Useful Information about Kyrgyzstan
This section provides a brief general introduction to politics, economics and social situation in Kyrgyzstan in English.
MS Encarta Encyclopedia on Kyrgyzstan
WORLD BOOK MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA (on line) on Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Republic UNDP Human Development Report 2000
UNDP Human Development Report on Education in Kyrgyz Republic in 1995
Name:
Kyrgyzstan
Official Name:
The Kyrgyz Republic
Capital City:
Bishkek
Area:
198,500
Highest point:
Pik Pobedy 7,349 m
Major geographical features: Tian Shan Lake Issy-Kul,
River Naryn
Climate:
Dry continental in highlands to subtropical in South
Population:
4,522,281 (July 1998 est.)
Next census:
April 1999
Population density:
24 people per sq km
Population Change:
1.5 per year
Net migration rate:
-9.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
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:
97%, male: 99%, female: 96% (1989 est.)
The Source: The CIA Factbook, 1998
MS ENCARTA
ENCYCLOPEDIA on line (http://www.encarta.msn.com/find/) :
I. Introduction
II.
Land and Resources III.Population
IV.Economy
V.
Government
VI. History
Kyrgyzstan, country in Central Asia, west of China and south of Kazakhstan.
The total area of Kyrgyzstan is 198,500 sq km
(76,640 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Bishkek.
The Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains meet in Kyrgyzstan; only about one-eighth
of the country is below 1500 m (about 4900
ft). The climate varies considerably with season and elevation, and
only 4.7 percent of the land is cultivated. Kyrgyzstan has
vast mineral resources, including extensive deposits of coal, gold,
and uranium.
The population of Kyrgyzstan is 4,522,281 (1998 estimate), some 61 percent
in rural areas. Fifty-two percent of the people
are Muslim Kyrgyz; Russians make up 22 percent, Uzbeks 13 percent.
Official languages are Kyrgyz and Russian.
Mining is the major economic activity. Deposits of oil and natural gas
have been found, but Kyrgyzstan still depends on fuel
imports. Agriculture, especially livestock raising, formed the traditional
economic basis and remains important, employing 32
percent of workers. The unit of currency is the som (17.36 som equal
U.S.$1; 1997).
Under the 1993 constitution, an elected president serves a five-year
term as the head of state and appoints a prime minister,
with the approval of the legislature. A 1994 referendum created a full-time
35-member Legislative Assembly and a 70-member
Chamber of People's Representatives that meets twice a year.
In a 1991 referendum held in nine republics, the majority in Kyrgyzstan
favoured retaining a federation within the USSR. The
transition to independence and economic reform was largely due to the
election of Askar Akayev to the office of executive
president of the Kyrgyz Supreme Soviet in 1990. Akayev, formerly a
professor of mathematics, never served in the Communist
Party apparatus. He took office after winning an uncontested election
in 1991. Since becoming president, Akayev has acquired
extensive powers, including the right to appoint and dismiss government
officials. He abolished the old system of local soviets
(councils); the new system of appointed governors allows him direct
control over local affairs. Friction has developed between
Akayev and a coalition of opposition groups over foreign policy, the
allocation of political power, and land privatization.
Akayev is a strong supporter of the CIS.
Executive and Legislature
Executive power is vested in the president, who is elected for a five-year
term by universal suffrage; all citizens over the age of
18 years are eligible to vote. The president is head of state and commander-in-chief
of the armed forces and may only serve for
two consecutive terms in office. Legislative power is vested in the
bicameral 105-seat Zhogorku Kenesh (Supreme Council),
which comprises a 35-member Legislative Assembly (the lower chamber)
and the 70-member People's Assembly (upper
chamber), which represents regional interests; members of both chambers
are elected for a period of five years by universal
suffrage. The prime minister, government ministers, and leading state
officers are appointed by the president.
Political Parties
There is a broad spectrum of opposition parties including the Kyrgyz
Communist Party, which still has significant support; the
Agrarian Party of Kyrgyzstan; the Asaba Party of National Revival;
the centrist Republican Popular Party of Kyrgyzstan; and
the Slavic Association Soglasiye (Accord).
Judiciary
Justice is administered by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court,
the Higher Arbitration Court, and a system of local
courts. The Constitutional Court is the supreme judicial body upholding
the constitution and approving any modifications;
judges are nominated by the president and appointed by the Zhorgorku
Kenesh for a period of ten years. The Supreme Court
is the highest court in the administration of civil and criminal justice
and its judges and those of the Higher Court of Arbitration
are nominated by the president and appointed by the Zhorgorku Kenesh
for a period of ten years. Concerns have been
reported that criminal trials of opposition politicians and journalists
have been politically inspired.
