1994 Edition

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

Agriculture

wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle), vegetables, meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes

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

Area

total area: 198,500 sq km land area: 191,300 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota

Birth rate

26.33 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops), Civil Defense

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Capital

Bishkek

Climate

dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

adopted 5 May 1993

Currency

introduced national currency, the som (10 May 1993)

Death rate

7.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Digraph

KG

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: (vacant) chancery: (temporary) Suite 705, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: (202) 347-3732/3

Economic aid

recipient: $80 million in 1993 and an anticipated $400 million in 1994

Electricity

capacity: 4,100,000 kW production: 11.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,551 kWh (1992)

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

Ethnic divisions

Kirghiz 52.4%, Russian 21.5%, Uzbek 12.9%, Ukrainian 2.5%, German 2.4%, other 8.3%

Exchange rates

NA

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

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

External debt

$NA

FAX

(202) 347-3718

7-3312 22-35-51

Fiscal year

calendar year

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

Highways

total: 30,300 km paved and graveled: 22,600 km unpaved: earth 7,700 km (1990)

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

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

Independence

31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Industrial production

growth rate -27% (1993 est.)

Industries

small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare earth metals

Infant mortality rate

46.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

23% per month (1993 est.)

International disputes

territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara Valley area

Irrigated land

10,320 sq km (1990)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Labor force

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

Land boundaries

total 3,878 km, China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km

Land use

arable land: 7% permanent crops: NEGL% meadows and pastures: 42% forest and woodland: 0% other: 51%

Languages

Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian widely used

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

unicameral

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 67.92 years male: 63.69 years female: 72.35 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

Location

Central Asia, between China and Kazakhstan

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,123,959; fit for military service 912,516; reach military age (18) annually 44,528 (1994 est.)

Map references

Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

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

Names

conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy local short form: none former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

National holiday

National Day, 2 December; Independence Day, 31 August (1991)

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 per capita

$2,440 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-13.4% (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun: Kyrgyz(s) adjective: Kyrgyz

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

Net migration rate

-3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Note

landlocked

Other political or pressure groups

National Unity Democratic Movement; Peasant Party; Council of Free Trade Unions; Union of Entrepreneurs; Agrarian Party

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.

Pipelines

natural gas 200 km

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

Population

4,698,108 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.53% (1994 est.)

Ports

none; landlocked

Railroads

370 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)

Religions

Muslim 70%, Russian Orthodox NA%

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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

Terrain

peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation

Total fertility rate

3.35 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

republic

Unemployment rate

0.2% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of unregistered unemployed and underemployed workers

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

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