Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide
Kyrgyzstan is often called the Switzerland of Central Asia. In some
sense this epithet is more deserved than in others. It is quite off the
mark when it comes to the level of income, but very justifiable when
it comes to the beauty of the mountainous landscape.
Compared with the dry and hot plains of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan it is quite
refreshing to go into the high mountains of Kyrgystan. Kyrgyzstan may not have
a long settled history, but it has all the natural beauty to make up for that.
Furthermore the poeple are very friendly and helpful. This makes traveling
in Kyrgyzstan relatively easy.
Compared with its neighbours, Kyrgyzstan might lack in cultural heritage, but
the natural beauty can be overwhelming. In Soviet times much of the country
was closed to visitors because of its strategic importance, closeness to China
and the uranium mines in the Tian Shan mountains. Now it is the most of open
of the Central Asian states.
Bishkek the capital is a green and friendly city. It is the travel hub and the best starting place to explore the country. You can visit the Ala Archa Gorge as an easy day trip from there. Osh and Naryn are further away.
StatisticsGDP: purchasing power parity—$9.7 billion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$2 100 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 47%
industry: 12% services: 41% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate—consumer price index: 15% (1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 1.7 million by occupation: agriculture and forestry 40% industry and construction 19% other 41% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8% (December 1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $308 million including capital expenditures of $11 million (1996 est.)
Industries: small machinery textiles food processing cement shoes sawn logs refrigerators furniture electric motors gold rare earth metals
Industrial production growth rate: 10.8% (1996 est.)
Electricity—capacity: 3.632 million kW (1995)
Electricity—production: 13.7 billion kWh (1996 est.)
Electricity—consumption per capita: 2 090 kWh (1995)
Agriculture—products: wool tobacco cotton potatoes vegetables grapes fruits and berries; sheep goats cattle
Exports: total value: $506 million (1996) commodities: cotton wool meat tobacco; gold mercury uranium hydropower; machinery; shoes
partners: China UK FSU
Imports: total value: $890 million (1996)
commodities: grain lumber industrial products ferrous metals fuel machinery textiles footwear
partners: Turkey Cuba US Germany
Debt—external: $746 million (1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA $56 million (1993)
note: commitments 1992-95 $1 695 million ($390 million disbursements)
Currency: 1 Kyrgyzstani som (KGS) = 100 tyiyn
Exchange rates: soms (KGS) per US$1—14.6 (January 1997) 11.2 (yearend 1995) 10.6 (yearend 1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Population: 4 522 281 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 817 229; female 800 248)
15-64 years: 58% (male 1 285 520; female 1 337 259)
65 years and over: 6% (male 104 105; female 177 920) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.37% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 22.03 births/1 000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.65 deaths/1 000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -9.72 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 74.76 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.77 years
male: 59.45 years
female: 68.3 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)adjective: Kyrgyzstani
Ethnic groups: Kirghiz 52.4% Russian 18% Uzbek 12.9% Ukrainian 2.5% German 2.4% other 11.8%
Religions: Muslim 75% Russian Orthodox 20% other 5%
Languages: Kirghiz (Kyrgyz)—official language Russian—official language
note: in March 1996 the Kyrgyzstani legislature amended the constitution to make Russian an official language along with Kirghiz in territories and work places where Russian-speaking citizens predominate
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989 est.)
BOOKS
Kyrgyzstan
type: general
author: J. Anderson
subject: history
Kyrgyzstan
type: general
author: Lerner Geography Department (Editor)
subject: culture
Manas Epos
The Manas Epos is hailed as the classic centrepiece of Kyrgyz literature, the
encyclopaedia of Kyrgyz culture, the touchstone of the Kyrgyz spirit.
It is the longest epic poem in the world with nearly half a million of verse lines, which makes it larger than all existing epics. For example, "Manas" is 20 times larger than "Iliad" and "Odyssey", five times larger than "Shah-name", and 2.5 times larger than the Indian more..
type: general
author: Trnsltr: Walter May
subject: History
Lonely
Planets Central Asia
type: general
author: Andrew Humphreys, John King, John Noble
subject: travel
Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan:Country Studies
type: general
author: Library of Congress Federal Research Division..
subject: culture
Oil and Gas Resources of the Fergana Basin
type: general
subject: history
Calming
The Ferghana Valley
type: general
author: Nancy Lubin, Keith Martin, Barnett R. Rubin
Of all the regions of the former Soviet Union, Central Asia is potentially one of the most explosive and certainly one of the least understood. It is also growing rapidly in importance to U.S. national security, commercial, and foreign policy interests: it has vast oil, gas, gold, and other resources; it has become a source and transit route for narcotics and possible nuclear and other materials; and it is affected by the fierce conflicts in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Vast in size (larger than Eastern and Western Europe combined), and with a rapidly growing population of over 50 more..
The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years
type: general
author: Chingiz Aitmatov
subject: literature