Kyrgyzstan: GEOGRAPHY

Location: Kyrgyzstan is located along the eastern border of the

Central Asian region, southeast of Kazakhstan, west of China, east

of Uzbekistan, and north of Tajikistan.

Size: The second-smallest of the five Central Asian states,

Kyrgyzstan has an area of 198,500 square kilometers, of which

7,100 square kilometers is water.

Land Boundaries: Kyrgyzstan has 1,099 kilometers of border with Uzbekistan, 1,051 kilometers with Kazakhstan, 870 kilometers with Tajikistan, and 858 kilometers with China.

Disputed Territory: Kyrgyzstan has unresolved border disputes with Tajikistan (in the Isfara Valley to the southwest) and with Uzbekistan (on the status of Uzbek enclaves in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere along the common border).

Length of Coastline: Kyrgyzstan is landlocked.

Topography: The topography is dominated by sharp mountain peaks and valleys, and considerable areas are covered by glaciers. The elevation of about 94 percent of the terrain is 1,000 meters or more above sea level, and 30 percent of the terrain is higher than 3,000 meters above sea level. The only relatively flat regions are the Kyrgyzstani part of the Fergana Valley, in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, and in the Chu and Talas valleys along the northern border.

Principal Rivers: Kyrgyzstan has no navigable rivers. The Chu River arises in the mountains of northern Kyrgyzstan and flows northwest into Kazakhstan. The Naryn River arises in the Tien Shan Mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan and crosses central Kyrgyzstan before meeting the Kara Darya to form the Syr Darya in the Uzbek part of the Fergana Valley.

Climate: The major climatic influences are the mountains and Kyrgyzstan’s location at the center of the Eurasian land mass, far from any body of water. The resulting continental climate includes winter temperatures averaging –30° C in the mountain valleys and summer temperatures averaging 27° C in the Fergana Valley. The western mountains receive as much as 2,000 millimeters of precipitation per year, but the west bank of the Ysyk-Köl, Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake, receives only 100 millimeters per year.

Natural Resources: Kyrgyzstan’s only mineral resource of economic value is gold. Substantial amounts of antimony and coal are present, but economic factors preclude large-scale exploitation. Kyrgyzstan also has deposits of mercury, tin, tungsten, and uranium oxide. Most of Kyrgyzstan’s terrain is too mountainous to grow crops, but higher-elevation pastures support livestock raising.

Land Use: Some 7 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s land surface is classified as arable, and 0.4 percent is planted to permanent crops. The remainder is mountains, glaciers, and high-altitude steppe that is used for grazing. More than 70 percent of arable land requires irrigation.

Environmental Factors: Because it was not designated as a heavy industrial zone in the Soviet system, Kyrgyzstan has avoided the grave environmental problems encountered by the other Central Asian countries. The main problems are inefficient use and pollution of water resources, land degradation, and improper agricultural practices. Gold and uranium mining operations have leached toxic chemicals into soil and water in the eastern half of the country, and salinization is a problem along the eastern stretches of the Naryn River. In the post-Soviet era, increased automobile use has made air pollution a problem in urban centers. Overuse of forest reserves also is an environmental issue. In 2004 an unusually high number of avalanches, floods, and landslides was attributed to the melting of glaciers in the eastern mountains. The Ministry of Ecology and Emergency Situations is the national enforcement agency for environmental policy, which is summarized in the National Environmental Action Plan. However, that plan is heavily subsidized and directed by international donors, and by law the president also plays a strong role in environmental policy.

Time Zones: Kyrgyzstan’s time zone is five hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

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