Country Information on Kyrgyzstan 

Terrain

Two large mountain ranges, the Tian Shan and Pamirs, converge in Kyrgyzstan. Pobeda Peak, the country's highest at just over 7,440 m, is located in the Tian Shan on the border with China. About 94% of the country is more than 1,000 m above sea level. Kyrgyzstan has more than 1,900 lakes, one of its most notable being Lake Issyk-Kul, which is more than 660 metres deep. The river Naryn and other tributaries of the river Syr Darya drain more than half of Kyrgyzstan.

Climate

Climatic conditions in this mountainous region are influenced by its distance from the sea and by great differences in altitude. Conditions vary from permanent snow in mountainous areas to hot deserts in the lowlands. The average afternoon temperature is 32°C or higher from the end of June until mid-August, whilst temperatures drop below zero in the winter.

Fauna/Flora

Steppes and alpine vegetation dominate the landscape in Kyrgyzstan; about 3.5% of the country is covered in forests. Various species of rare animals can be found in the woodland areas of Tian Shan, such as brown bears, dholes, wild boars, lynxes and snow leopards. There are also eagles, bearded vultures, ibex and marmots; herds of antelopes live in the steppes.

History/Politics

Human settlement of present-day Kyrgyzstan dates back about 200,000 years. In the 2nd century BC, nomadic Kyrgyz had a great reputation as traders and warriors. They resisted Alexander the Great's attempts to conquer the area and were also able free themselves from Hun rule in the centuries that followed. Between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD, the area was ruled by the Kushan Empire and came under Turkic Kaganate rule after the fall of the empire.

Between the 7th and the 12th centuries, the area changed hands a number of times until Kyrgyzstan finally became part of the Mongol Empire. The Kyrgyz gained independence 200 years later, but lost it again under successive rule by the Oirots, the Manchurians and finally the Uzbeks in the 19th century.

In an attempt to end Uzbek rule, Kyrgyzstan turned to Russia for help, which was given during the 1862 rebellion. Kyrgyzstan became part of the Russian Empire in 1864; given the Kyrgyz people's nomadic lifestyle, the best land was distributed among Russian immigrants that had been sent there by the central government. Oppressive Russian politics led to the 1916 uprising, which was brutally repressed by the Russian tsarist government.

After the October Revolution, Kyrgyzstan became part of the Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1918, which was dissolved in 1924. The Kara-Kirgiz Autonomous Region was then created within the Soviet Union. In 1925, it was renamed the Kirgiz Autonomous Region and in 1926 it became an autonomous republic. It was finally officially named the Kirgiz Socialist Soviet Republic in 1936. Over the decades that followed, the Kyrgyz were forced to give up their nomadic lifestyle and to adapt to the new institutions that the Soviet government has created, such as agricultural cooperatives. A strong national identity developed around 1986 as a result of reforms implemented by Mikhail Gorbachev and an independence movement formed.

Kyrgyzstan seceded from the Soviet Union in August 1991. Askar Akayev was elected in the first presidential elections. In December 1991, he and ten other former Soviet republics signed the agreement on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Over the years that followed, Akayev, who was re-elected in 1995 and 2000, attempted to find a solution to the interethnic problems and to modernise the country. In 2000, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Russia, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan created the Eurasian Economic Community, which has similar objectives as the European Economic Community. Parliamentary elections took place in February 2005, but the accusations of fraud that ensued led to a demonstration, which forced Akayev to flee the country and step down from his position in April of that year.

Economy

Kyrgyzstan is the former Soviet republic that was affected the most by independence, as it meant that it no longer received subsidies from Moscow. Kyrgyzstan had supplied Russia with raw materials, but demand decreased in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet block, which meant that the government had to look for new sources of income.

Despite widespread industrialisation, Kyrgyzstan's economy is still based on agriculture. Its most important products come from cattle breeding (horses, animals for slaughter, sheep) as well as cotton and wool products. In 2003, the unemployment rate was 7.2% and the inflation rate was 3.3%.

Culture

Central Asian literature has traditionally been conveyed in the form of songs, poems and stories by itinerant singers and bards, called "akyn". The country's most important piece of cultural heritage is a complete cycle of oral legends, a myth on Kyrgyzstan's early history.

The stories (handed down by the "Manashis") tell of how Manas came to Central Asia, won the people's hearts and gained power in the region. Until 1920, when the legend was finally written down, it had varied according to the story teller, which led to several versions of the legend.