Defence
The armed forces of the republic in 1997 totalled 12,200, comprising
9,800 personnel in the army and 2,400 in the air force; of
these, 11,000 were conscripts who serve for a period of 18 months.
In addition there were 5,000 paramilitary border guards.
International Organizations
Kyrygyzstan has been a member of the CIS since 1991, and is also a member
of the Partnership for Peace (PFP); the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO); and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
In about the 16th century the Kyrgyz people migrated west to settle
in the area that is now Kyrgyzstan. Conquered by a
Mongolian people in the late 17th century, the region became part of
the Russian Empire in 1876, again by conquest.
Kyrgyzstan became a constituent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR) in 1936.
Independence was declared in 1991, and Kyrgyzstan joined the United
Nations in 1992. A leader in economic reform among
Central Asian former Soviet republics, the country has encountered
stagnation and dwindling production. Inflation, however,
has been comparatively low. Ethnic tensions and political power struggles
have also troubled Kyrgyzstan.
WORLD BOOK MULTIMEDIA
ENCYCLOPEDIA on line:
Government
People
Land and Climate
Economy
History
Kyrgyzstan, pronounced kihr GEEZ stan, formerly known as Kirghiz, is
a mountainous country in central Asia. It became an
independent country in 1991, after about 70 years as a part of the
Soviet Union. Bishkek is the country's capital and largest
city. The official language is Kyrgyz.
A president serves as head of state and is Kyrgyzstan's most powerful
governmental official. The people elect the president to a
five-year term. A prime minister and cabinet of ministers run the daily
operations of the government. The president appoints the
prime minister, who then appoints the cabinet of ministers. A parliament
called the Supreme Council makes Kyrgyzstan's laws.
It consists of the Legislative Assembly, which has 35 members, and
the Assembly of People's Representation, which has 70
members. Council members are elected by the people to five-year terms.
Kyrgyzstan's main units of local government are
regions and districts.
Kyrgyzstan's highest court is the Supreme Court. There are also regional
and local courts. All judges are elected to five-year
terms.
About half of Kyrgyzstan's people belong to the Kyrgyz ethnic group.
They speak Kyrgyz, a Turkic language. Most of the
ethnic Kyrgyz live in rural areas and live by herding and farming.
Ethnic Russians make up about a fifth of the population. They
speak Russian, live mainly in urban areas, and hold most of the country's
industrial and technical jobs. Other ethnic groups
include Uzbeks, Ukrainians, and Germans. All of the Kyrgyz people and
Uzbeks are Muslims. Most of the other people are
Christians. Among the ethnic Kyrgyz, tribal organizations and large
kinship units called clans play important roles in social
customs. Each tribe consists of a number of clans. A Kyrgyz clan includes
all people who are descended from a common
ancestor through their father's side of the family. Senior clan members
function as community leaders. Traditionally, tribal
leaders have been the most respected members of Kyrgyz society.
When the Soviets took over, Kyrgyz tribal leaders were given high governmental
positions. Today, tribal leaders hold most of
the regional and national government offices in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz
social life is centered around the family. Members of an
extended family live together in one household. Such a household might
include parents, children, married sons and their
children, and other relatives. Kyrgyz people tend to marry only people
in their own clan. Most urban dwellers live in concrete
apartment buildings or stucco houses. For hundreds of years, large
numbers of rural Kyrgyz were nomadic (wandering) herders
who raised livestock in mountain valleys in the summer and moved them
to the foothills in the winter. In the 1930s, the Soviet
Union set up government farms and forced herders to live on them. Today,
most of the rural people live in mud-brick houses in
villages. But some still raise livestock in the nomadic life style
at least part of the year. These people live in portable, tentlike
yurts, made of a round wooden frame covered with felt.
The Kyrgyz people wear both Western-style and traditional clothing.
Traditional clothing for men includes a padded or a
sheepskin coat, boots, and a white felt hat with black flaps. Married
women often wear a white turban made of a long scarf.
Traditional Kyrgyz foods include shurpa (mutton and vegetable soup),
and besh barmak (lamb and noodles with broth).
Popular milk products include cheese, ayran (a yogurtlike drink), and
kumiss (fermented mare's milk). The Kyrgyz people
enjoy folk songs and dancing. The recitation of epics (poems about
heroic events) is a traditional Kyrgyz event. One of their
most famous epics is the Manas, a poem describing Kyrgyz history. The
government requires children to attend school between
the ages of 7 and 17. The country has 10 schools of higher education.
The Tian Shan and Alay mountains cover most of Kyrgyzstan. About three-quarters
of the country lies at an altitude of more
than 4,950 feet (1,500 meters) above sea level. Peak Pobedy, the country's
highest mountain, rises 24,406 feet (7,439 meters)
in the Tian Shan along the border with China. Only about 15 percent
of Kyrgyzstan is below 3,000 feet (915 meters) above
sea level. These areas include plains and mountain valleys. Most of
the people live in these relatively low places. The country's
chief rivers include the Chu, Talas, and Naryn. Temperatures in Kyrgyzstan
vary with altitude. Summers are very warm and dry
in the valleys and plains, and cool in the mountains. July temperatures
average 60 to 75 °F (16 to 24 °C) in the valleys and
plains and about 41 °F (5 °C) in the mountains. Winters are chilly
in the lowlands, but extremely cold in the mountains. January
temperatures average 7 to 23 °F (-5 to -14 °C) in the lowlands and
-18 °F (-28 °C) in the mountains.
Agriculture accounts for about two-fifths of the value of Kyrgyzstan's
economic production. Livestock raising is the chief
agricultural activity. Sheep are the most important kind of livestock.
People also raise cattle, goats, and pigs. They graze yaks in
the high mountains. Less than 10 percent of the land is suitable for
raising crops. Farmers rely on irrigation to provide water for
most crop growth. Chief crops and other leading agricultural products
include cotton, eggs, fruit, grain, milk, vegetables, and
wool. Manufacturing makes up about a third of the value of production
in Kyrgyzstan. Chief manufactured products include
construction materials, food products, machinery, metals, and textiles.
The country's major industrial center is Bishkek. Mines in
Kyrgyzstan yield a number of minerals, including antimony, coal, gold,
lead, mercury, petroleum, uranium, and zinc. Kyrgyzstan
has only one major railroad. Roads link major Kyrgyz towns, but not
all are paved. Buses are the chief form of transportation.
An airport at Bishkek handles all flights to and from Kyrgyzstan. Radio
stations broadcast from Bishkek and other cities. The
country publishes newspapers and magazines in Kyrgyz and Russian.
Nomads who raised livestock were the first people to live in what is
now Kyrgyzstan. They settled into the region from various
parts of northern Asia. During the 500's and 600's, Turkic tribes began
to invade the region. Waves of Turkic invasions
continued into the 1100's. Mongols conquered the area in the early
1200's. The Mongols established regions called khanates,
which were ruled by chieftains. Some of the country's people probably
descended from the Turkic and Mongol tribes. In the
1600's, Islamic missionaries called sufis brought Islam to the region.
Kyrgyzstan remained primarily under the domination of Mongol peoples
until 1758, when China gained control. The Chinese
maintained loose rule over the Kyrgyz until the 1830's, when the oppressive
Khanate of Quqon conquered the Kyrgyz people.
The Russian Empire began to expand into central Asia in the mid-1800's.
It defeated the Khanate of Quqon in 1876 and made
the region a Russian province. The Russian government took control
of vast areas of land and encouraged Russian, Ukrainian,
and other Slavic peasants to settle there. Tens of thousands of foreign
agricultural workers came. The settlement restricted
grazing land and lowered the Kyrgyz standard of living. In 1916, the
Kyrgyz staged an unsuccessful rebellion against the
Russians. Thousands were killed on both sides, and as many as 150,000
Kyrgyz people fled to China.
In 1917, Communists overthrew Russia's czar and took control of that
country. The Soviet Union was formed in 1922 under
Russian Communist leadership. In 1924, the Soviets made Kyrgyzstan
an autonomous oblast (self-governing region) of the
Soviet Union called the Kara-Kyrgyz Autonomous Oblast. In 1936, the
region became a Soviet republic called the Kyrgyz
Soviet Socialist Republic. Soviet rule changed many aspects of life
in Kyrgyzstan. The Soviet Union established a powerful
Communist government and took control of all industry and land in Kyrgyzstan.
The Soviet government forced nomadic
herders to settle on government farms. The Communist Party also became
the only legal political party. In addition, Soviet law
forbade certain traditional cultural practices, such as religious instruction.
However, the Soviet government helped develop
agriculture and industry in Kyrgyzstan. School and health-care systems
were also improved. In the late 1980's, the Soviet
government began giving people more freedom.
In 1990, Kyrgyzstan declared that its laws overruled those of the Soviet
Union. In mid-1991, the Communist Party was
dissolved, and Kyrgyzstan began moving toward creating a free-enterprise
economy. The government began selling off
farmland and businesses to private owners. The Soviet Union broke apart
in December 1991, and Kyrgyzstan became an
independent country. The country joined the Commonwealth of Independent
States, a loose association of former Soviet
republics. The new nation's problems included tensions between ethnic
groups. Conflicts exist between the Kyrgyz and the
Uzbeks over territorial claims and other disputes. Since 1990, some
violence has taken place between the two groups.
UNDP
Human Development Report on Education in Kyrgyzstan
(1995)
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