Kyrgyzstan

Map of Kyrgyzstan The Kyrgyz Republic President: Kurmanbek Bakiyev (2005) Prime Minister: Daniyar Usenov (2009) Total area: 73,861 sq mi (191,300 sq km) Population (2009 est.): 5,431,747; (growth rate: 1.4%); birth rate: 23.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 31.2/1000; life expectancy: 69.4; density per sq km: 28 Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bishkek (formerly Frunze), 824,900 Other large city: Osh 225,600 Monetary unit: Som National name: Kyrgyz Respublikasy Current government officials Languages: Kyrgyz, Russian (both official) Ethnicity/race: Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999) Religions: Islam 75%; Russian Orthodox 20%; other 5% National Holiday: Independence Day, August 31 Literacy rate: 98.7% (1999 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $10.5 billion; per capita $2,000. Real growth rate: 8.2%. Inflation: 10.2%. Unemployment: 18% (2004 est.). Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool. Labor force: 2.7 million (2000); agriculture 55%, industry 15%, services 30% (2000 est.). Industries: small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals. 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. Exports: $759 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes. Imports: $937.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: UAE, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Turkey (2004). Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 351,000 (1997); mobile cellular: n.a. Radio broadcast stations: AM 12 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998). Radios: 520,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: n.a. (repeater stations throughout the country relay programs from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) (1997). Televisions: 210,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): n.a. Internet users: 51,600 (2001). Transportation: Railways: 420 km (2002). Highways: total: 18,500 km; paved: 16,854 km (including 140 km of expressways); unpaved: 1,646 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 600 km (1990). Ports and harbors: Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye). Airports: 68 (2002). International disputes: Kyrgyzstan's constitutional court has ruled that 1,270 sq km ceded to China in a 2000 delimitation agreement were legally transferred; delimitation with Kazakhstan is largely complete with only minor disputed areas; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; serious disputes with Uzbekistan around Uzbek enclaves mar progress on delimitation efforts. Major sources and definitions

Geography

Kyrgyzstan (formerly Kirghizia) is a rugged country with the Tien Shan mountain range covering approximately 95% of the whole territory. The mountaintops are perennially covered with snow and glaciers. Kyrgyzstan borders Kazakhstan on the north and northwest, Uzbekistan in the southwest, Tajikistan in the south, and China in the southeast. The republic has the same area as the state of Nebraska.

Government

Constitutional republic.

History

The native Kyrgyz are a Turkic people who first settled in the Tien Shan mountains. They were traditionally pastoral nomads. Due to extensive Russian colonization in the 1900s, Russian settlers were given much of the best agricultural land. This led to an unsuccessful and disastrous revolt by the Kyrgyz people in 1916. Kyrgyzstan became part of the Soviet Federated Socialist Republic in 1924 and was made an autonomous republic in 1926. It became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1936. The Soviets forced the Kyrgyz to abandon their nomadic culture and adopt modern farming and industrial production techniques.

Kyrgyzstan proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 31, 1991. On Dec. 21, 1991, Kyrgyzstan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. The country joined the UN and the IMF in 1992 and adopted a shock-therapy economic program. Voters endorsed market reforms in a referendum held in Jan. 1994, and in 1996, referendum voters overwhelmingly endorsed proposed constitutional changes that enhanced the power of the president.

There is an ethnic and economic divide between the more developed north with its Kyrgyz population and the impoverished south, which is made up of Uzbeks and a diverse group of other ethnicities. About 50% of the entire population lived below the poverty line in 2003.

Since 1999, several groups of radical Islamic gunmen, believed to be from Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, have led raids and kidnappings from base camps in Kyrgyzstan's mountains.

Corruption Allegations Weaken Longtime President

In elections held on Oct. 30, 2000, President Askar Akayev easily won reelection with nearly 75% of the vote. The election, however, was marred by allegations of fraud, diminishing Kyrgyzstan’s claim to be the centerpiece of central Asian democracy. Once a popular leader, Akayev's standing has diminished as a result of accusations of nepotism and corruption.

In 2001, Kyrgyzstan permitted troops from the U.S. and seven other nations to be stationed in the country in support of the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in neighboring Afghanistan. In 2002, construction of a large U.S. airbase began outside of Bishkek. In Feb. 2003, a controversial referendum expanded Akayev's powers, and in June Parliament granted him lifelong immunity from prosecution.

February and March 2005 parliamentary elections were judged by international observers and opposition leaders to be flawed, and they set off violent protests in the country. On March 24, as the protests spread to the capital, President Akayev fled the country, and he announced his resignation on April 4. Opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev served as interim president and prime minister until the July 10 election, in which he won the presidency with 88.7% of the vote. Felix Kulov became the prime minister. An opposition leader, he had been imprisoned by former president Akayev until the March 24 coup.

Opposition Challenges President's Motives

During 2006, numerous public protests took place demanding constitutional reform and pressuring the government to clean up corruption. In response to the protests, President Bakiyev signed a new constitution in November that limited his powers. A month later, however, Parliament—under pressure from Bakiyev—restored some of his powers. Prime Minister Kulov resigned in December. Parliament twice thwarted Bakiyev's efforts to reinstate Kulov. In Jan. 2007, it approved Azim Isabekov as prime minister. He resigned the post in March, and Bakiyev named prominent opposition leader Almaz Atambayev as prime minister, temporarily averting a political crisis.

In an Oct. 2007 referendum, voters approved a new constitution and election laws proposed by President Bakiyev, who said the changes increased the power of Parliament and created a balance of power. The opposition, however, claimed they further strengthened the presidency. After the vote, which monitors called flawed, Bakiyev called for new elections. He fired Prime Minister Almaz Atambayev in November. The opposition claimed Bakiyev was attempting to solidify his power ahead of elections. In December parliamentary elections, Bakiyev's party, Ak Zhol, breezed to victory. The opposition, which trailed far behind, alleged the vote was rigged.

The U.S. and Kyrgyzstan reached an agreement in June 2009 that permits American troops to continue using the Manas air base to support military operations in Afghanistan. The deal was finalized after the U.S. agreed to pay $60 million each year in rent, more than triple the current fee.

Incumbent Kurmanbek Bakiyev won 76.1% of the vote in July 2009 presidential elections. Prime Minister Marat Kadyraliyev resigned in October 2009, along with his government, in response to Bakiyev's call for reforms that would further consolidate his power.

See also Encyclopedia: Kyrgyzstan.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Kyrgyzstan .

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