Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan: population, cities

Population

According to Countryaah website, Kyrgyzstan has about 5.5 million residents.

Ethnic composition

The Kyrgyz represent around 70% of the population, 8.4% are Russians, 15% Uzbeks. In addition, Ukrainians, Tatars, people of German origin (around 10,000), Tajiks and Azeris (Azerbaijanis) live in the country.

After the serious riots in June 2010 and the related refugee movements, some things may change in the ethnic composition.

Religion

80% of the Kyrgyz population are Sunni Mulime, 17% are Russian Orthodox Christians and there are small minorities of other creeds.

National language

Kyrgyz and Russian

Capital, other cities

The capital of Kyrgyzstan is Bishkek with officially around one million residents.

Other cities are:

Osh with around 218,700 residents

Jalalabad with around 74,200 residents

Tokmok with around 71,200 residents

Kara-Köl with around 64,300 residents.

Kyrgyzstan: geography

Defined by DigoPaul, Kyrgyzstan is located in Central Asia. The country borders with Kazakhstan to the north, China to the southeast, Tajikistan to the south and Uzbekistan to the west.

Area and land use

About three generations ago, many of the country's residents were still nomads, which is still noticeable everywhere today. The bazaars with a touch of the Islamic Orient are a shopping paradise for fruit and vegetables. But you can also find leather, furs and woolen items here. Over two-thirds of the country are over 1,500 m high.

Kyrgyzstan covers a total area of 198,500 km². About 50% of the gross domestic product is earned in agriculture. The country is known for its fruit and vegetables - especially apples and tomatoes. But animal products such as fur, leather or woolen items also play an important role.

Thereof:

• Forest

  Around 5% of the country is forested.

• Arable land and fields

  Around 54% of the land is used as arable land or fields, especially for growing fodder crops, grain, cotton, fruit, vegetables and livestock.

• Mountains

  In Kyrgyzstan there is the mountain system of the Tian Shan, the Alai and Transalai mountains and the foothills of the Pamir Glacier.

National borders

Kyrgyzstan has a common border with a total of 4 states with a total length of 3,878 km.

There are the borders with:

Uzbekistan with a length of around 1,099 km,

Kazakhstan with a length of around 1,051 km,

Tajikistan with a length of around 870 km,

China with a length of around 858 km.

Longitude and latitude

Kyrgyzstan extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):

You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.

Legal time

For Kyrgyzstan, the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e. the time without summer time. A minus sign means that it is earlier there and a plus sign that it is later than after CET:

Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.

The highest point of the sun in Bishkek

Bishkek lies at a northern latitude of around φ = 43 °.

If the sun or its image point is at the northern tropic, i.e. at δ = 23.5 °, summer starts in Bishkek, this is June 21. Then, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):

43 ° = (90 ° - h) + 23.5 °

so:

At 70.5 °, the sun in Bishkek has the highest level of the entire year above the horizon (more precisely: above the horizon).

Mountains

Pik Podeda (Dschengisch Tschokusu)

The highest mountain in the country is Pik Podeda with a height of 7,439 m. It lies on the border with China, east of Lake Issykköl . The border between Kyrgyzstan and China runs exactly over the top of the mountain.

Lenin

Peak With a height of 7,134 m, the mountain is the second highest mountain in the country. It is located in the Osh region near the border with Tajikistan in the northern part of the Pamir Mountains.

Khan Tengri

The Khan Tengri is the third highest mountain in the country at 7,010 m. It is located in the Tian Shan - mountains in the border triangle of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and China.

Putin peak

In February 2011 the previously unnamed 4,446 m high mountain in the Alattoo massif was named in honor of the Russian politician Putin

Rivers

Syr Darya (Syr Darya)

The longest river in the country is the Syr Darya with a length of around 2,210 km. The river is created by the confluence of the Naryn and Kara Darja rivers. It flows into the Aral Sea.

Tschüi

The river has its source in the north of Kyrgyzstan at the southeastern foot of the Kyrgyz mountains above the Orto-Tokoy reservoir and "seeps away" after approx. 1,065 km into the deserts or semi-deserts of Kazakhstan.

Kara-Darja

The river has a length of 175 km and together with the Naryn forms the Syrdaja river.

Naryn

The Naryn is an 805 km long headwaters of the Syrdaja. It is one of the longest rivers in the Kyrgyz part of the Tianshan Mountains. Its source is south of Lake Issykköl, which it does not reach, however. The river flows through the Toktogul reservoir and crosses the border to Uzbekistan southwest of it, where it joins the Karadarja near the 400,000-resident town of Namangan and thus forms the Syrdarja.

Talas

The Talas is an approx. 660 km long river in the north of Kyrgyzstan and in the southeast of Kazakhstan. The river has its source in the administrative area (= oblast) Talas in the Kyrgyz mountains through the confluence of the Karakol and Uschkaschi rivers. Due to the large amount of water being drawn off, it seeps into the Mujunkum desert.

Lakes

Issykköl Lake (Issik Kul)

The largest lake in the country is Issykköl Lake (Warm Lake) with an area of about 6,240 km². The dischargeless lake located in the northeast of the country in the Tian Shan - mountains at an altitude of 1,605 m .

Son Kul (Song Köl)

With a length of 30 km and a width of 18 km, Son Kul is the second largest lake in the country. The lake is located in the Naryn Province at an altitude of about 3,000 m.

Sary Tschelek

The lake is around 7.5 km long - with a width between 350 m and 1500 m. It is located at an altitude of approx. 1,875 m. Its maximum depth is around 235 m - making it the second deepest lake in Kyrgyzstan. The lake is located in the Sary Tschelek Biosphere Reserve National Park, established in 1959.

Chatyr-Kul (Chatyr-Kul)

The lake is located in the Tian Shan Mountains in the Naryn Province. It covers an area of around 181 km² with a maximum depth of 16.5 m. The lake surface is at an altitude of 3,500 m.

Toktogul Reservoir

This dam is the largest in Kyrgyzstan with an area of around 284 km² and a water volume of 19.5 km³. The dam, completed in 1975, is located on the Naryn, a tributary of the Syr Darja. It is right

on the border with Uzbekistan.