be stationed in the country in support of
efforts to fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in neighboring
Afghanistan. In 2002, construction of a large U.S. airbase began outside
of Bishkek. In Feb. 2003, a controversial referendum expanded Akayev's
powers, and in June parliament granted him lifelong immunity from
prosecution.
February and March 2005 parliamentary elections
were judged by international observers and opposition leaders to be
flawed, and they set off violent protests in the country. On March 24, as
the protests spread to the capital, President Akayev fled the country, and
he announced his resignation on April 4. Opposition leader Kurmanbek
Bakiyev served as interim president and prime minister until the July 10
election, in which he won the presidency with 88.7% of the vote. Felix
Kulov became the prime minister. An opposition leader, he had been
imprisoned by former president Akayev until the March 24 coup.
During 2006, numerous public protests took place
demanding constitutional reform and pressuring the government to clean up
corruption. In response to the protests, President Bakiyev signed a new
constitution in November that limited his powers. A month later, however,
Parliament—under pressure from Bakiyev—restored some of his
powers. Prime Minister Kulov resigned in December. Parliament twice
thwarted Bakiyev's efforts to reinstate Kulov. In January 2007, it
approved Azim Isabekov as prime minister. He resigned the post in March,
and Bakiyev named prominent opposition leader Almaz Atambayev as prime
minister, temporarily averting a political crisis.
In an October 2007 referendum, voters approved a
new constitution and election laws proposed by President Bakiyev, who said
the changes increased the power of Parliament and created a balance of
power. The opposition, however, claimed they further strengthened the
presidency. After the vote, which monitors called flawed, Bakiyev called
for new elections. He fired Prime Minister Almaz Atambayev in November.
The opposition claimed Bakiyev was attempting to solidify his power ahead
of elections. In December Parliamentary elections, Bakiyev's party, Ak
Zhol, breezed to victory. The opposition, which trailed far behind,
alleged the vote was rigged.
See also Encyclopedia: Kyrgyzstan.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Kyrgyzstan
National Statistical Committee stat-gvc.bishkek.su/English/index.htm .
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