Kyrgyzstan Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Kyrgyzstan?
Overview
The Kyrgyz Republic is a Central Asian country of natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions. Occupying a strategic location on the Silk Road, its territory is one of the most ancient centers of human civilization, as documented in Chinese, Arabic, Iranian, and Turkish written sources. Bishkek (formerly Frunze), the capital, and Osh are the principal cities.The Kyrgyz Republic is a country of sunshine, high, snow-covered mountains, deep gorges cut by swift rivers and 1,923 mountain lakes. In the summer months, travelers can spend part of a single day in a sunny valley, in a flowering meadow high in the mountains, and in glaciers above the clouds. Extensive mountain ranges featuring ridges, deep gorges, wide valleys, and virgin forests are complemented by more than 40,000 rivers and streams that provide irrigation and a vast potential for hydroelectric production.
The Tien Shan and Pamir mountain ranges dominate 65% of the country, and the average elevation is 2,750 meters, ranging from 394 meters in the Fergana Valley to 7,439 meters (24,409 feet) at Pik Pobedy (Mount Victory). It is estimated that the Kyrgyz Republic’s 6,500 distinct glaciers hold more than 650 billion cubic meters of water. The alpine regions provide rich pastures for sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and yaks. The main agricultural regions are the Chui River valley in the North and the Fergana Valley in the South. Over half of the cultivated area is irrigated, and cotton, sugar, beets, silk, tobacco, fruit, grapes, and grains are among the main crops. There are gold, coal, antimony, lead, tungsten, mercury, uranium, petroleum, and natural gas deposits, and industries include food processing and the manufacture of agricultural machinery and textiles. The country is lightly forested with woods covering about 3.5% of the country. However, forests in the south of the Kyrgyz Republic include the largest wild nut (walnut) groves on earth.
Geography - note
landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakesKyrgyzstan Use of Natural Resources
| Geographic Location | Asia |
| Total Area |
77,201 Square Miles 199,951 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
74,054 Square Miles 191,801 Square Kilometers |
| Water Area |
3,147 Square Miles 8,150 Square Kilometers |
| Land Boundaries |
1,896 Miles 3,051 Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
3,942 Square Miles 10,210 Square Kilometers |
| Border Countries | China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km |
| Geographic Coordinates | 41 00 N, 75 00 E |
| Terrain | peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation |
| Highest Point | 7,439 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m |
| Lowest Point | 132 Meters |
| Lowest Point Location | Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m |
| Natural Resources | abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc |
| Time Zone | UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
