Geography

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered on the southeast by China, on the north and west by Kazakhstan, and on the south and west by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The smallest of the newly independent Central Asian states, Kyrgyzstan is just slightly smaller than the combined size of England and Scotland, with a total area of 199,900 square kilometres.

Mountains

Kyrgyzstan's average elevation is 2,750 metres, ranging from 7,439 metres at Peak Jengish Chokusu to 394 metres in the Fergana Valley near Osh. Almost 90% of the country lies more than 1,500 metres above sea level.

The terrain of Kyrgyzstan is dominated by the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain systems, which together occupy about 65% of the national territory. The Alay range portion of the Tian Shan system dominates the southwestern crescent of the country, and, to the east, the main Tian Shan range runs along the boundary between southern Kyrgyzstan and China before extending farther east into China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The highest peaks are in the Tian Shan range, forming the Chinese border. Peak Jengish Chokusu, at 24,400 feet (7,439 m), is the highest point and is considered by geologists (though not mountaineers) to be the northernmost 23,000 foot (7,000 m) peak in the world.

The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are geologically young, so that the physical terrain is marked by sharply uplifted peaks separated by deep valleys. There is also considerable glaciation. Kyrgyzstan's 6,500 distinct glaciers are estimated to hold about 650 cubic kilometres of water. Only around the Chui, Talas, and Fergana valleys is there relatively flat land suitable for large-scale agriculture.

Lakes and Rivers

Because the high peaks function as moisture catchers, Kyrgyzstan is relatively well watered by the streams that descend from them. None of the rivers of Kyrgyzstan are navigable, however, and the majority are small, rapid, runoff streams. Most of Kyrgyzstan's rivers are tributaries of the Syrdariya, which has its headwaters in the western Tian Shan along the Chinese border. Another large runoff system forms the Chui River, which arises in northern Kyrgyzstan, then flows northwest and disappears into the deserts of southern Kazakhstan. Heavy snowfall in the mountains over winter leads to spring floods which often cause serious damage downstream. The runoff from the mountains is also used for hydro-electricity.

Kyrgyzstan has a total of about 2,000 lakes with a total surface area of 7,000 sq km, mostly located at altitudes of 3,000 to 4,000 metres. Only the largest three, however, occupy more than 500 sq km. Lake Issyk-Kul (Ysyk-Kol) in the north-western Tian Shan is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the second largest mountain lake in the world after Titicaca. Covering an area of 6,236 sq km, this saline lake has been shrinking steadily, and its mineral content has been rising gradually. The second- and third-largest lakes, Songkol and Chatyr-Kol (the latter of which also is saline), are located in the Naryn River Basin.

Enclaves and Exclaves

There is one exclave, the tiny village of Barak (population 627) in the Fergana valley - a region where the Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. The village is surrounded by Uzbek territory and located between the towns of Margilan and Fergana.

There are four Uzbek enclaves within Kyrgyzstan. Two of them are the towns of Sokh (325 sq km and a population of 42,800), and Shakhrimardan (also known as Shakirmardon or Shah-i-Mardan, -90 sq km and a population of 5,100); the other two are the tiny territories of Chuy-Kara (or Kalacha, roughly 3 km long by 1 km wide) and Dzhangail (a dot of land barely 2 or 3 km across). Chuy-Kara is on the Sokh river, between the Uzbek border and the Sokh enclave.

There also are two enclaves belonging to Tajikistan: Vorukh (95-130 sq km, population estimated between 23,000 and 29,000), located 45 kilometres south of Isfara on the right bank of the Karafshin river, and a small settlement near the Kyrgyz railway station of Kairagach.

Environmental Issues

Kyrgyzstan has been spared many of the enormous environmental problems faced by its Central Asian neighbours, primarily because its designated roles in the Soviet system involved neither heavy industry nor large-scale cotton production. Also, the economic downturn of the early 1990s reduced some of the more serious effects of industrial and agricultural policy. Nevertheless, Kyrgyzstan has serious problems because of inefficient use and pollution of water resources, land degradation, and improper agricultural practices.

Natural Hazards

Natural disasters have been frequent and varied. Overgrazing and deforestation of steep mountain slopes have increased the occurrence of mudslides and avalanches, which occasionally have swallowed entire villages. In August 1992, a severe earthquake left several thousand people homeless in the southwestern city of Jalal-Abad.