Kyrgyzstan




                                 Geography


Location:
     Central Asia, between China and Kazakhstan
Map references:
     Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States,
     Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     198,500 sq km
land area:
     191,300 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
     total 3,878 km, China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km,
     Uzbekistan 1,099 km
Coastline:
     0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
     none; landlocked
International disputes:
     territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara
     Valley area
Climate:
     dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest
     (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain:
     peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and
     basins encompass entire nation
Natural resources:
     small amounts of coal abundant hydroelectric potential; significant
     deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil
     and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead,
     and zinc, natural gas, oil, nepheline, rare earth metals, mercury,
     bismuth, gold, lead, zinc, hydroelectric power
Land use:
arable land:
     7%
permanent crops:
     NEGL%
meadows and pastures:
     42%
forest and woodland:
     0%
other:
     51%
Irrigated land:
     10,320 sq km (1990)




Environment:
current issues:
     water pollution; many people get their water directly from
     contaminated streams and wells and as a result, water-borne diseases
     are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation
     practices
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
     NA
Note:
     landlocked


                                  People


Population:
     4,698,108 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.53% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     26.33 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     7.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     46.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     67.92 years
male:
     63.69 years
female:
     72.35 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.35 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Kyrgyz(s)
adjective:
     Kyrgyz
Ethnic divisions:
     Kirghiz 52.4%, Russian 21.5%, Uzbek 12.9%, Ukrainian 2.5%, German
     2.4%, other 8.3%
Religions:
     Muslim 70%, Russian Orthodox NA%
Languages:
     Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian widely used
Literacy:
     age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
     100%
male:
     100%




female:
     100%
Labor force:
     1.836 million
by occupation:
     agriculture and forestry 38%, industry and construction 21%, other 41%
     (1990)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form:
     none
former:
     Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
     KG
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Bishkek
Administrative divisions:
     6 oblasttar (singular - oblast); Chuy Oblasty, Jalal-Abad Oblasty,
     Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty
note:
     the administrative center for Chuy Oblasty is Bishkek; the
     administrative center for Ysyk-Kol Oblasty may be Ksyk-Kol or Karakol;
     all other oblasttar have administrative centers of the same name as
     the oblast
Independence:
     31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
     National Day, 2 December; Independence Day, 31 August (1991)
Constitution:
     adopted 5 May 1993
Legal system:
     based on civil law system
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President Askar AKAYEV (since 28 October 1990); election last held 12
     October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Askar AKAYEV won in
     uncontested election with 95% of vote and with 90% of electorate
     voting; note - president elected by Supreme Soviet 28 October 1990,
     then by popular vote 12 October 1991; note - AKAYEV won 96% of the
     vote in a referendum on his status as president on 30 January 1993




head of government:
     Prime Minister Apas DZHUMAGULOV (since NA December 1993); First Deputy
     Prime Minister Almambet MATURBRAIMOV (since NA)
cabinet:
     Cabinet of Ministers; subordinate to the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
Zhogorku Keneshom:
     elections last held 25 February 1990 for the Supreme Soviet (next to
     be held no later than NA November 1994 for the Zhogorku Keneshom);
     results - Communists 90%; seats - (350 total) Communists 310
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
     Social Democrats, Ishenbai KADYRBEKOV, chairman; Kyrgyzstan Democratic
     Movement (KDM), Kazat AKHMATOV, chairman; National Unity, German
     KUZNETSOV; Communist Party, Dzhumalbek AMANBAYEV, chairman; Erkin
     (Free) Kyrgyzstan Party, Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
     National Unity Democratic Movement; Peasant Party; Council of Free
     Trade Unions; Union of Entrepreneurs; Agrarian Party
Member of:
     CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
     ILO, IMF, IOC, NACC, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     (vacant)
chancery:
     (temporary) Suite 705, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
     (202) 347-3732/3
FAX:
     (202) 347-3718
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Edward HURWITZ
embassy:
     Erkindik Prospekt #66, Bishkek 720002
mailing address:
     use embassy street address
telephone:
     7-3312 22-29-20, 22-26-93, 22-29-89
FAX:
     7-3312 22-35-51
Flag:
     red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing
     the 40 Krygyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run
     counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the sun
     is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized
     representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt


                                  Economy




Overview:
     Kyrgyzstan is one of the smallest and poorest states of the former
     Soviet Union. Its economy is heavily agricultural, producing cotton
     and tobacco on irrigated land in the south, grain in the foothills of
     the north, and sheep and goats on mountain pastures. Its small and
     obsolescent industrial sector, concentrated around Bishkek, is heavily
     dependent on Russia and other CIS countries for customers and for
     inputs, including most of its fuel. Since 1990, the economy has
     contracted by almost 40%. Kyrgyzstan's inflation was high in 1993,
     about 23% per month, but rates were declining at the end of the year.
     Kyrgyzstan introduced its national currency, the som, in May 1993, it
     has privatized 28% of its former state assets, and plans call for a
     massive voucher privatization in 1994. Although Kyrgyzstan will
     receive relatively large flows of foreign aid, ongoing economic
     restructuring will continue to be painful with an anticipated increase
     in unemployment as uneconomic enterprises close. President AKAYEV will
     be under strong political pressure to backtrack on some reform
     measures.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $11.3 billion (1993 estimate from
     the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
     published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
     extrapolated to 1993 using official Kirghiz statistics, which are very
     uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
     -13.4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $2,440 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     23% per month (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     0.2% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of
     unregistered unemployed and underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
     $NA
expenditures:
     $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
     $100.4 million to countries outside the FSU (1993 est.)
commodities:
     wool, chemicals, cotton, ferrous and nonferrous metals, shoes,
     machinery, tobacco
partners:
     Russia 70%, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and others
Imports:
     $105.8 million from countries outside the FSU (1993 est.)
commodities:
     grain, lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel, machinery,
     textiles, footwear
partners:
     other CIS republics
External debt:
     $NA




Industrial production:
     growth rate -27% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
     4,100,000 kW
production:
     11.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,551 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes,
     sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare
     earth metals
Agriculture:
     wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle), vegetables,
     meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes
Illicit drugs:
     illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
     consumption; limited government eradication program; used as
     transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and North
     America from Central and Southwest Asia
Economic aid:
recipient:
     $80 million in 1993 and an anticipated $400 million in 1994
Currency:
     introduced national currency, the som (10 May 1993)
Exchange rates:
     NA
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     370 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
     30,300 km
paved and graveled:
     22,600 km
unpaved:
     earth 7,700 km (1990)
Pipelines:
     natural gas 200 km
Ports:
     none; landlocked
Airports:
total:
     52
usable:
     27
with permanent-surface runways:
     12
with runways over 3,659 m:
     1




with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     4
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
     13
note:
     a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
     poorly developed; 342,000 telephones in 1991 (also about 100,000
     unsatisfied applications for household telephones); 76 telephones per
     1,000 persons (31 December 1991); microwave radio relay is principal
     means of intercity telephone links; connections with other CIS
     countries by landline or microwave and with other countries by leased
     connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite;
     2 satellite earth stations - 1 GORIZONT and 1 INTELSAT (links through
     Ankara to 200 other countries and receives Turkish broadcasts);
     broadcast receivers - radios 825,000, TVs 875,000, radio receiver
     systems with multiple speakers for program diffusion 748,000


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops), Civil
     Defense
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,123,959; fit for military service 912,516; reach
     military age (18) annually 44,528 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP