Country Facts - Kyrgyzstan

The People

Nationality
Kyrgyzstani(s)

Ethnic Composition

Kyrgyz	52.4%
Russian	18.0%
Uzbeck	12.9%
Ukrainian	2.5%
German	2.4%
Other	11.8%

Religious Composition

Islamic	75%
Russian Orthodox	20%
Nonaffiliated and other	5%

Languages Spoken

Kyrgyz - official language, Russian - official language
Note: In December 2001, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian an official language, equal in status to Kyrgyz.

Education and Literacy

Currently, 97 percent of the population over the age of 15 is literate.

Labor Force

Total: 2.7 million (2000)
By occupation:

Agriculture	55%
Industry	15%
Services	30%

Geography

Land Mass Total

76,641 sq mi (198,500 sq km)

Land

73,861 sq mi (191,300 sq km)

Water

2,779 sq mi (7,200 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 2,409 mi (3,878 km)
Border countries: China 533 mi (858 km), Kazakhstan 653 mi (1,051 km), Tajikistan 540 mi (870 km), Uzbekistan 682 mi (1,099 km)

Coastline

None

Maritime claim

None

Climate/Weather

Dry continental to polar in high Tian Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone.

Terrain

Peaks of Tian Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Kara-Darya 433 ft (132 m)
Highest: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 24,406 ft (7,439 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.

Land use

Arable land	7%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	93%

Note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural growth walnut forest (1998)

Environment - current issues

Water pollution (many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent); increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices.

Geography Note

Landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes.

Demographics

Population

4,822,166 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	34.4%	Male: 838,224	Female: 821,230
15-64 years:	59.4%	Male: 1,403,328	Female: 1,459,914
65 years and over:	6.2%	Male: 113,861	Female: 185,609

Growth Rate

1.45% (2002)

Life Expectancy

63.56 years
Female: 67.98 years
Male: 59.35 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$2,800 (2001)

Infant Mortality

75.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.61 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.96 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

-2.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Kyrgyzstan is a small, poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products and exports. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, and electricity. Kyrgyzstan has been one of the most progressive countries of the former Soviet Union in carrying out market reforms. With fits and starts, inflation has been lowered to an estimated 7 percent in 2001. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe since the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995 production began to recover and exports began to increase. Growth was held down to 2.1 percent in 1998 largely because of the spillover from Russia's economic difficulties, but moved ahead to 3.6 percent in 1999, 5 percent in 2000, and 5 percent again in 2001. Despite these gains, poverty indicators were no better in 2001 than in 1996. On the positive side, the government and the international financial institutions embarked on a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy. In November 2001, with financing assurance from the Paris Club, the IMF Board approved a three-year, $93 million Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility funding program that is still in the process of implementation. Unfortunately, this injection did not prevent the economy from contracting in 2002 (-0.5%) but expectations for 2003 and 2004 are above the +5-percent growth rate..

Unemployment

7.2% (1999)

Inflation Rate

7% (2001)

Industries

Small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals.

Exports

US$475 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$420 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$13.5 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Germany 28.7%, Uzbekistan 17.7%, Russia 12.9%, China 8.7%, Kazakhstan 6.6% (2000)

Top Import Partners

Russia 23.9%, Uzbekistan 13.5%, Kazakhstan 10.3%, US 9.7%, Turkey 4.8% (2000)

Top Exports

Cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, hydropower; machinery; shoes

Top Imports

Oil and gas, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs

Debt - external

US$1.6 billion (2001)

Economic aid

Recipient: $50 million from the United States in 2001

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed
Retail	10a.m. to 8p.m. One-hour break at 1p.m. Large open-air markets open from 8a.m. to 8p.m. during summer months. In more rural areas business hours are a function of local need and custom. All offices and businesses make allowances for Islamic prayer and holidays.	Saturday 10a.m. to 8p.m. Some shops and restaurants maintain Sunday hours and close on Mondays.
Banks	9a.m. to 1p.m. Urban banks may have afternoon hours.	Closed
Government	10a.m. to 6p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Christmas (Orthodox)¹	January 7	January 7	January 7
Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)²	February 12	February 2	January 21
Women's Day	March 8	March 8	March 8
Noruz³	March 21 or 22	March 21 or 22	March 21 or 22
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Constitution Day	May 5	May 5	May 5
Victory Day	May 9	May 9	May 9
Independence Day	August 31	August 31	August 31
Start of Ramadan*¹	October 27	October 15	October 4
End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*²	November 26	November 14	November 3

¹	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D. 320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox Church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.
²	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
³	The Persian New Year occurs on either March 21 or 22 of the vernal equinox.
*¹	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*²	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press